Note that ColdFusion 10 Update 13 is "needed" for OS X-only...and some confusion
Note: This blog post is from 2014. Some content may be outdated--though not necessarily. Same with links and subsequent comments from myself or others. Corrections are welcome, in the comments. And I may revise the content as necessary.Some of you may have seen that Adobe released a new hotfix for ColdFusion 10 last night, called Update 13. If you only read the text in the update (shown in the "Server Update" page of the CF admin), you might proceed to apply that update (which is ok).
But guess what: it technically only has changes related to Mac OS X (specifically adding support for its Mavericks version).
This is addressed if you read the technote that the update text points to, or the Adobe blog entry from last night which announced the update (more on these in a moment.) Those DO indicate that if you are not running that OS, you need not apply the update. (And the day after I wrote this entry, this indication was added to the update text itself.)
But what if you are on Windows (or another *nix variant besides OS X)? Should you apply it? What if you do? (there's NO PROBLEM!) What if you don't? And given that the update text says you need to reconfigure the web server connector, do you really need to bother on Windows?
And what if you are installing CF10 for the first time, since you DO need to apply updates upon installation? (you can either apply update 13 or 12, but you must apply at least one of them to be fully updated.)
As important, how might Adobe have better clarified this, and how might they make a simple change now related to that (they since did)?
I address in this entry these questions and a few other concerns I have, about confusion that may ensue.
OS X is *NOT* Linux.
OS X is built on Darwin, which is a FreeBSD variant and (via NeXTStep,FreeBSD,NetBSD) a derivative of BSD UNIX.
Linux is a separate system entirely, inspired by UNIX in general, but not actually based on or derived from any common ancestor.
Given that CF is also supported on Sun Solaris and HP-AIX (and possibly others?), an appropriate way to write the parenthesised text would be something like "or any unix-like OS besides OS X", or even just "or any other OS besides OS X" would be fine.
I would like Adobe to look into the possibility to send relevant updates to relevant OS's through the CFIDE update mechanism.
In other words, if we on Windows ignore this update, the auto notification inside CFIDE is somewhat useless, as we will always see that there are updates available.
Second if this is only applicable on OSx then why should we on Windows get this update?
Thanks for raising the concerns. Let me try to answers them as simple and clear as possible:-
a) that this is indeed really only for those on OS X,
ColdFusion 10 Update 13 is only meant for Mac OS users.
b) that only THEY must reconfigure their connector, and
Any users installing this update would need to reconfigure the connectors, using the wsconfig tool.
c) that it's ok if someone on Windows DOES proceed to apply the update?
A non Mac OS users (including all other ColdFusion 10 supported OS) can install it. It is a cumulative update and would not break the server, if applied.
@David, thanks for the kind regards, and appreciating the reason I write these as I do. It's comments like that which help to keep bloggers going. As for your observations about the update mechanism, let's see if Adobe may have a comment on your suggestion.
@Anit, I appreciate your points a and c, but on b I must express confusion. Why would someone on another OS need to reconfigure their connectors, especially for instance if a Windows user had installed update 12 and reconfigured their connectors at that time? There's certainly no need for them to do it again upon applying this update, is there?
Maybe what you meant to say is "if a Windows user had either not applied update 12 or had not reconfigured their connector when they did", then yes they must do it.
This is a long-standing problem with the wording in all these updates over the past year regarding the updates and when a connector reconfigure is required. For readers interested in more, I addressed this in the other blog entry I linked to above.
The issue is that technically a reconfigure of the connector IS required for some updates, but not for others. So if you are going from one update that required it (and you did it) to another that does not, you need not do it again.
Or if you are installing CF10 for the first time, then you must apply updates as none are included (and you need only do the latest), but then since you will be including earlier updates which DID require a reconfigure, you must do it then.
Anit, is that perhaps why you have said in your comment, "Any users installing this update would need to reconfigure the connectors, using the wsconfig tool." Are you thinking more of those installing CF10 or the first time?
