# Installing and Upgrading Unique

## Overview

This section details the deployment options for Unique, offers guidance on infrastructure prerequisites, provides installation instructions tailored to the selected deployment model, and explains the upgrade process for new releases. Additionally, it includes release notes to keep clients informed about the latest platform developments.

## High Level Deployment Overview

The following visualisation shows on a high level all Deployment models of Unique. While many abominations exist, the four most commonly used patterns are linked below.

Deploying Unique can be achieved through the four key models described earlier. However, all of them essentially involve coordinating across four primary layers:

1. **Landscape**: This layer encompasses the foundational elements such as infrastructure, identity management, governance, audit logging, and conditional access. It’s crucial to determine who is responsible for providing and managing these foundational components.

2. **Infrastructure (or Resources)**: This layer includes the actual infrastructure, such as virtual machines, database servers, and other essential resources. Responsibility lies with the party providing and maintaining these elements.

3. **Workload (Configurations)**: This layer involves the workloads or configurations required to ensure Unique operates effectively. It’s important to identify who is accountable for setting up and maintaining these configurations.

4. **Unique (the Product)**: Unique itself is always provided by Unique. The only exception is when clients use the [Software Development Kit (SDK)](https://docs.unique.ai/developers/software-development-kit-sdk) to extend Unique with their own custom logic.

For all these layers, it’s not just about determining who sets them up initially but also about identifying who will maintain them over the long term.

More clear responsibilities must be defined in the more elaborate models and you can find more information in the linked sections.

| **Layer / Tenant** | **Multi Tenant** | **Single Tenant** | **Customer-Managed Tenant** | **On-Premises** |
|------------------|------------------|------------------|----------------------------|------------------|
| Product           | **RAC**: Unique<br>**I**: Clients | \[a collection of container images, `amd64`\]<br>**RAC**: Unique<br>**I**: Clients |
| Workloads         | \[`helm` in the form of `helmfile`s\]<br>Workload configurations<br>**RAC**: Unique<br>**I**: Clients | \[`helm` in the form of `helmfile`s\]<br>Workload configurations<br>_**RACI**: to be defined_ | \[`helm` in the form of `helmfile`s\]<br>Workload configurations<br>_**RACI**: to be defined_ |
| Infras-tructure   | \[`terraform` or `bicep`\]<br>**Unique** provisions all necessary infrastructure to run the workloads ahead. **Unique** maintains and pays the infrastructure up front.<br>**RAC**: Unique<br>**I**: Clients | \[choice of customer, `bicep`\]<br>By agreement with the **customer** either **Unique** (charged by effort) or the **customer** provisions and maintains the infrastructure.<br>The infrastructure is directly paid by the **customer**.<br>_**RACI**: to be defined_ | \[choice by customer\]<br>The **customer** provisions and maintains the infrastructure.<br>**Unique** can advise or provision the infrastructure (charged separately by effort) but does not maintain it |
| Landscape         | **Unique** operates the Azure AD tenant, implements policies and processes on it, manages users and roles and guarantees its security.<br>**RAC**: Unique<br>**I**: Clients | C **ustomer** operates the tenant, implements policies and processes on it, manages users and roles and guarantees its security. | C **ustomer** provides a runtime or orchestrator. The landscape is fully operated, governed and controlled by the **customer** with **Unique** as advisor |
| **Details**       | - [Single Tenant](https://docs.unique.ai/it-operators/installing-and-upgrading-unique/install-unique/single-tenant)<br>  <br>- [Single Tenant Vending Form](https://docs.unique.ai/it-operators/installing-and-upgrading-unique/install-unique/single-tenant/single-tenant-vending-form) | - [Customer-Managed Tenant](https://docs.unique.ai/it-operators/installing-and-upgrading-unique/install-unique/customer-managed-tenant) | - [On Premise Tenant](https://docs.unique.ai/it-operators/installing-and-upgrading-unique/install-unique/on-premise-tenant) |

**R**: Responsible, **A**: Accountable, **C**: Consulted (billed by effort), **I**: Informed