Most recent/best instructions for manual updates to CF 2021 (Linux)

[AlHolden]

My localhost (development) server is in a state with a few known items. One of which it is "Not able to connect to Update Site" due to some missing bouncycastle stuff - that was corrected in an update if I recall correctly.

PARADOX: The updater cannot run the updates required to fix the updater.

Searching produces a plethora of links and blogs on how to update CF manually, but they tend to vary widly based on age, version and platform. Thus my question:

Where are the pentultimate, correct and authorative instructions for manual updating of:
Adobe ColdFusion 2021 Version 2021,0,03,329779
Developer edition running on UNIX (Linux distro Zorin OS 16.1) 64 bit

Send me one of the many items writen for Windows, and I will shake my first and curse your username skyward in a manner that would make William Shatner weep.

You have my gratitude!

[RaviShankar Chagnur]

You can refer to below document under section "INSTALL THE UPDATE IN OFFLINE MODE MANUALLY" in offline mode

https://helpx.adobe.com/in/coldfusion/kb/coldfusion-2021-update-4.html

Refer to the document and let us know if you have any further queries

[Charlie Arehart · Accepted solution]

Separate from Ravi's authoritative answer to your specific question, Al, I would note that your inability to update in the admin (and the failure to connect) may be very simply resolved by updating the jvm you have cf pointing to. That's not quite the paradox you assert, as updating the jvm is NOT done by updating CF, as you may know.  🙂 

To be clear, the jvm that cf COMES WITH will either be 11.0.1 for the ORIGINAL cf2021 installer (from Nov 2020), or 11.0.11 for the "refreshed" installer offered in Sep 2021. Those are both old. Sadly, if you download the installer EVEN TODAY, it will be one OR the OTHER depending on how you obtain it from Adobe. (That really is tragic, and leads folks to be in the very pickle you describe.) 

So first, you can easily see what jvm version cf is using via the cf Admin settings summary page (among other ways). What is yours? 

And second, you can easily update the jvm. I have both a blog post and a presentation covering that (and this reason it's needed). I don't sense those are resources you've necessarily already considered; however, I can say they're not specifically "written for Windows", though they may well show some solution that is. I try to be as OS-agnostic as possible. 🙂 

Finally, as for the rather convoluted new approach (of extracting a zip and using the command line cfpm tool), newly discussed in the update technotes since update 2 of CF2021, I will just say that the "old way" (introduced in cf10, of using the java -jar command to point to the downloaded jar) still works, even with the latest cf2021 updates. I have covered that approach also in past posts and another talk. Granted, that's from 2019.

And Adobe must have their reasons to promote this newer manual approach, but I've not found it to be NECESSARY over the old manual approach--when updating cf and ALL modules in cf2021. Ravi or anyone else, if you may care to share more, please do. 

But Al, my point is that updating cf (manually or otherwise) may not necessarily BE your best first step, especially if you would see the other security benefits of updating Java anyway (see my posts or talk ON WHAT updates are appropriate--currently 11.0.16.1, as of Sep 2022).

But at least you have multiple options and resources to consider now. Let us know how you go, whichever you use. 

[Charlie Arehart]

Al and Ravi, any thoughts? 

[AlHolden]

Thanks @Charlie Arehart for your plethora of advice and links. Sorry I couldn't get back to this right away. Clients do not consider our personal development environments when setting their arbitrary due dates ;-]

I suspect the problem is "solved" via your JVM update notion, I'll end this post with some quirks. But for now, a condensed summary of my steps for future Google posterity!

