AD Group Manager Web is designed for simple in-place upgrades. The installer handles replacing application files while preserving your configuration and data.
Before running the new installer, make a backup copy of:
appsettings.json — your configuration file in the application root folder. This contains your authentication mode, admin users, OU restrictions, and debug settings.adgm.db — the SQLite database in the application root folder. This contains all your admin panel settings, field configurations, audit logs, UI translations, license data, and access request history.Copy both files to a safe location outside the application directory.
Review the release notes for the new version. Pay attention to:
If the new version requires a newer .NET runtime (for example, upgrading to a version that targets .NET 10), install the matching ASP.NET Core Hosting Bundle before upgrading. After installing a new Hosting Bundle, run iisreset or restart the server.
Stop the IIS website — in IIS Manager, right-click on the AD Group Manager Web site and select Stop. This ensures no files are locked during the upgrade.
Run the new installer — download the latest version from the download page and run setup.exe. Point it to the same installation directory as your existing installation.
Verify appsettings.json — the installer preserves your existing appsettings.json. The application will automatically add any new settings with default values on first startup (and create a timestamped backup of the file before making changes). If you want to configure new settings, see the appsettings.json Reference.
Start the IIS website — in IIS Manager, right-click on the site and select Start.
Verify the upgrade — open a browser and navigate to your site. Log in as an administrator and check that your settings, fields, logs, and license are intact.
| Item | Preserved? |
|---|---|
appsettings.json (your configuration) |
Yes — not overwritten by the installer |
adgm.db (settings, logs, translations, license) |
Yes — not overwritten by the installer |
| Application files (DLLs, views, static assets) | Replaced with the new version |
web.config |
Replaced (auto-generated by the Hosting Bundle) |
Log files in the DebugPath folder |
Preserved (not touched by the installer) |
Application won’t start after upgrade — the most common cause is a missing or outdated ASP.NET Core Hosting Bundle. Check that the Hosting Bundle version matches the .NET version required by the new release. Run iisreset after installing the Hosting Bundle.
Settings seem to be missing — the application automatically migrates appsettings.json on startup and adds any new settings with default values. Check the application root folder for a appsettings.json.backup.* file — this is the pre-migration backup.
500 error after upgrade — enable debug logging by setting "DebugMode": "True" in appsettings.json and restart IIS. Check the log files for detailed error messages.
Need to roll back — stop IIS, replace the application files with the previous version, restore your backed-up appsettings.json and adgm.db, and restart IIS.