If you’re doing an upgrade install (rather than a fresh install), there’s two suggested approaches: either install Bro using the same installation prefix directory as before, or pick a new prefix and copy local customizations over. Regardless of which approach you choose, if you are using BroControl, then after upgrading Bro you will need to run “broctl check” (to verify that your new configuration is OK) and “broctl install” to complete the upgrade process.
In the following we summarize general guidelines for upgrading, see the Release Notes for version-specific information.
If you choose to configure and install Bro with the same prefix directory as before, local customization and configuration to files in $prefix/share/bro/site and $prefix/etc won’t be overwritten ($prefix indicating the root of where Bro was installed). Also, logs generated at run-time won’t be touched by the upgrade. Backing up local changes before upgrading is still recommended.
After upgrading, remember to check $prefix/share/bro/site and $prefix/etc for .example files, which indicate that the distribution’s version of the file differs from the local one, and therefore, may include local changes. Review the differences and make adjustments as necessary. Use the new version for differences that aren’t a result of a local change.
To install the newer version in a different prefix directory than before, copy local customization and configuration files from $prefix/share/bro/site and $prefix/etc to the new location ($prefix indicating the root of where Bro was originally installed). Review the files for differences before copying and make adjustments as necessary (use the new version for differences that aren’t a result of a local change). Of particular note, the copied version of $prefix/etc/broctl.cfg is likely to need changes to the SpoolDir and LogDir settings.