Jira Core 8.3.x upgrade notes
Here are some important notes on upgrading to Jira Core 8.3.
For details on the new features and improvements in this release, see the Jira Core 8.3.x release notes.
Upgrade notes
Here's a summary of changes and important notes from Jira 8.3.
Increase pool-max-size
If you're upgrading from Jira 7.x to Jira 8.x we recommend changing the pool-max-size parameter to 40 in your dbconfig.xml before the upgrade. Leaving the default of 20 can sometimes lead to “ResultSet Closed” errors during re-indexing on 8.x. For information on implementing the change, see Tuning database connections.
DVCS connector plugin upgrade
The DVCS connector plugin that's bundled with Jira Software has been upgraded to maintain compatibility with the GDPR changes made in Bitbucket Cloud. How the DVCS connector plugin connects to Bitbucket Cloud will change with Jira Software 8.3, and it will require the Webhooks permission. If you connect Jira Software to Bitbucket Cloud, it's important that you check your current permissions in Bitbucket Cloud BEFORE you perform the Jira Software upgrade, and if you haven't already granted the Webhooks permission, you recreate your OAuth token following the steps on the Connect Bitbucket Cloud to Jira Software Server page. If you don't do this prior to the upgrade, some of the upgrade tasks may fail. If this happens, you'll need to update the permission and reinstall the DVCS connector plugin.
AdoptOpenJDK JRE 8 is bundled with Jira
Jira is no longer bundled with Oracle's JDK, and instead comes with AdoptOpenJDK JRE 8. Note that this applies to Jira installers. If you're installing Jira manually from the archive, you need to install JDK by yourself.
Support for Oracle 12c Release 2
We have introduced support for Oracle 12c Release 2 database, which remains under Oracle's Premier Support.
atlassian-jslibs bumped to 1.4.1
We have upgraded the atlassian-jslibs plugin from version 1.2.5 to 1.4.1 and are now bundling React 16.8.6 , ReactDOM 16.8.6 factory, and Marionette 4.1.2 with Jira.
List of custom changes after upgrade
When you upgrade you need to re-apply the changes you've made to your old Jira files to the same files in the upgraded version of Jira so that your custom changes are preserved. Up till 8.3 we were not able to tell you exactly which files you've modified. However, as of 8.3 we can. When you start your Jira after upgrade, you'll see a list of files which have been modified so that you can easily transfer the changes to the new version of the files.
Migrating from Jira Cloud to Server
To fix some issues with importing a backup from Jira Cloud into Jira Server, we needed to change the database column size. As a result, Jira might start up a bit slower just after upgrade, especially if you are using MySQL database. On the upside, the migration process finishes with no exceptions.
Encrypting database password
You can now encrypt your database password that is stored in the dbconfig.xml file. We've prepared two encryption methods for basic and advanced users, and also a way to create your own Cipher. For more information, see Encrypting database password.
Cluster lock mechanism improved in Data Center
We improved the cluster lock mechanism in Jira DC by introducing lock timeouts. Now, when a node loses a cluster lock it will be automatically recoverable without any actions from administrator. Previously this situation could only be resolved by restarting the node. You can read more about this issue here.
End of support announcements
In Jira 8.3, we're making the following changes:
Advance notice: End of support for several built-in importers. In Jira 8.4, we will drop support for built-in importers that are dedicated to specific applications, like Asana, Bugzilla, Pivotal Tracker, etc. You will still be able to import data to Jira, provided that you use the CSV or JSON format.
- Removed Jira CDN dark feature
The unsupported Jira CDN dark featurejira.fixed.cdn.enableand system propertyjira.fixed.cdn.prefixhas been removed in Jira 8.4. We recommend you turn off this dark feature, and remove the system property from yoursetenv.shorsetenv.batfile.
For more info, see End of support announcements.
App developers
See Preparing for Jira 8.3 for any important changes regarding apps.
Upgrade procedure
See Upgrading Jira applications for complete upgrade procedures, including all available upgrade methods and pre-upgrade steps that are required for Jira 8.3. For a more tailored upgrade, go to 
> Applications > Plan your upgrade. We’ll recommend a version to upgrade to, run pre-upgrade checks, and provide you with a custom upgrade guide with step-by-step instructions.