FAQs for pre-requisite changes

What is Microsoft ASP.NET Core?

Microsoft ASP.NET core is an implementation of the Microsoft .NET Framework, specifically targeted at providing basic services for internet-connected apps, such as web apps, IoT (Internet of Things) apps and mobile backends.

Apteco Orbit (or at least the Orbit API) is implemented using the Microsoft ASP.NET Core framework.

Why are we doing this?

We have used .NET Core 2.1 for a number of years in Orbit (as a previous “Long Term Service” - LTS - version of .NET), but it has now stopped being supported by Microsoft.

The current LTS release of .NET (including the ASP.NET Core libraries) was released in November 2021 and we are now migrating Orbit to this version.

.NET Core 2.1 stopped being supported in August 2021. Why haven't you done anything sooner?

We have tried to balance the potential security risks against inconvenience to our customers.

We took a decision to wait for the next LTS release to be made public in November 2021, rather than forcing our customers to repeat this process multiple times for intermediary pre-requisites.

What do partners/customers have to do?

You do not yet need to uninstall the existing version of ASP.NET Core 2.1. This can be uninstalled after we have fully migrated Apteco Orbit to ASP.NET Core Runtime 6.

For existing Apteco Orbit installations

Simply install the “ASP.Net 6 Hosting Bundle” from

https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/6.0

This lives alongside the existing .NET installs

For new Apteco Orbit Installations (made after 26th Jan)

The ASP.NET Core Hosting bundle (6.0) needs to be installed instead of the “.NET Core 2 Hosting Bundle”, but currently other .NET pre-requisites are also required. Over time we will consolidate all components (Orbit API, Orbit API Configurator, Orbit Updater, Orbit SSO Login Service) to only require .NET 6.

Will we have to do this again?

We anticipate eventually having to move to a newer version of .NET in the future, but Microsoft have committed to supporting .NET 6 until at least November 2024. See https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/platform/support/policy/dotnet-core for further information.

When will we push out the first version of the Orbit API that requires .NET 6?

The earliest we plan to do this is the 26th January 2022. If telemetry and other feedback indicates a slow take up [of ASP.NET Core 6] we may choose to delay this.

Using an unsupported version of the .NET libray increases the potential of a security risk. Apteco needs to balance this risk with any delay.

What will happen if the required version of ASP.NET Core is not installed?

When the first version of the Orbit API that requires ASP.NET Core 6 is release, those systems that don’t have the pre-requisite will still be able to continue to use Orbit.

They won’t automatically update until the pre-requisite is installed and will not benefit from any new Orbit features or fixes.

Once ASP.NET Core 6 has been installed, are any other actions necessary?

No. The updater detects the presence of ASP.NET Core 6, the next time it attempts an update (on its default schedule of every 60 mins, or when the Updater is restarted) and then updates to the latest version.

Are there any pre-requisites for installing ASP.NET Core 6?

Yes. The operating systems that are supported can be found [here].

My web server's OS is not on that list. What does this mean?

If the web server is running on an operating system that is not in the list supported by Microsoft, then you will not be able to install Microsoft.NET Core. Please see above What will happen if the required version of ASP.NET core is not installed for how this will affect your system ongoing.

Will this affect any other applications that use .NET Core?

No. ASP.NET Core 6 can be installed side by side with other versions of the same component library.

Issues when uninstalling earlier versions of ASP.net Core

Uninstalling earlier versions of the ASP.NET Core hosting bundle (e.g. 2.1) can result in the ASP.NET Core 6 hosting bundle being de-registered within IIS, resulting in the OrbitAPI no longer running correctly.

To avoid this, repair the ASP.NET Core installation from within Add/Remove programs:

Select the Windows Server Hosting entry, and then the Change option.
In the dialogue that opens, choose the Repair option.
Restart IIS.