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Upgrading AEM Forms 6.5 between service packs on JEE and OSGi

Last update: Wed Jun 17 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

AEM Forms customers face uncertainty about the correct upgrade path when moving between AEM 6.5 service packs, because Forms components ship separately from the main AEM Service Pack and JEE and OSGi deployments use different install flows. Adobe distributes several packages per service pack — the JEE cumulative installer, the OSGi add-on, hotfixes, and compatibility packages — so it’s easy to misidentify which apply to a given environment. This is a configuration question, not a software defect. Identifying your runtime type, confirming your current version, and installing the right packages in the right order produces a clean upgrade.

Description description

Issue: Selecting the correct AEM Forms 6.5 service pack upgrade path for JEE and OSGi

Description

Moving from one AEM 6.5 service pack to another — for example, SP18 to SP24, SP20 to SP23, or SP23 with a hotfix to SP24 — raises questions about which packages apply and in what order to install them. Common questions cover whether direct upgrades are supported, whether existing hotfixes must be removed first, which Forms add-on to install, which JEE patch installer is required, and how to handle platform requirements such as WebSphere, JBoss, Windows, or Linux.

Environment:

  • AEM Forms 6.5 (On-Premises)
  • OSGi runtime
  • JEE runtime (WebSphere, WebLogic, JBoss)
  • Windows and Linux platforms

Issue/Symptoms:

  • Uncertainty about which AEM Forms service pack or add-on to install, including multiple add-on builds for the same service pack
  • Confusion about whether a direct upgrade path is supported (for example, SP18 → SP24 or SP20 → SP23)
  • Questions about whether existing hotfixes must be removed before applying a newer service pack
  • Unclear guidance on when JEE patches are required versus OSGi add-on packages

Root cause:

AEM Forms upgrades require platform-dependent steps because Forms components are delivered separately from the main AEM Service Pack, and JEE and OSGi deployments use different patch and install flows. Because Adobe distributes multiple packages per service pack — a JEE cumulative installer, an OSGi add-on, hotfixes, and compatibility packages — it’s easy to misinterpret which packages apply to a given environment. The issue is configuration uncertainty, not a software defect.

How to confirm

  1. Identify your runtime type. Log in to AEM and check whether /lc is present. If /lc/login loads, it’s JEE; if only /aem/start.html loads, it’s OSGi. JEE environments use EAR/WAR files and the Configuration Manager.
  2. Confirm your current service pack version. Navigate to /system/console/productinfo and check the Installed Products section (For example: Adobe Experience Manager (6.5.23.0)).
  3. Check platform compatibility. Compare your OS, Java, application server, and database versions against the supported platforms matrix before upgrading.

Resolution resolution

  1. Select the correct upgrade path based on your starting service pack:

    • From SP18 or SP20, a direct upgrade to SP24 or SP23 is supported.
    • From SP11, upgrade the underlying platform components first, then move to SP24.
    • If you’re on SP23 with a hotfix, proceed normally and don’t remove the hotfix — service packs are cumulative.

  2. OSGi — install the main AEM 6.5 Service Pack: Upload aem-service-pkg-6.5.xx.x.zip into CRX Package Manager and click Install. Visit /system/console/productinfo to confirm the SP version updates, and ensure all bundles are ACTIVE or FRAGMENT. If installation fails, check error.log for dependency errors.

  3. OSGi — install the correct Forms add-on package: Identify and install the add-on build that matches your service pack and platform. Check /system/console/bundles to confirm AEM Forms bundles are in the ACTIVE state. If installation fails, restart AEM and retry.

  4. OSGi — install additional hotfixes only if relevant: Apply required fixes such as Granite security hotfixes. Confirm updated components at /system/console/productinfo, and verify hotfix prerequisites on the Software Distribution details page.

  5. JEE — install the associated JEE patch installer: Run the JEE patch installer for your target service pack. Confirm the Configuration Manager recognizes the updated version. If it fails, collect the Configuration Manager logs.

  6. JEE — restart the application server: Perform a clean restart of WebSphere, WebLogic, or JBoss using the native application server scripts. Confirm the application server logs show no deployment failures. If EARs fail to deploy, check for missing JNDI entries, datasources, or repository paths.

  7. Validate the full upgrade (JEE and OSGi): Log in to AEM and confirm Adaptive Forms, workflows, and other Forms features load. Review the bundles and product info pages, and check error.log for missing packages or dependency errors.

Validation

  1. Navigate to /system/console/productinfo and confirm the SP version displays correctly (For example: Adobe Experience Manager (6.5.24.0)).
  2. Verify all OSGi bundles are ACTIVE or FRAGMENT via /system/console/bundles.
  3. For JEE, confirm all EARs deployed without errors by reviewing the application server logs after restart.
  4. Run a basic Forms workflow or render an Adaptive Form to confirm runtime stability.
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