Symptoms
An upgrade is planned for K2. Planning to go from Blackpearl 4.6.7 to 4.6.11. During this process there is also a plan to upgrade Visual Studio from 2012 to 2015 Update 1. The upgrade of Visual Studio 2015 Update 1 will install .NET Framework version 4.6.1 which is not officially supported on version 4.6.11 of K2 Blackpearl. Visual Studio 2015 RTM without Update 1 can not be installed based on certain restrictions within the organization.
What would you recommend in this situation? Would .NET 4.6.1 cause issues with our K2 installation / processes? Is there a timeframe for when .NET 4.6.1 is supported, either by hotfix or a new K2 version?
Diagnoses
.NET Framework 4.6.1 is not officially supported on 4.6.11 and could cause issues that would only be solved by removing .NET 4.6.1. It has not been tested on Blackpearl 4.6.11 so we do not know what exact issues would come from installing .NET 4.6.1. Recommended that it not be installed if possible. K2 Blackpearl version 4.7 will support .NET 4.6.1.
Resolution
There are two options on how to plan for this upgrade:
1) Since 4.7 is tentatively scheduled for released at the end of Q2 one option would be to wait to do any upgrades until the release of 4.7 and do one big upgrade. You can do an upgrade to 4.7 from any 4.6.x version of K2 Blackpearl. This would enable at the same time an upgrade of Visual studio to be done without any non supported .NET Framework being installed since 4.7 works with .NET 4.6.1.
2) Do an upgrade of 4.6.7 to 4.6.11 the latest version but keep visual studio at 2012 or see if there is a way to incorporate a Visual Studio 2015 RTM upgrade so we don't install .NET 4.6.1.
The choice made here was option two. An upgrade to 4.6.11 would fit better into an upgrade schedule and also since 4.7 is a minor release it would be preferable to wait out until all the initial bugs and issues have been sorted and perhaps version 4.7.1 would be a better version to plan for an upgrade.
There was also another question about .NET Framework and 4.6.11:
Q: Are there any compatibility or development (including custom C# code) related issues surrounding the Visual Studio 2012, .NET 4.5.2 and K2 4.6.11 combination? For example, are there any K2 templates or code specifically written with .NET 4.6 in mind that we would not be able to use if we stay with .NET 4.5.2? Or can we take full advantage of K2 4.6.11 even if we remain on .NET 4.5.2?
A: There shouldn't be any compatibility or development issues when it comes to the combination of VS 2012, .NET 4.5.2 and K2 4.6.11. 4.6.11 was released after .NET 4.5.2 and is compatible with .NET 4.6. That compatibility with 4.6 will include backwards compatibility with a version such as .NET 4.5.2. Continuing on, although 4.6.11 is built to support up to .NET 4.6, that does not mean you will be limited in functionality from a K2 standpoint by using a .NET version of 4.5.2. You will get the same functionality if you used .NET 3.5 SP1 with Blackpearl 4.6.11 that you would if you used .NET 4.6 and Blackpearl 4.6.11.
Finally, also a question about transitioning from Exchange 2010 to Exchange Online:
Q:We are still using Exchange 2010, which you indicated is a problem moving forward. We are upgrading to Outlook 365 soon. Are there any issues that you can foresee K2 would have around that? Is it a seamless transition? Are there any K2 articles or documented steps around making this transition? Obviously we want this to be as seamless as possible, to us developers and our end users.
A: Most likely you should just have to reconfigure K2 to point to your Exchange online server instead of the previous Exchange 2010 server. I do not see any documentation that guides you through a transition. I have posted all documentation I can find on Exchange which also has some parts about exchange online. The main way to reconfigure to the new exchange online server will be through the K2 Blackpearl Setup Manager. There is a part of the wizard where you can choose exchange on prem or exchange online. You will need to select exchange online here and enter in valid credentials that can connect to that O365 Exchange server. Here are some key points that I have found about K2 and Exchange online:
-Autodiscover must be enabled when using Exchange Online. See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/exchange/gg194011%28v=exchg.140%29.aspx for further information.
Using the Autodiscover service to find the most appropriate URL for the specified user's mailbox instead of using a hard-coded EWS URL means that your workflow always uses the correct EWS URL for that particular mailbox. Autodiscover determines the best endpoint for a particular user (the endpoint that is closest to the user's Mailbox server).
-When Exchange Online is used for SmartActions, the online email address must be associated with a local Active Directory Account or email actions will not fire and the following error will be reported: "System.Exception: No destinations could send the message Workflow item received." You can use a O365 Mailbox, but the user will be required to be an on prem AD user. You would not be able to use say an Azure AD account from what I am seeing as this was not the way SmartActions was designed.
Here are some documents I have found on Exchange and K2. There is not a ton of information on Exchange online here, the two bullets above are the main things to take away from these articles. I will be seeing if I can get a request in for a documentation piece to be created that details what needs to be changed with K2 when you are transitioning from Exchange on-prem to Exchange Online.
http://help.k2.com/kb001189#
http://help.k2.com/onlinehelp/K2blackpearl/ICG/current/webframe.html#Exchange_Server_Configuration.html
