Overview
This article explains the best practices for migrating Jira projects from one Jira data center to another Jira data center by following the Configuration Manager for Jira(CMJ) Compatibility Matrix.
Best Practices
The Configuration Manager for Jira app (CMJ) can migrate projects with issues along with associated attachments. The Configuration Manager app is designed to support the export and import of snapshots to/from different Jira versions. You can migrate projects from one Jira data center version to another Jira data center.
It is always ideal to have the same version of Jira running on both source and target instances. However, with the latest version of Configuration Manager for Jira app one can have two different Jira versions on the source and target instances provided the version of Configuration Manager for Jira app is identical.
Use case: Configuration Manager for Jira v6.13.5 works for Jira versions between 8.0.0 and 9.11.1. In the 6.13.5 version of Configuration Manager for Jira(CMJ), any version of Jira can be installed between v8.0.0 and v9.11.1 in the source and target,
If the Jira versions are different, the target instance should not be running on an older version than the source instance.
Use case: If the Jira source instance is on v8.0.0 and the target is on v9.11.1, CMJ works perfectly. However, if the Jira source instance is on v9.11.1 and the target is on v8.0.0, the CMJ might not give accurate results.
If the Jira versions are within the same base version, they don't differ in any major features, so it is absolutely safe to use CMJ to create and deploy 100% valid and full snapshots.
Use case: Jira source instance is on v8.0.0 and the target is on v8.1.0, CMJ is absolutely safe to create and deploy valid and full snapshots.
If the Configuration Manager for Jira(CMJ) versions are different in source and target, you need to make sure that the Configuration Manager version on the target instance needs to be the same or newer than the one in the source.
Use case: If the CMJ version is 6.12.5 in the source and 6.13.5 in the target, then the deployment will be successful, but if the CMJ version is 6.13.5 in the source and 6.12.5 in the target, the deployment will not be successful.
It is always suggested to check the compatibility matrix to make sure the versions of the Configuration Manager for Jira (CMJ) are the same between the Target Jira instance and the Source Jira instance.
For more information, refer to this link: Compatibility Matrix
Snapshot compatibility between Jira versions
Snapshots created on versions of Jira before Jira 6.3 will remove all members of the "Transition Issue" permission in permission schemes when deployed on Jira 6.3 and above.
Some Jira versions introduce new configuration objects and remove others, so a snapshot taken on one version might not always work on another.