Downgrade disk-queue

In GreenArrow version 4.223.0 we shipped a new disk-queue. This disk-queue carries with it new features and performance improvements.

However, if you encounter trouble and need to downgrade while we fix the issue, we’ve created the following procedure to make this as easy as possible. Please contact GreenArrow Technical Support and let us help to resolve whatever lead you to downgrade.

Downgrade Procedure

Follow these steps to downgrade GreenArrow to the last version prior to the new disk-queue.

(1) Stop the GreenArrow MTA

This command stops the MTA and will suspend all delivery attempts. While the MTA is stopped, new delivery attempts will not be started. Click and open tracking will be processed normally.

hvmail_init stop

(2) Convert the new disk-queue to the old format

This command will convert the messages in the new disk-queue into the old disk-queue’s format. This needs to be done prior to downgrading packages, since the downgrade utility itself is included in the newer releases.

greenarrow_downgrade_disk_queue

After this command runs successfully, you’ll see output that looks like:

172 message batches converted to the old queue format
0 message batches failed to convert to the old queue format

(3) Downgrade the GreenArrow package

GreenArrow version 4.222.0 is the last version before we shipped the new disk-queue. This is the version that you want to install to downgrade.

For RedHat-family distributions

Install the specific packages with this command:

yum install --enablerepo=greenarrow greenarrow-support-2021.03.05 greenarrow-4.222.0

For Debian-family distributions

Enable GreenArrow’s package repository:

sed -e '/greenarrow main/ s/^#*//' -i /etc/apt/sources.list.d/greenarrow.list
apt-get update

Install the specific packages with this command:

apt-get install greenarrow-support=2021.03.05-0 greenarrow=4.222.0-0

Disable GreenArrow’s package repository to prevent accidental updates in the future:

sed -e '/greenarrow main/ s/^#*/#/' -i /etc/apt/sources.list.d/greenarrow.list

(4) Remove invalid directives from /var/hvmail/control/greenarrow.conf

The new disk queue adds the retry_time and queue_lifetime configuration directives.

Remove any references to these directives from /var/hvmail/control/greenarrow.conf and run greenarrow_config reload.

(5) Run migrations

After downgrading, we need to run migrations. This will undo anything added by the newer version of GreenArrow.

hvmail_migrate migrate

(6) Validate configuration

Before restarting the MTA, it’s good to ensure that your configuration is valid for the downgraded installation of GreenArrow.

greenarrow_config reload

(7) Start the GreenArrow MTA

hvmail_init start