While I can understand you may want to err on the site of protecting such folks, the fact is (unless you tell me otherwise) that it seems that statement is not ALWAYS true, such as for one who had applied update 12 already and DID reconfigure their connectors then.
It is indeed a challenge (on both sited, you and us) to keep all this straight, and I think that's what leads to some of the frustration people express. I appreciate it's just challenging, and I'm trying to help with my blog entries.
Finally, Anit, as an Adobe representative, did you have any thoughts on David's suggestion?
@Dana, I hear you. Let's see if Adobe has any thoughts.
This update is for those on OS X who has >>already<< installed CF10? What about if you want to install CF10 for the first time on OX Maverick? Won't this mean that the initial install will not run since all the concurrent updates are not included in the install package, thus making it difficult or impossible for one to apply Update 13 to get it working properly?
This is one point that Adobe needs to clarify.
I say that not only because that's where you can expect Adobe to answer, but also because it's a good question that others may well have, and should see answered (there, I'd propose, as more will see that than this.)
But I suspect the answer is that you have 2 choices (since it seems it's the Apache connector that is fixed, judging from the bug report pointed to from the technote).
a) you could run the installer, proceeding to integrate CF with Apache (during the install), but then apply the updater from the command line (not the CF Admin, since the connector problem will seemingly prevent you seeing the Admin via Apache until the fix is applied). Then you could run the wsconfig tool to rebuild the connector, and then after a restart you should be able to access the CF admin via Apache.
b) or, one could run the installer, but choose the option to have the installer NOT integrate CF with Apache, using CF's internal (Tomcat) web server instead (which runs at port 8500 by default). You could then run the update in the CF Admin, and THEN run the wsconfig tool to update the connector. Then you cold either use the internal or Apache web server to access the CF Admin going forward. (You can also disable the internal web server and then ONLY be able to access it via Apache).
But that's just my guess. I'd still recommend you ask the question on the CF team blog, so others can see it. Feel free to point to my answer here. You can click the pound sign below my comment here (on my web site) to get the URL to point them directly to this answer. (I can't provide the link yet, as it's created when I post this comment.)
Re-configuring connector is not always required. That is why, we prefer saying, you "MAY" have to re-configure the connector. And the best example is, if you have already configured the connector for Update 12 on "windows", then apply the Update 13. Connector re-configuration is not required, in this case.
@David, If you are on windows, then you can ignore this update, if you don't wish to install Update 13. Otherwise, you can install it, but would not need to reconfigure the connector. ColdFusion 10 has the same update mechanism across all OS. That is the reason, Adobe created this update as cumulative, so that there is no room for any confusion related to future updates.
@lola, just saw you post as well and Charlie has already responded. If you want to install CF10 for the first time on OX Maverick, then download the latest version of CF10 from www.adobe.com, apply the mandatory update and apply the Update 13 directly. This update is cumulative and includes fixes from previous updates.
The problem is with the wording: Adobe was trying to say "the only thing changed in this update is for OS X". They should not have said it is "only for OS X".
Rather than look for a way to stop the notifications, really, just apply the update and be done with it. :-)
To me, a more tragic implication of this wording hit last night as I helped a client. They had applied only update 11 previously, somehow not noticing when 12 came out. When I showed them that there were behind, and they saw update 13 and I explained they were cumulative, we proceeded to install it.
But then the update text for update 13 says only that those on OS X need reconfigure their web server connectors. In the case of these folks, they DID ALSO need to reconfigure their connectors, since in now applying update 12, that DOES require reconfiguring them.
It's just such a shame that Adobe has so few lines in that text box for each update on the Admin page. Perhaps they should increase that, to be more clear about issues such as these. Or they could/should be more clear about them in the technote, of course.
I just fear that few people bother to read them. Do we really just say "too bad for them", or might something be done to help a problem that happens to a majority of people? I suppose that's a much bigger question about human behavior, corporate responsibility, etc. I just put it out rhetorically, as much as anything.
Thanks for your confirmation and kind regards, and glad to help.
Thanks,
Fred.
http://www.actuate.c...