Genie Updates

Note: Depending on your current Genie version, you may not be able to directly update to the most recent version of Genie. Please see our Downloads article for the correct installer. If your installer is not listed there, please contact Genie Support to obtain the appropriate installer for your update path. 

The below table outlines the appropriate upgrade pathway from your version to the current version.

For example, if you are currently on Genie version 8.5.5 you will first need to update to Genie version 8.7.2 using the Manual Update process. Once you have updated to 8.7.2 you would then need to perform a Manual Update to 9.1.1. Once the update to 9.1.1 has completed, you can then perform a Manual Update to the current version using the appropriate Genie installer.

An automated update can be performed through the Software Updates window, and can be done from any Genie Client on the network. 

Once you have prepared for the update, it can be carried out by following these steps:

1. On the client machine, navigate to Special > Software Updates.
2. Tick the checkbox to the left of the Genie Updater download option.
3. Click the Install 1 Item button.
4. When prompted, click the Apply Update button.

After Apply Update is clicked, Genie will proceed with the update. As part of this process Genie will download the update and send it to the server. The Genie Server application will close automatically, allowing the update to run.

Once the update has completed, the Genie Server application will be launched again. When you can see that the Genie Server application has re-launched, users may log back in as normal through Genie Client.

If you would prefer to carry out the update on the server machine itself, you may carry out the above steps through Genie Single User (Genie Solo) on the server, instead of Genie Client. To do this, close the Genie Server application (File > Quit) and launch Genie Single User, then proceed with steps 1 - 4 as above.

Please Note: When downloading the update, if the Just Download It button is clicked instead of Apply Update, the Genie updater file will be downloaded to the computer for later use. This updater can be used to update the server manually, as per the Manual Update section below.

Finally, if any users in the practice use offsite logging, make sure that Genie Single User on their offsite laptop(s) is updated accordingly. See Updating for Offsite Logging below for more information.

A manual update is carried out by downloading a specific installer or updater file, and running this on the server computer.

You must ensure that the Genie Server application has been closed or the Server as a Service has been stopped before performing a manual update.

To perform an update of this type, you will need to first download the appropriate updater. There are three ways to get the file you need:

• If you simply need the latest version of the Genie software, navigate to the Downloads page of the Genie website and download the appropriate installer for your server platform (i.e. Windows or Mac). Take note of your Genie version before downloading, as older versions may be incompatible with the listed updater.
• If you attempt an update via the Special Menu as per the previous instructions, the Software Updates window may direct you to a separate Genie webpage. This means that your older version of Genie requires a manual update; the updater can be downloaded from the page that opens.
• If you are currently using an older version, Genie may require a specific upgrade path to get to the latest version. In this case, refer to the Update Pathways section above for which process you will need to follow. Please see our Downloads article for the links to the appropriate installer files you will need.
• If you still aren’t sure whether your intended update requires a specific upgrade path, feel free to contact our Support team and we will be happy to assist you.

Once you have the appropriate updater or installer file, ensure that the file is accessible from the server computer, either by downloading the file onto that computer, or by saving it in a shared location on the network that the server can access. Then, carry out the update by following these steps: 

1. Close the Genie Server application (File > Quit or Genie Server > Quit Genie Server) or stop the service.
2. Double-click the downloaded updater file.
3. Follow the prompts in the updater to proceed with the update. If you have been provided with an installer, rather than an updater, you will be prompted to select the components to install; select the Update currently installed application(s) option.
4. Allow the updater to run to completion.
5. Open Genie Single User (Genie Solo) via the lamp icon with the black cord.
6. Log in as normal and click Update, if/when you are prompted.
7. Close Genie Single User (File > Quit or Genie > Quit Genie).
8. Re-launch the Genie Server application.

Once the Genie Server application is running again, the update is complete. If you have been provided instructions to perform a further update to get to the latest version, proceed with those to continue. Otherwise, users may now log back in via Genie Client as normal.

If any users in the practice use offsite logging, make sure that Genie Single User on their offsite laptop(s) is updated accordingly, per the section below.

To continue using offsite logging following an update, the Genie Single User (Genie Solo) application on any offsite laptops must also be updated.

If the laptop is the same platform as the server computer (i.e. both computers are Windows, or both are Mac), connect the laptop to the network and log into Genie Single User. Genie will detect that the Genie version on the laptop is different to the Genie version on the network, and the user will receive the following prompt:

Click the Update button to update Genie Single User.

If the laptop is a different platform to the server computer (i.e. one is Windows, and the other is Mac), then you will need to update Genie Single User separately. How you update Genie Single User in this situation will depend on how you updated Genie on your network.

• If you performed the update through Special > Software Updates, you can update Genie Single User on the laptop in the same way. See the 'Special Menu' Update section for more information.
• If you were required to perform a manual update using a downloaded updater file, you will need to update Genie Single User on the laptop in the same way, by downloading the updater file appropriate for the laptop’s platform. See the Manual Update section above for more information.