TASS Software Update
Overview
The ‘TASS Software Updates’ program is used to take an automated update of TASS.web and/or the associated Portal products. The update program will check the current versions on your school's system against the latest available versions on TASS Cloud.
This program can be accessed by navigating to TASS.web System Admin > Utilities.
Updating TASS Software will take the software offline for all users. Ensure your school has procedures for communicating maintenance windows to staff before updating.
Important!
This program should only be run by your School’s TASS.web Administrator, and only users with TASS.web administration permissions can access this program. Access security should be restricted accordingly. Schools must establish procedures to control user access for data security purposes.
Subscribe to Release Notes
Complete the Contact Details & Email Subscriptions form to stay informed about releases, new features, patch updates, system guidance, and events.
See the ‘Release Notes’, ‘TASS Release Cycle FAQ’ and ‘Enhancements FAQ’ articles for more information about TASS Software Releases.
Important!
Ensure you keep up to date with the latest version of TASS Software. Older versions become end-of-life (EoL) and are eventually unsupported by the TASS team. More information about this is available on our System Requirements page.
User Security Permissions
Access to this program is controlled by the 'TASS Software Update' security point in TASS.web System Admin > Users > User Maintenance or TASS.web System Admin > Users > Security Role Permissions. Contact your school’s TASS.web administrator for access.
How to Update TASS Software
An 'Update Available' button will be visible to all TASS.web users in the TASS.web toolbar when a patch release update is available in this program. All users will be able to click on this button and access the 'TASS Release Notes' for the update in advance.
Users who have been granted permission to this program will receive a warning when they log in to TASS.web and when updates have been available for more than seven days.
Very Important!!
It is imperative that your school applies patch release updates as they become available, as they contain critical fixes and enhancements to the software.
You will not be able to download or install software updates yourself if the version you currently have is more than 6 major versions behind. Schools in this situation must contact TASS Technical Services to install the latest update.
Screen Features and Update Process
The green section at the top left of the screen displays the current TASS version number your school is running, and any available updates. From here, you can also click the 'View Release Notes' link to view a list of the major features, enhancements and corrections in this update.
The blue section at the top right of the screen displays your available hard drive space and the minimum required hard drive space.
Above the blue section, the 'History' option shows previous updates, including run date, time, and detailed logs.
Also, above the blue section, the 'Reload' option refreshes the screen to display the latest update information.
Example
The ‘TASS Modules/Products’ section (grey area) shows each TASS module and product with a status of either ‘Up to Date’ or ‘Update Available.’
If this section is not displayed and a setup screen appears, contact TASS Customer Care. This indicates your system is not registered for automated updates.
If an update is available, the 'Update Warning' section appears below the grey section. To download and install the update, select the 'Tick to Acknowledge' checkbox to confirm you have read and understood the warning.
Important!
Updates may temporarily interrupt users who are logged on and using the system. It is recommended that you schedule downtime and advise your users before running this update.
To download and install the new software version, you must also acknowledge that you understand and agree to the terms in the TASS.web End-User Licence Agreement. This agreement is detailed in the red section below the Update Warning. Read the agreement by scrolling, then select the 'Tick to Acknowledge' checkbox to confirm you agree to the terms and are authorised to accept them on behalf of the school.
A PDF of the ‘TASS.web End-User Licence Agreement’ is also available in the profile name menu at the top right of the TASS.web User Interface.
The 'Download Only' and 'Download & Update' buttons will then become active when both 'Tick to Acknowledge' checkboxes are selected.
These buttons will not be available if you are logged in as the 'root' user. You will need to log in as another user before you can run a TASS Software Update using this program.
Download Only | Clicking the ‘Download Only’ option allows the update files to be downloaded for installation at a later time. Choose this option to just download the update files. After you have done this, the next time you load this program, it will recognise that the download has occurred and the TASS Modules/Products that require updating will be listed in the grey section of the screen with a corresponding status of 'Update Available – Downloaded'. When you are ready to install the update, complete the required acknowledgements, then select the ‘Update’ button. |
Download & Update | Clicking the ‘Download & Update’ button will download the update files and install them immediately. |
Important!
Keep the screen open. Do not close or refresh your browser during the update.
The SQL Server version at your school will be verified before any updates are applied. If your server is running SQL 2014 or below, the update cannot proceed. Refer to the ‘System Requirements’ article for information about supported versions.
A success message appears when the update is complete. Click 'Close' to dismiss it.
Important!
Contact TASS Customer Care urgently if any other message or screen is displayed.
The new TASS Software version number will then appear in the blue section at the top left, next to 'Last Update.'
You should now reload TASS.web by clicking on the TASS.web logo on the toolbar of the TASS.web User Interface.
Then, click the 
‘Latest Release Notes' icon on the top toolbar of your TASS.web User Interface to view the major items, enhancements and corrections included in the release.