Editing Upgrade

{{short description|Process of replacing a product with a newer version of the same product}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Redirect|Software Upgrade|the song by Poppy|Poppy.Computer}}

'''Upgrading''' is the process of replacing a product with a newer version of the same product. In [[computing]] and [[consumer electronics]], an '''upgrade''' is generally a replacement of [[computer hardware|hardware]], [[software]] or [[firmware]] with a newer or better version, in order to bring the system up to date or to improve its characteristics.

==Computing and consumer electronics==
Examples of common hardware upgrades include installing additional memory ([[RAM]]), adding larger [[hard disks]], replacing microprocessor cards or [[graphics cards]], and installing new versions of software. Other upgrades are possible as well.

Common software upgrades include changing the version of an [[operating system]], an [[office suite]], of an anti-virus program, or of various other tools.

Common firmware upgrades include the updating of the [[iPod]] control menus, the [[Xbox 360]] dashboard, or the non-volatile flash memory that contains the [[embedded operating system]] for a [[consumer electronics]] device.

Users can often download software and firmware upgrades from the [[Internet]]. Often the download is a [[patch (computing)|patch]]—it does not contain the new version of the software in its entirety, just the changes that need to be made. Software patches usually aim to improve functionality or solve problems with [[software security vulnerability|security]]. Rushed patches can cause more harm than good and are therefore sometimes regarded{{By whom|date=January 2010}} with skepticism for a short time after release.<ref>{{cite web| title = Windows Vista patch ready for download | author = Lea Rush | date = 2007-08-07 | publisher= IT News Digest | url = http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/tech-news/?p=976 | access-date = 2008-07-30}}</ref>{{OR|date=April 2024}} Patches are generally free.

A software or firmware upgrade can be major or minor and the [[Software versioning#Schemes|release version]] code-number increases accordingly. A major upgrade will change the version number, whereas a minor update will often append a ".01", ".02", ".03", etc. For example, "version 10.03" might designate the third minor upgrade of version 10. In [[proprietary software|commercial software]], the minor upgrades (or updates) are generally free, but the major versions must be purchased.

Companies usually make software upgrades for the following reasons: 1.) to support industry regulatory requirements 2.) to access [[emerging technologies]] with new features, and tools 3.) to meet the demands of changing markets 4.) to continue to receive comprehensive product support.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Marini|first1=Paul|title=Best Practices for a Successful Software Upgrade|url=http://blog.spartasystems.com/feed/best-practices-for-a-successful-software-upgrade|publisher=Sparta Systems|access-date=22 June 2015}}</ref>

==Risks==
Although developers usually produce upgrades to improve a product, there are risks involved—including the possibility that the upgrade will worsen the product.

Upgrades of hardware involve a risk that new hardware will not be compatible with other pieces of hardware in a system. For example, an upgrade of RAM may not be compatible with existing RAM in a computer. Other hardware components may not be compatible after either an upgrade or downgrade, due to the non-availability of compatible [[device driver|drivers]] for the hardware with a specific [[operating system]]. Conversely, there is the same risk of non-compatibility when software is upgraded or downgraded for previously functioning hardware to no longer function.

Upgrades of software introduce the risk that the new version (or patch) will contain a [[Software bug|bug]], causing the program to malfunction in some way or not to function at all. For example, in October 2005, a glitch in a software upgrade caused trading on the [[Tokyo Stock Exchange]] to shut down for most of the day.<ref>{{cite web | last = Williams | first = Martyn | title = Software glitch halts Tokyo Stock Exchange | publisher = InfoWorld | date = 2005-11-01 | url = http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/11/01/HNtokyoexchange_1.html?APPLICATION%20PERFORMANCE%20MANAGEMENT | access-date = 2008-07-30}}</ref> Similar   have occurred: from important government systems<ref>{{cite web | last = Associated Press | title = Official: Software glitch, not bomb, shut airport | publisher = NBC News | date = 2006-04-20 | url = https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12411853 | access-date = 2008-07-30}}</ref>
to [[freeware]] on the internet.

Upgrades can also worsen a product subjectively. A user may prefer an older version even if a newer version functions perfectly as designed. This may happen for a variety of reasons, including the user is already accustomed to the behavior of the old version or because the upgrade removed some features (see [[iPhone 7#Headphone jack controversy|iPhone jack removal controversy]] or  [[OtherOS]]).

A further risk of software upgrades is that they can [[Brick (electronics)|brick]] the device being upgraded, such as if power fails while the upgrade is in the middle of being installed. This is an especially big concern for embedded devices, in which upgrades are typically all-or-nothing (the upgrade is a firmware or filesystem image, which isn't usable if it's only partially written), and which have limited ability to recover from a failed upgrade.<ref name="murphy-compatible">{{cite journal |last=Ben-Yossef |first=Gilad |title=Building Murphy-compatible embedded Linux systems |url=https://www.kernel.org/doc/ols/2005/ols2005v1-pages-21-36.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the Linux Symposium |volume=1 |pages=21–36 |access-date=23 June 2016}}</ref> Solutions to this generally involve keeping multiple copies of firmware, so that one can be upgraded while the other remains intact as a backup, but there are still holes which can cause this to fail.<ref name="murphy-compatible" /><ref name="swupdate">{{cite web |url=https://sbabic.github.io/swupdate/overview.html |title=Software Management on embedded systems |last=Babic |first=Stefano |access-date=23 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="rauc">{{cite web | url=https://rauc.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ | title=Welcome to the RAUC documentation | access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref> Tools such as [https://mender.io/ Mender.io],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Northern.tech|title=Open source over-the-air software updates for Linux devices|url=https://mender.io/|access-date=2021-08-03|website=mender.io|language=en}}</ref> Sysup,<ref name="murphy-compatible" /> [[SWUpdate]], [[RAUC]],<ref name="rauc" /> and [[OSTree]]<ref name="ostree">{{cite web | url=https://ostree.readthedocs.io/en/latest/manual/introduction/ | title=OSTree Overview | access-date=5 May 2020 }}</ref> provide more complete solutions that implement upgrades in a safe [[Atomicity (database systems)|atomic]] way, and reduce or eliminate the need to customize bootloaders and other components. Desktop systems are more likely to use something like [[Snapshot (computer storage)|snapshots]] or [[System Restore|restore points]]; these are more efficient as they only require a small fraction of space to store the changes from the old system to the new one, but the lack of a turnkey implementation for embedded systems makes this impractical.

== See also ==
{{Wiktionary}}
*[[Adaptation kit upgrade]]
*[[Advanced Packaging Tool]]
*[[Macintosh Processor Upgrade Card]]
*[[Source upgrade]]
*[[Windows Anytime Upgrade]]
*[[Yellow dog Updater, Modified]]
*[[Patch (computing)]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Computing terminology]]