Upgrading the CAREWare 5 Business Tier to CAREWare 6 Business Tier

Jennifer Eggerton

Sep 29, 2026

3382

Purpose	Upgrade the CAREWare 5 Business Tier to the CAREWare 6 Business Tier.
Who should do this	IT staff responsible for the CAREWare Business Tier and SQL Server.
Use this guide when you need to	Replace the CW5 Business Tier with CW6 using the existing settings file and CW_Data database.
Main warning	Make sure there are current backups of CW_Data and any related CW databases.

Quick path
Copy the CW5 settings file → Back up the databases → Uninstall CW5 → Close port 8124 → Run CwBtSetup.exe → Stop CW6 → Replace the settings file → Start CW6

Important: Make sure there are current backups of CW_Data and any related CW databases. CAREWare’s Data Tier Update process automatically updates CW_Data when CW6 connects to the database the first time.

Overview

The CAREWare 6 (CW6) Business Tier is a REST server installed as a Windows Service. By default it listens on port 8000 and responds to requests made by the CAREWare HTTP Service. It has replaced the CAREWare 5 (CW5) Business Tier, which is a .NET Remoting/SOAP server that communicates with multiple CW5 Clients over the default port 8124.

CW6 uses the same BusinessTierSettings.xml file format as CW5, though it looks for it in the CW6 installation directory. CW6 also uses the same CW_Data SQL server database as CW5, and CAREWare’s Data Tier Update process automatically updates that database when CW6 connects to the database the first time.

The rest of this document outlines each step you should take to upgrade the Business Tier to CW6.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1. Make a copy of your CW5 BusinessTierSettings.XML file.

If you installed the CW5 Business Tier in the default location, the BusinessTierSettings.XML is in the C:\Program Files(x86)\CAREWare\RW CAREWare Business Tier directory. Make a copy of this file and put it in a handy place so you can copy it to the CW6 installation folder later.

Step 2. Make sure there are current backups of CW_Data and any related CW databases

Here are instructions for creating a backup of the CAREWare data.

Step 3. Uninstall the CW5 Business Tier

Using Windows' Add or Remove Programs feature, find RWCAREWare Business Tier and uninstall it.

Step 4. Close port 8124 in the Windows Firewall and Router Port Forwarding

If you opened up port 8124 in your Windows Firewall or Router, make sure you have removed the exceptions for this port. The CW6 Business Tier does not use 8124 unless you change its default configuration. By default it listens to port 8000, and if the CAREWare HTTP Server is installed on the same box, you should leave that port closed.

Step 5. Run CwBtSetup.exe

This starts a simple setup wizard in which you acknowledge steps by clicking Next until you are given the option to install. Select the default installation directory C:\Program Files\CAREWare Business Tier unless you have a reason not to.

Step 6. Stop the CAREWare Business Tier

Here are instructions for stopping the business tier service.

Open the Windows Services application and find CAREWare Business Tier. It will likely already be stopped because of not being able to connect to CW_Data on your SQL server with the default BusinessTierSettings.xml connection string. If it is not stopped, right click on the service and click Stop.

Step 7. Replace the default CW6 BusinessTierSettings.xml with the CW5 settings file

Find the BusinessTierSettings.xml file you copied in the first step and copy it to the new CAREWare Business Tier folder, replacing the existing one. The default directory for the CW6 business tier is C:\Program Files\CAREWare Business Tier.

Step 8. Start the CAREWare Business Tier

Here are instructions for starting the business tier service.

In the Windows Services application, find CAREWare Business Tier, right click on the service and click Start. Give it about a minute and refresh the service list to make sure it is still running. Check the end of the cw_events_xx_xx.txt for any errors and troubleshoot if necessary.

Related References

Document	Use it for
Managing CAREWare Data	Instructions for creating a backup of CAREWare data.
Managing Your CAREWare Data PDF	Original PDF link included with the backup instructions.
CW Admin Utility	Instructions for stopping and starting the Business Tier service.
How Do I Start the Business Tier	Original wiki link included with the service instructions.

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