Again, this is specific to my Zorin Linux 16 laptop:

• Only download Java release with documented compatability for your CF version (usually LTS version)
• Download (archive/zip version) from Adobe (my choice), Oracle, Amazon etc based on your Java licensing needs
• Expand archive in new location
  • (for me, the Adobe version placed at /usr/java/jdk-11.0.16.1/ )
• Set ample Linux access permissions on this new location
  • (for me, it was chmod 777 [folder] because localhost)
• Insure you downloaded the right thing (there's /bin and /lib folders in there, right?)
• Note the path to the new location.
• Navigate to CF Admin | Java/JVM:
• Note the existing path in a backup txt file for possible * undo needs
  • (for me it was /opt/ColdFusion2021/jre/)
• Paste the new JVM path. Change nothing else.
  • (Note that you are actually changing the contents of ...cfusion/bin/jvm.config, in case you blow this - and need to undo manually * when CF fails to restart)
• Submit form & Restart CF Service
• Check CF Admin | Java/JVM to confirm new version shows now...

After these steps, the Update page in the CF Package Manager finally loaded up with all the plugin and core update data. Turns out I was able to either Uninstall Update 3 or Install Update 4. I did the later, and am at 2021,0,04,330004 now.

Quirks:

1) After an entire system restart, the Package Manager page went blank & started logging these again:

Error [http-nio-8500-exec-5] - macromedia/externals/org/bouncycastle_1_60_0_0/asn1/pkcs/PKCSObjectIdentifiers The specific sequence of files included or processed is: /opt/ColdFusion2021/cfusion/wwwroot/CFIDE/administrator/updates/index.cfm, line: 219

Also, my application's calls to another dev server (our CFML API) started failing with the same Invalid SSL protocol error as before.

HOWEVER, a stop and start of the CF Service seemed to get things working again.

2) Regarding the part in Pete's video about changing the file ...cfusion/jetty/jetty.lax for the CF Add-On Services, my installation has no such file - even tho I had added them with the specific installer. Perhaps it's somewhere else now?

3) The original issue here was not fixed by all this updating. I was hopeful that I could finally make a PDF, but no luck. The lack of the service started me down this whole update experience!

I'll update that thread to note as much. But hopefully this one is closed now, thanks again.

[Charlie Arehart]

Glad you got that sorted, and happy to have helped. Updating the jvm is indeed usually key. To your points (elaborated upon elsewhere in resources I pointed to), note that:

• Cf2021 works only with Java 11, not merely "any LTS" version, so not 8 or 17 (yet)
• Adobe formally supports only Oracle Java, not Amazon Corretto, Azul, open jdk, or any other
• Given your trouble finding the jetty.lax, that may well explain your pdf issue.

Given that's now your focus, I'll note that there are outstanding questions/replies to you in that other thread. You should check them out. And consider also my two lengthy replies to you there on Dec 30 2021. You only replied to the first. Of course, it was the holidays. 

And if you remain unable to resolve things even with that, I'll say I likely can help via a remote screenshare consulting session. You've been dealing with that issue for nearly a year. I'd think at some point it may become important enough for you to go to that next step, even if you don't want such help, or don't feel authorized, or don't feel it's worth paying for assistance. It's just that sometimes it's too hard to convey in a forum thread all that should be considered--from both your end and ours in helping--in order to understand, let alone solve, a problem. But I do it with folks daily. You'll not pay for time you don't value. More at carehart.org/consulting. 

[AlHolden]

@Charlie Arehartagreed. My other "no pdf service?" thread was sidelined until I could address the "latest version?" dependency in this one. Now I can pivot and continue there with my year-old homework.

I only threw the other Java forks in my bullet list because Pete does as much in his video. Aside from possible lags in updates to Adobe's download page, I don't see any reason to employ them.

Finally, I may take you up on the consultation after I exhaust the more popular [add-on-services] fixes. One of our clients is pretty pdf intensive, and it's becoming a pain to switch dev machines just to switch projects. But I'll move the conversation over there.

TTFN!

[BKBK]

@AlHolden , thanks for sharing your findings. They will certainly help someone else.

[BKBK]

Thus my question:

Where are the pentultimate, correct and authorative instructions for manual updating of:
Adobe ColdFusion 2021 Version 2021,0,03,329779
Developer edition running on UNIX (Linux distro Zorin OS 16.1) 64 bit

By @AlHolden

I would say, ask cfinstal[at]adobe.com. What's in a name! 🙂