A
software upgrade tool and procedure provide uninterrupted operation of a replication
system during an
upgrade of
software components of the
system. The replication
system includes one or more user systems coupled to one or more target storage systems over a communications network, such as a
computer network. Illustratively, each user system is embodied as a replication
client, while each target storage system is embodied as a replication
server. In addition, the replication system includes a
management system embodied as a management
server that manages configuration of the system, including during
upgrade of the
software components of the replication system. To that end, the
software upgrade tool cooperates with the management
server to query the configuration of “old” versions of the software components and to manage upgrades of those components to “new” versions of software. According to the invention, the upgrade tool and procedure enable both the old and new versions of the software components to run concurrently on the replication
client and replication server, as well as the management server.