After upgrading to EventSentry v3.3 or later, how do I utilize the new

If you are not utilizing the built-in PostgreSQL database then you can ignore this article.

EventSentry v3.3 includes a new version 9.6 of the built-in PostgreSQL-based database, since the previously included v9.1 no longer receives (security) updates from the PostgreSQL team. Since PostgreSQL database generally don't offer an option to simply upgrade older databases, a manual migration is necessary. Note: Upgrading the built-in database is recommended but not required.

When upgrading an earlier version of EventSentry with the built-in database installed, setup will prompt whether to install the newer v9.6 built-in database. If "Yes" is selected, PostgreSQL v9.6 will be installed alongside the existing PostgreSQL v9.1 installation. EventSentry will continue to use the existing PostgreSQL v9.1 database until one of two available migration routes is chosen (see below).

It's important to point out that the EventSentry setup will only prompt you to upgrade to PostgreSQL v9.6 during a major upgrade (e.g. v3.2 to v3.3); subsequent v3.3 patch installations will not offer an option to upgrade the database.

Keeping PostgreSQL v9.1
Upgrading to PostgreSQL v9.6 is not required and you may choose to continue to run PostgreSQL v9.1. Since EventSentry v3.3 no longer ships with PostgreSQL v9.1 however, it is highly recommended that you apply the latest EventSentry v3.2 patch (if the current installation is version 3.2) before upgrading to v3.3. This ensures that the existing PostgreSQL v9.1 installation is upgraded to the latest available build, v9.1.24. If you choose to remain on PostgreSQL v9.1 then it is recommended to both utilize the EventSentry collector services as well as protect the local PostgreSQL installation with firewall rules. This is ensures that any potential future security vulnerability that may be discovered in PostgreSQL v9.1 cannot easily be exploited over the network.

We recommend installing PostgreSQL v9.6 even if you do not have immediate plans to upgrade. The new database service can be stopped and any migration can be performed in the future whenever convenient.

Upgrading to PostgreSQL v9.6
If the PostgreSQL v9.6 database upgrade option was selected during the upgrade, then two PostgreSQL database servers will be running with the following service names after the upgrade:

EventSentry Database (PostgreSQL v9.1 - existing)
EventSentry Database v9.6 (PostgreSQL v9.6 - new)

Two options are available to start utilizing PostgreSQL v9.6:

1. Migrate all data
Migrate all data from the existing v9.1 database to the new v9.6 database and completely remove the existing PostgreSQL v9.1 installation.

Pros:

Legacy PostgreSQL v9.1 instance can be removed after migration
All data will be stored in the v9.6 PostgreSQL instance

Cons:

Potentially long downtime for EventSentry while data is backed up and restored (depends on DB size and server speed)
Sufficient disk space for backup file and new database needs to be available

KB 330

2. Only store new data in the PostgreSQL v9.6 database
Only store new data in the PostgreSQL v9.6 database and retain the legacy PostgreSQL v9.1 database only for archival purposes.

Pros: