32 to 64 Bit Upgrade

Prior to version .846 if you installed Hurricane MTA Server on a 64 bit OS, it would install and run in 32 bit mode. Starting with version .846, Hurricane MTA Server now runs natively in 64 bit mode. This provides a more robust environment for Hurricane MTA Server and can increase performance substantially. If you are upgrading a version prior to .846 AND are on a 64 bit OS, the installer will automatically upgrade Hurricane MTA Server to run in 64 bit mode. This all happens automatically by the installer. There are, however, several things of which you need to be aware before upgrading: - Please backup your entire Hurricane MTA Server directory prior to upgrading.

  • Once you upgrade from 32 bit mode to 64 bit mode, there is no going back. With this update, it is no longer possible to run Hurricane MTA Server on a 64 bit Operating System but in 32 bit mode. If you require 32 bit functionality for any reason, you can continue to run your existing version of the software and should not update.
  • If you are using custom developed plugins, you need to ensure that they can also run in 64 bit mode. - The upgrade process will also upgrade the embedded database master.fdb in your data directory. In order for this to happen you must have enough free disk space so that master.fdb can be duplicated during the process. If the process completes successfully you can delete the master.bak file that remains to free up disk space. If your master.fdb file is large the update process might take quite some time, so please be patient and do not cancel the process once it has begun. - When you installed the 32 bit version of HMS on your 64 bit OS it may have installed in the default Program Files (x86) directory. The upgrade will not change the location of your files, however they will run in 64 bit mode regardless. The "(x86)" in the directory name is just a naming convention that has nothing to do with the ability for code to run in 64 bit mode.