Upgrading from Myriad v5 to v6

Myriad v6 uses the same License Keys and and Station Enablers from Myriad v5, so new licenses are not needed, and you don't need to release and relicense.

Does Myriad Playout v5 need to be uninstalled?

You don't have to uninstall Myriad v5 while you carry out this process, Myriad v6 is designed to install alongside Myriad v5 on the same PC so you can test it out, however you should avoid running Myriad Playout v5 and v6 on the same computer at the same time to avoid problems with resources trying to be used concurrently, and to make sure that the license codes remain correctly in use by only one application at a time.

Operating System and SQL Server requirements

Myriad v6 requires Windows 10 or newer, or Windows Server 2016 or newer, and ideally you will want to make sure you fully Windows Update everything before you start to make sure the operating system is fully up to date.

The usual minimum requirement for Microsoft SQL Server is SQL Server 2016 Express or newer, however we recommend using at least Microsoft SQL Server 2019 if you are installing a new system.

Some users are still using Microsoft SQL Server 2012 on 32 bit operating systems, though this is not recommended due to it's extreme age and you should plan to replace this with a newer 64 bit operating system and SQL Server 2019 or newer.

Downloading Myriad Playout v6

You can download all of the installers for Myriad Playout from the Myriad v6 Support page at https://www.broadcastradio.com/myriad-6-playout-support#Download

You may also need the Hardware Service which can be downloaded from https://www.broadcastradio.com/myriad-6-playout-support#Related 

The latest release of BootStuff v1 can be downloaded from https://www.broadcastradio.com/utilities-sql-installers#BootStuff

General Upgrade Process

The time that it will take to carry out this process will naturally vary from station to station, and will depend on how many workstations you have to upgrade and of course any other maintenance you carry out at the same time, for example installing Windows Updates.

However, until steps 11 and 12 you can leave Myriad Playout v5 running, and only then will you be actually switching over to Playout v6. You should make sure you are able to play out some content from another computer or device while carrying out these 2 steps, for example, playing from another computer or mp3/cd player.

1. Install Myriad Playout v6 on a standalone workstation or laptop to familiarise yourself with the changes and to update any internal documentation you have that you give to end users. Myriad v6 has a 30 day evaluation mode so you don't need to be on a licensed computer for this step.
2. Make sure your backups are up to date - not that we're expecting a problem, but it never hurts to make sure you have a safe copy to go back to just in case!
3. Upgrade a single non-mission critical test workstation on your main system to make sure there are no issues. Important: At this point, avoid editing any media items or Myriad Schedule information  on this workstation as this will add additional information that could be lost if a user subsequently edits those same items back in v5. 
4. Remind any remaining Myriad RVT v5 users that they will be switching over to using Myriad Anywhere.
5. Important: If you are using the Hardware Service, then you must make sure you have upgraded to v5.18.4 or higher. This version is required for Myriad v6, but remains fully compatible with Myriad v5. You can download it from https://www.broadcastradio.com/myriad-6-playout-support#Related 
6. Start by upgrading the support applications (Remote Edit Server, OCP and AutoImporter) by install ingthe new Myriad v6 Support Applications pack which will install the new Remote Edit Server v6 along with OCP v6 and AutoImporter v6. It also comes with the new free Myriad Backup application.
7. Check that all 3 support applications startup correctly and import their settings from Myriad v5. You can leave them running alongside their v5 equivalents, but you may want to click to turn off the AutoImporter groups so they aren't fighting with the AutoImporter v5
8. Important: Make a note of your Myriad Anywhere API Key - you can always get this from your B.R portal page too if you need it - https://broadrad.com/anycloudsettings, or you can find it by clicking Open Tunnel Status Page on the Anywhere Cloud menu.
9. Go back to Myriad RES v5, and from the Anywhere Cloud menu, select Uninstall the Anywhere Tunnel Service:
   
10. In Myriad RES v6, on the Anywhere Cloud menu, click Install/Start the Anywhere Tunnel Service, and after it has installed and opened the web browser, enter the API key you made a note of from step 8.
    Check that your Myriad Anywhere Cloud web portal works correctly and you are presented with the Myriad Anywhere v6 web interface. if you don't see it, make sure that you did fully uninstall the v5 service in step 9, then reboot the machine, then redo this step.
11. Proceed to install Myriad Playout v6 in your main studios, starting with secondary studios if you have them. After running Myriad Playout v6, check that it has imported the file location and Media Engine Settings correctly from v5, paying particular attention to the sound device selections as these may change due to the new method Myriad v6 uses to keep track of sound devices across Windows Updates and device driver updates.
12. Important: You should NOT run the actual Myriad Playout v5 and Myriad Playout v6 applications on the same computer at the same time. This could cause issues with Licensing as well as features like SmartTransfer. Always close Myriad Playout v5 before launching Myriad Playout v6.
13. Once you are happy, shutdown the v5 versions of AutoImporter, RES and OCP v5 and re-enable any disabled Importer Groups in AutoImporter v6.
14. Uninstall Myriad Playout v5 and the Support Applications to avoid any users accidentally running the old version.
15. Make sure you update BootStuff to start the new Myriad v6 versions of applications when a PC reboots. BootStuff v1 was updated in March 2023 to add detection support for Myriad Playout v6 and can be downloaded from https://www.broadcastradio.com/utilities-sql-installers#BootStuff 
16. Restart your playout PC's to make sure that Myriad v6 automatically loads as the computer loads.

Conclusion

The above process should get you upgraded from v5 to v6 with the minimum of fuss, but as noted above, if you do have any questions before you start please do check in our Facebook group as it's very possible other users may have had the same thoughts, and of course if you have a Support Contract then please do fee free to open a support ticket.