Easy Update to new version

[aliceraunsbaek]

I really miss the feature where a new version of CMSMS is available and I just log in as administrator and press a button labled "Update" and the system updates to the new version.

(I also miss the related feature of being able to see that a new version is available in the administrator view - that is something that does not disapear the first time you read it - together with the current version in System Information?)

Please tell me that it has already been planned!?

~Alice

[jmcgin51]

I really miss the feature where a new version of CMSMS is available and I just log in as administrator and press a button labled "Update" and the system updates to the new version.

this has been discussed before, and I believe there are no plans to implement this functionality.  Some other systems have/need this because they target the mass-market, while CMSms is targeted to the professional web developer who understands how to manually update software.  Many of these oher systems also have poor security records, necessitating frequent patch releases.  The one-click update makes this palatable.

(I also miss the related feature of being able to see that a new version is available in the administrator view - that is something that does not disapear the first time you read it - together with the current version in System Information?)

the version notification appears once per day when logged in to the admin panel.  Is this a problem?

[replytomk3]

I see a big problem if that script fails and only partially overwrites your files.

The correct upgrade procedure should always be about making a backup, and testing the upgrade on XAMPP before done on a live important server.

And the upgrade is almost as easy as a button click if you upload the archive to your server first, and then use your hosting's File Manager to extract that archive.

[aliceraunsbaek]

(I also miss the related feature of being able to see that a new version is available in the administrator view - that is something that does not disapear the first time you read it - together with the current version in System Information?)

the version notification appears once per day when logged in to the admin panel.  Is this a problem?

That's not my experience - but of cause I have been on an 'old' version for a while. So the problem may have been fixed.

The correct upgrade procedure should always be about making a backup, and testing the upgrade on XAMPP before done on a live important server.

And the upgrade is almost as easy as a button click if you upload the archive to your server first, and then use your hosting's File Manager to extract that archive.

I haven't the foggiest about what the means - I run my personal website and that of the home owners association - there is no 'non-live' environment to test on.

So what is "XAMPP"?
And what do you mean when you write "archive"?

[jmcgin51]

I haven't the foggiest about what the means - I run my personal website and that of the home owners association - there is no 'non-live' environment to test on.
So what is "XAMPP"?

XAMPP is a webserver package that you can install on a local PC for testing and development work.  Highly recommended to minimize the likelihood of problems when upgrading a site.

And what do you mean when you write "archive"?

The archive is the tar.gz upgrade package.  replytom3k is noting that in many cases, you can simply upload this file to your webserver via FTP, then use the "unpack" tool in the hosting control panel to automatically extract all the files, making an update a very easy process.

[aliceraunsbaek]

Never heard of either =0/

[Wishbone]

I haven't the foggiest about what the means - I run my personal website and that of the home owners association - there is no 'non-live' environment to test on.

You can create a non-live environment on your web host. When I upgrade, I copy all the files to a subdirectory, make a copy of the database to a different name, change the config.php in the subdirectory to point to the new database and make sure that it's working. I then upgrade this side copy. Once I have validated everything, I backup the old files, and move the new files to the main directory and the new site is live. Total time spent is usually 20-30 minutes.

Push-button upgrade is nice, but I'm paranoid, and like to validate upgrades before they go live.

[replytomk3]

I haven't the foggiest about what the means - I run my personal website and that of the home owners association - there is no 'non-live' environment to test on.

You can create a non-live environment on your web host. When I upgrade, I copy all the files to a subdirectory, make a copy of the database to a different name, change the config.php in the subdirectory to point to the new database and make sure that it's working. I then upgrade this side copy. Once I have validated everything, I backup the old files, and move the new files to the main directory and the new site is live. Total time spent is usually 20-30 minutes.

Push-button upgrade is nice, but I'm paranoid, and like to validate upgrades before they go live.

wishbone, you and I are alike on this procedure!

[calguy1000]

and I agree.

On production sites where uptime is important, it is critical to:
a) Have current, verified backups before upgrading
    verifying can be done by copying the production site to a test site, and making sure it works
b) test the upgrade before rollout
    although we make every attempt to makesure that the core upgrades work properly, we cannot and do not test every single
    addon module to make sure that it is compatible with new versions of the core.... that is the module developers responsibility.

As well, an experienced person with the proper setup and knowledge can upgrade a CMSMS site in minutes once he's confident in the backups.  It takes me approximately 10 minutes to
a) ssh into the appropriate server
b) cd to the proper directory
c) view the config.php to find out the mysql database settings
d) run a mysqldump manually to make sure I have a current backup
    mysqldump --user=username --password=thepassword thedatabasename > /tmp/mysql_backup_at_the_current_date.sql
e) tar everything up to ensure I have a complete snapshot
    rm tmp/cache/* tmp/templates_c/*
    tar zcvf /tmp/website_backup_at_the_current_date.tar.gz
f) download the latest file
  wget
g) untar that
    tar zxvf
h) (if necessary)
    go through the install/upgrade routine
i) upgrade any modules that need upgrading
   
And I have control over each and every step and can see what went wrong, where, easily... and if something went wrong I have the ability to easily restore and start again.

Other developers use different, but similar techniques that they trust due to experience, and for various religious reasons   I don't think they would change them even if there was an 'instant upgrade' button.  And since this package is designed by professionals, for professionals, and since an 'instant upgrade' feature would probably cause as many issues as it would solve,  I don't see much of a reason to implement it. 

[Wishbone]

I don't think they would change them even if there was an 'instant upgrade' button.   And since this package is designed by professionals, for professionals, and since an 'instant upgrade' feature would probably cause as many issues as it would solve,   I don't see much of a reason to implement it.  

Actually, if there was an instant upgrade button, I would make a copy of everything, just as before, and push "instant upgrade" on the side copy .

But you are right.. It might only save 5 minutes, as I would never do that on a live site.

[aliceraunsbaek]

Actually, if there was an instant upgrade button, I would make a copy of everything, just as before, and push "instant upgrade" on the side copy .

But you are right.. It might only save 5 minutes, as I would never do that on a live site.

That is exactly what I would use it for!
Seeing at down-time is not that great an issue for my sites it's not that important for me to test it completely - if I break the system I'll roll back to my backup, but not having to pull it down to a random computer and then upload it - that would be very nice for me.
Ccurrently I have most versions from 1.5.4 to the latest on one of my PC's because I was trying to upgrade an older site - and I don't set time aside for maintenance on the kind of websites I manage so I don't upgrade to every new version (because the warning-thingy usually has gone away after showing it self once) and because it's not 'easy enough'.

I'm just thinking that it is possible to upgrade modules online, why not the core? That is kinda where my thoughts are stuck...

[JeremyBASS]

Just a thought... why not make it a mod... if it gets tons of dls then the to the core talk could be addressed later.. I bet there is enough in the post here that could fund it creation... heck if no one takes it on, later I just may as an excise. Just thinking out loud  Cheers -Jeremy