Maintenance Update Coming: Aurora 2 (MySQL 5.7) Update

This email is to inform you that all environments will be scheduling an upgrade from MySQL Hosted 5.7 to Aurora 2 (MySQL 5.7) this October/November 2023 as part of our continued improvement efforts. This includes MTC Connect and MTE Connect and all SpotOn Single Tenant clients.

• What is Aurora 2 (MySQL 5.7)?

  • Aurora 2 (MySQL 5.7) is a fully managed, highly available, and secure database engine. It offers many benefits and is compatible with MySQL 5.7, which is what is used in all of SpotOn Enterprise environments.

• Why does SpotOn need to upgrade? 

  • Hosted MySQL 5.7 is nearing end-of-life support with security patches and product support ending in the next month. SpotOn has our clients covered with a plan for transitioning to Aurora not only to address support needs but also with additional benefits including enhanced performance, automated backups, and improved security features, to name a few. Aurora 2 also aligns with our strategy for upgrading to Aurora 3 (MySQL 8) in 2024.  

• What does the upgrade affect?

  • Aurora 2 upgrade directly impacts the connection of the database tables to our applications, API endpoints, and reporting. MySQL is a relational database management system SpotOn Enterprise uses for all applications including Connect, Activate, KDS, and APIs. An example is login calls or item edits that all hit database tables that need to live somewhere. This is where they live.  

• What do I as a client need to do?

  • Nothing is needed from SpotOn clients. Aurora 2 upgrade should be seamless to all production environments. However, we will alert you of maintenance windows as we get closer to the scheduled upgrade. We expect the maintenance window to last approximately 2-4 hours with much of that time being validations after the maintenance.  

• What is SpotOn doing to mitigate the risks?

  • SpotOn has a strategy that consists of all teams testing in multiple environments leading up to production cutovers that include automation and manual testing.  

• When are we planning to start?

  • Upgrades have begun in lower environments along with testing and the targeted production deploys are estimated to begin in October and completed by November.   

• When are we planning to do this in Production?

  • We have a staged upgrade schedule and we will provide notice 5 days before cutover to the MTC and MTE environments. For our Single Tenant Clients, we will work with you to coordinate on best date and time.  Please ensure you are registered to receive announcements via LaunchNotes.  

• What level of support will be provided post-upgrade?

  • SpotOn’s Client Success team and Support teams are prepared to provide hypercare immediately after the scheduled production cutover and will include senior DevOps support.

If you have any questions, please contact support at enterprisesupport@spoton.com or at (877) 559-4225.