Difference between revisions of "Automatic Updater"

Revision as of 20:31, 2 October 2016

This page describes a feature available in version 7.0 and above

The Automatic Update utility allows admin users to update WHMCS quickly and easily in just a few clicks.

System Requirements

For updates to be able to be completed successfully, the following requirement must be met:

At least 250 MB of free disk space
PHP setting allow_url_fopen enabled
PHP max_execution_time in excess of 60 seconds
PHP Zip Extension or the proc_open PHP function enabled
PHP setting open_basedir to include entire WHMCS docroot

Checking for Updates

New updates are checked for automatically at periodic intervals.

When an update becomes available, a notification will appear in the top left corner of admin area.

In addition, you can check for updates on-demand by navigating to Utilities > WHMCS Update and clicking the Check for Updates button.

If a newer version is available, the Latest Version display will update to show the version available to update to. The status of the update check will also be displayed top right as a notification.

Performing an Update

To perform an update, navigate to Utilities > Update WHMCS and click the Update Now button (pictured above).

You will then be guided through the update process. The update process can take anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes to complete.

Please note this option will only show if an update is available based on your current Update Channel Preferences.

Providing you have followed the recommended methods for customising things such as templates, WHOIS servers, Additional Domain Fields and Countries, your customisations will be preserved through the update process.

Before beginning an update, it is strongly recommended to take a full backup of your current installation (files and database).

We also recommend that you review the release notes before updating to ensure you are aware of any changes that may affect you.

Configuring Your Update Settings

Choosing an Update Channel

The WHMCS automatic updater allows you to choose an update channel that defines the type of updates you will receive.

For most users, we recommend choosing the Stable channel which will only apply Stable updates to your installation.

Channel	Description
Stable	Recommended for most installations of WHMCS, the Stable channel will track the latest stable version that has been released.
Release Candidate	Subscribing to the Release Candidate channel will allow you to receive releases after beta testing but before they are released to the Stable tier.
Beta	Subscribing to the Beta release channel will allow you to receive the very latest versions of WHMCS. This tier should only be selected for development and test based installations.
Current Version	Subscribing to this channel will restrict you to only receiving maintenance updates for the major/minor version that is currently installed. For example if the installed version of WHMCS is 7.0.0-GA, admins will be offered upgrades to 7.0.1-GA and 7.0.2-GA, but not 7.1.0.

Setting a Temporary Update Path

A temporary path is required for staging of files during an update. For security reasons it is recommended that this directory be located outside the public doc root, similar to the attachments, downloads and templates_c directories. The path must be an absolute path (i.e. /home/whmcsuser/tmp instead of ~/tmp) and must be writable by the user that is running PHP.

Setting a Maintenance Message

This option can be used to set a message that will be displayed to both other admin and client users whenever an update is in progress.

