Use case

Seamless Jenkins Upgrade for Enhancing Security, Performance and Cost Efficiency

About the Customer

Virora provides an end-to-end guest management platform that streamlines hotel operations from room reservations to customer support. Virora allows hotels to effortlessly manage high tourist seasons across the globe, integrating with over 70 Property Management Systems (PMS) and Channel Management (CM) systems. With support for 13 languages, Virora helps hoteliers digitize processes, boost profitability, and enhance guest experiences through a modern, intuitive interface.

Customer Challenge

Virora’s core infrastructure relies on Jenkins for continuous integration and deployment. The customer faced the challenge of upgrading their Jenkins application running on an EC2 server to a newer compatible version without incurring downtime, while ensuring all plugins were updated and no disruptions to their operations occurred.

Solution

In collaboration with IAMOPS, Virora streamlined the process of upgrading their Jenkins server on EC2, ensuring a seamless transition without downtime. The goal was to modernize the Jenkins environment by upgrading to a newer, more secure version while maintaining high availability and operational continuity. IAMOPS provided expert guidance and support throughout the process, from backup and server restoration to WAR file upgrades and plugin management. By leveraging AWS infrastructure and implementing best practices, IAMOPS and Virora worked together to ensure the Jenkins upgrade was completed smoothly, with zero service interruptions, improved security, and enhanced performance.

1) Snapshot and Backup:

An on-demand snapshot of the Jenkins volume was taken to ensure data integrity and security.
IAMOPS created an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) from the existing Jenkins server to preserve its configuration and data, allowing for easy recovery in case of issues.

2) Seamless Server Restoration:

A new Jenkins server was launched from the previously created AMI, with all configurations and Jenkins jobs carried over.
The migration process was meticulously planned to ensure no downtime, with the new server being tested and configured in parallel to avoid any interruptions.

3) WAR File Upgrade:

The latest Jenkins WAR file was downloaded to ensure the server was running the most current and compatible version.
The old WAR file was replaced with the new one, ensuring smooth transition without service interruptions.

4) Plugin Updates and Configuration:

IAMOPS updated all necessary Jenkins plugins to ensure they were compatible with the new version of Jenkins.
Post-upgrade, the Jenkins environment was tested to ensure that all configurations were intact and working as expected.

5) Network and Agent Configuration:

To resolve potential network issues, IAMOPS restarted the Docker service and ensured that the new server had seamless connectivity to the network.
Any cloud agents from the original Jenkins setup were reconfigured to align with the new instance, ensuring continued job functionality.

6) Quality Checks and Verification:

IAMOPS manually executed key Jenkins build jobs to verify that everything was functioning as expected.
The Virora team validated the successful execution of jobs, confirming that there were no issues post-upgrade.

7) Load Balancer and Traffic Management:

The new Jenkins instance was added to the Application Load Balancer (ALB) target group, ensuring it began receiving traffic while the old instance was still running.
Gradually, the old Jenkins instance was removed from the target group, and the new instance took over, ensuring continuous service throughout the transition.

8) Post-Migration Support:

IAMOPS provided ongoing monitoring and support to ensure the new Jenkins server was running smoothly and without issues.
IAMOPS provided ongoing monitoring and support to ensure the new Jenkins server was running smoothly and without issues.

Results & Benefits

Enhanced Jenkins version: The upgrade resulted in a more robust and secure Jenkins environment, with access to the latest features and bug fixes.
Zero Downtime: The careful management of server snapshots and AMIs ensured no downtime during the transition.
Improved Security: The upgrade resolved potential vulnerabilities present in the older Jenkins version, strengthening Virora’s core infrastructure.
Seamless Integration: The migration to a new server was done smoothly, with all configurations and jobs intact, ensuring continuous service for Virora’s hotel clients.

About IAMOPS

IAMOPS is a full DevOps suite company that supports technology companies to achieve intense production readiness.

Our mission is to ensure that our clients’ infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines are scalable, mitigate failure points, optimize performance, ensure uptime, and minimize costs.

Our DevOps suite includes DevOps Core, NOC 24/7, FinOps, QA Automation, and DevSecOps to accelerate overall exponential growth.

As an AWS Advanced Tier Partner and Reseller, we focus on two key pillars: Professionalism by adhering to best practices and utilizing advanced technologies, Customer Experience with responsiveness, availability, clear project management, and transparency to provide an exceptional experience for our clients.