@Elizabeth N. McClary
Thank you for posting this in Microsoft Q&A.
As I understand you want to know if you really should upgrade to latest version on AD connect. Currently you are using version 2.2.1.0 and it is going to reach end of support on 11th Oct 2024.
Currently latest version of Entra connect that you have to upgrade to is version 2.3.20.0.
I also see that you want to perform in-place upgrade of AD connect. Yes, you can certainly perform in-place upgrade of AD connect to latest version.
We always recommend to take a backup of the current configuration of AD connect before performing in-place upgrade.
You can open the AD connect wizard from your desktop screen and export the current configuration.
Open the Microsoft Entra Connect tool, and select the additional task named View or Export Current Configuration. A quick summary of your settings is shown along with the ability to export the full configuration of your server.
By default, the settings are exported to %ProgramData%\AADConnect. You also can choose to save the settings to a protected location to ensure availability if a disaster occurs. Settings are exported by using the JSON file format and should not be hand-created or edited to ensure logical consistency. Importing a hand-created or edited file isn't supported and might lead to unexpected results.
Once you have the exported file you can download the Entra Connect latest version from below link,
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=47594
Just run the .exe file that you have downloaded and your Entra Connect will get upgraded to latest version 2.3.20.0.
Let us know if you have any further questions.
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