Modifying the update configuration requires the Modify Update Configuration administrator role permission, which is separate from the "Update WHMCS" permission.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 <div class="docs-alert-info"><i class="fa fa-question-circle"></i> This page describes a feature available in version 7.0 and above</div>
-The Automatic Updater utility allows admin users to update WHMCS quickly and easily in just a few clicks.
+The Automatic Update utility allows admin users to update WHMCS quickly and easily in just a few clicks.
 == System Requirements ==
+For updates to be able to be completed successfully, the following requirement must be met:
 * At least 250 MB of free disk space
@@ Line 23: / Line 25: @@
 [[File:UpdateAvailable.png|center]]
-== Configuring Your Update Settings ==
+== Performing an Update ==
+To perform an update, navigate to ''Utilities > Update WHMCS'' and click the '''Update Now''' button (pictured above).
+You will then be guided through the update process.  The update process can take anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes to complete.
+<div class="docs-alert-info"><i class="fa fa-info-circle"></i> Please note this option will only show if an update is available based on your current Update Channel Preferences.</div>
+<div class="docs-alert-success"><i class="fa fa-warning"></i> Providing you have followed the recommended methods for customising things such as [[Customising_the_Six_Theme|templates]], [[WHOIS_Servers|WHOIS servers]], [[Additional Domain Fields]] and [[Customising Countries and Calling Codes|Countries]], your customisations will be preserved through the update process.</div>
-A number of configurable settings exist for Automatic Updates.
+<div class="docs-alert-warning">Before beginning an update, it is strongly recommended to take a full backup of your current installation (files and database).</div>
-<div class="docs-alert-info">Modifying the update configuration requires the '''Modify Update Configuration''' administrator role permission, which is separate from the "Update WHMCS" permission.</div>
+<div class="docs-alert-info"><i class="fa fa-file-text-o"></i> We also recommend that you review the release notes before updating to ensure you are aware of any changes that may affect you.</div>
-[[File:Configureupdatesettings.png|center]]
+== Configuring Your Update Settings ==
 === Choosing an Update Channel ===
-The automatic updater provides admins with the ability to choose a release stability that they are comfortable receiving:
+The WHMCS automatic updater allows you to choose an update channel that defines the type of updates you will receive.
+For most users, we recommend choosing the '''Stable''' channel which will only apply Stable updates to your installation.
 <table class="table table-striped">
@@ Line 42: / Line 54: @@
 <tr>
 <td>Stable</td>
-<td>Recommended for most installations of WHMCS, the Stable channel will present admins with the latest stable version that has been released by WHMCS.</td>
+<td>'''Recommended''' for most installations of WHMCS, the Stable channel will track the latest stable version that has been released.</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Release Candidate</td>
-<td>Admins subscribed to the Release Candidate will be able to upgrade to the latest Release Candidate builds of WHMCS, or the latest stable version of WHMCS - whichever is newer. This means if WHMCS is upgraded to 7.0.0-rc.1, when 7.0.0-GA is released, the admin will be prompted to upgrade to the general availability that was just released.</td>
+<td>Subscribing to the Release Candidate channel will allow you to receive releases after beta testing but before they are released to the Stable tier.</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Beta</td>
-<td>Admins subscribed to the Beta release channel will be able to download the newest beta, release candidates, and stable versions of WHMCS. This is for testing installations, as it will allow admins to update to the latest WHMCS (beta, rc, or stable). WHMCS recommends development licenses use this channel.</td>
+<td>Subscribing to the Beta release channel will allow you to receive the very latest versions of WHMCS. This tier should only be selected for development and test based installations.</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Current Version</td>
-<td>By selecting this channel, admins are electing to only receive maintenance updates for the major/minor version that is currently installed. For example if the installed version of WHMCS is 7.0.0-GA, admins will be offered upgrades to 7.0.1-GA and 7.0.2-GA, but not 7.1.0.</td>
+<td>Subscribing to this channel will restrict you to only receiving maintenance updates for the major/minor version that is currently installed. For example if the installed version of WHMCS is 7.0.0-GA, admins will be offered upgrades to 7.0.1-GA and 7.0.2-GA, but not 7.1.0.</td>
 </tr>
 </table>
@@ Line 60: / Line 72: @@
 === Setting a Temporary Update Path ===
-The temporary path is used for staging files during an update. For security reasons it is recommended that this directory be located outside the public doc root, similar to the attachments, downloads and templates_c directories. The path must be an absolute path (i.e. /home/whmcsuser/tmp instead of ~/tmp) and must be writable by the user that is running PHP.
+A temporary path is required for staging of files during an update. For security reasons it is recommended that this directory be located outside the public doc root, similar to the attachments, downloads and templates_c directories. The path must be an absolute path (i.e. /home/whmcsuser/tmp instead of ~/tmp) and must be writable by the user that is running PHP.
 === Setting a Maintenance Message ===
-This option can be used to set a message that will be displayed to users both admin and client side whenever an update is in progress.
+This option can be used to set a message that will be displayed to both other admin and client users whenever an update is in progress.
-== Performing an Update ==
+<div class="docs-alert-info">Modifying the update configuration requires the '''Modify Update Configuration''' administrator role permission, which is separate from the "Update WHMCS" permission.</div>
-=== Beginning the Update Process ===
+[[File:Configureupdatesettings.png|center]]
-Once the update configuration options have been set, admins can begin the update process.
-<div class="docs-alert-warning">Before beginning an update, it is strongly recommended to take a full backup of your current installation (files and database).</div>
-It is also recommended that at least '''250 MB of disk space''' is available before beginning the update process.
-[[File:Modal-update.png|center]]
-=== Checking for Custom Files ===
-The first step in the update process checks the current installation for customized files such as template files, language translations, whois server definitions and additional domain fields. It's important to review these files and make a copy of any files you do not wish to lose.
-WHMCS has also included changes to how admins can customize the additional domain fields, countries & calling codes, and whois server definitions so that admins can preserve changes between updates. To view this documentation, please refer to following documentation pages:
-* [[Customising Countries and Calling Codes]]
-* [[WHOIS_Servers|WHOIS Servers]]
-* [[Additional Domain Fields]]
-[[File:UpdateNowCustomisedFiles.png|center]]
-=== Starting the Update ===
-The next step in the update process is to start the update itself. When ready to begin, click the Update Now button.
-<div class="docs-alert-warning">Once the update has been started, it cannot be cancelled or stopped. Do not proceed until you are ready to upgrade.</div>
-The update process can take anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes to complete.
-[[File:UpdateNowBegin.png|center]]
-=== Finishing the Update ===
-Once completed, you should see a screen like the one below.
-It is recommended that you review the release notes using the button provided to be aware of any changes in the new version and for details of any template updates you must perform.
-[[File:UpdateSuccessful.png|center]]

Documentation