A critical bug was introduced in Alfresco Community versions 23.3.0 and 23.4.0, impacting multiple features including Audit, Quick Links, and Alfresco Governance Services (AGS). The bug alters the CRC calculation, causing data inconsistencies and preventing access to historical data (e.g., audit logs, quick links).
Note: This post focuses only on Alfresco Community. For Enterprise customers and partners, the fixed versions 23.4.1 and 23.3.3 have already been released.
Affected Versions (Community Only)
- Alfresco Community Repository 23.3.0
- Alfresco Community Repository 23.4.0
How to Verify if You Are Impacted
If you are using Audit, Quick Links, or AGS in Alfresco, you might be affected. Here’s how to check:
1. Before Upgrading (from 23.2.0 or earlier):
- Confirm that you can view Quick Links in Alfresco Share
- Confirm that you can access AGS site records
- Confirm that you can view records’ audit logs
2. After Upgrading to 23.3.0 or 23.4.0:
- Quick Links become inaccessible in Share
- Previous audit logs are no longer available
- The alf_prop_class table in your database has duplicate entries (a lowercase entry plus a mixed-case entry)
If you experience these symptoms, you have likely been affected by the CRC bug.
Root Cause of the Issue
The bug stems from a fix for MNT-24137, which introduced changes to CRC calculations affecting multiple areas of Alfresco Content Services. Specifically, the change altered the way audit entries were processed, leading to inconsistencies in record retrieval.
Remediation Steps
Official patches for Community are now available, alongside database scripts to correct the CRC-related issues. Below are the recommended steps:
1. Stop Your Current Alfresco Instance
- Shut down your running Alfresco 23.3.0 or 23.4.0 instance to prevent data inconsistencies during the update
2. Backup Your Database
- Before making any changes, create a full backup of your database to ensure you can restore it if needed
3. Obtain and Run Database Scripts
- Go to the public repository: https://github.com/Alfresco/mnt-24815.
- Select the appropriate folder for your database (MySQL or PostgreSQL).
- Use mysql or psql to execute the scripts
- Ensure the script completes successfully without errors
4. Upgrade Alfresco to the Patched Version
Docker images:
docker pull alfresco/alfresco-content-repository-community:23.3.3
docker pull alfresco/alfresco-content-repository-community:23.4.1
ZIP distributions:
- alfresco-content-services-community-distribution-23.4.1.zip
- alfresco-content-services-community-distribution-23.3.3.zip
5. Verify the Fix
- Once the patched version is running, confirm you can once again see Quick Links and previous audit logs
- Check AGS record views and ensure no additional issues have surfaced
6. Final Validation Before Archiving Backup
- Perform additional testing on all affected functionalities
- Only archive your database backup once you have confirmed everything is working as expected
Result: After running the scripts and upgrading, your Quick Links, audit entries, and AGS record views should be fully restored.
More details on this process can be found in the session recording below:
Enterprise Customers
If you are an Alfresco Enterprise customer or partner, the fixed versions 23.3.3 and 23.4.1 are already available:
docker pull quay.io/alfresco/alfresco-content-repository:23.3.3
docker pull quay.io/alfresco/alfresco-content-repository:23.4.1
What to Expect Next
- Further Communication: Any additional fixes, updates, or edge-case instructions will be communicated here and via official Alfresco channels.
- Guidance on Patching: We will keep you informed about additional scripts or clarifications needed to ensure stable upgrades.
(Optional) Rebuilding 23.3.0 & 23.4.0 from Source
If you still want to use Alfresco Community 23.3.0 or 23.4.0 for testing or other reasons (despite the bug), you can rebuild the Docker images from source. This is officially discouraged due to the known CRC bug, but the instructions are provided below:
Building 23.3.0
git clone git@github.com:Alfresco/alfresco-community-repo.git
cd alfresco-community-repo
git checkout 23.3.0.98
mvn clean install
git clone git@github.com:Alfresco/acs-community-packaging.git
cd acs-community-packaging
git checkout 23.3.0
mvn clean package -DskipTests
cd docker-alfresco
mvn clean install -Pbuild-docker-images -Dimage.tag=23.3.0
Building 23.4.0
git clone git@github.com:Alfresco/alfresco-community-repo.git
cd alfresco-community-repo
git checkout 25.1.0.47
mvn clean install
git clone git@github.com:Alfresco/acs-community-packaging.git
cd acs-community-packaging
git checkout 23.4.0
mvn clean package -DskipTests
cd docker-alfresco
mvn clean install -Pbuild-docker-images -Dimage.tag=23.4.0
Conclusion
If you are running Alfresco Community 23.3.0 or 23.4.0, please apply the official remediation steps immediately to restore Quick Links, Audit, and AGS functionality. The problematic versions (23.3.0 and 23.4.0) have been removed from public download to avoid further user impact.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation. We are working diligently to deliver stable solutions for all Alfresco Community users and will continue to provide updates as needed.
