Migrating to TFS 2018 from earlier versions

Posted: (EET/GMT+2)

 

Microsoft Team Foundation Server (TFS) version 2018 was released late 2017, and many teams are now upgrading from 2015 or 2017 to 2018. The upgrade process is straightforward, but it's worth preparing properly before you start.

Here are key upgrade considerations to keep in mind:

  • Check compatibility: TFS 2018 requires Windows Server 2016 or later, and SQL Server 2016 or later. Make sure Windows, SQL Server and your current TFS versions are up-to-date with service/update packs.
  • Backup first: take full database backups for the configuration and collection databases, plus the Reporting and Warehouse databases if you use them. Don't forget any security keys!
  • Clean up: delete unused build agents and clean old build definitions before upgrading. There's no point in migrating something you don't need.

Once you have done the preparations, it's time to upgrade. Here's the sequence at a high level:

  1. Stop TFS services.
  2. Backup your databases.
  3. Start the TFS 2018 setup.
  4. Run the Upgrade Wizard and point it to the backed-up databases.
  5. Verify the installation after the upgrade with Team Explorer and a web browser.

TFS 2018 gives you a modern build system, improved release management, and the new web-based code search. After upgrade, re-register build agents and verify permissions, as some defaults may reset to default during the upgrade.

For a smooth migration, do a dry run on a cloned/copied environment before touching real production.

Happy upgrading!