Automatic Updater
The Automatic Updater utility allows admin users to update WHMCS quickly and easily in just a few clicks.
Contents
System Requirements
- 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.
Configuring Your Update Settings
A number of configurable settings exist for Automatic Updates.
Choosing an Update Channel
The automatic updater provides admins with the ability to choose a release stability that they are comfortable receiving:
| Channel | Description |
| Stable | Recommended for most installations of WHMCS, the Stable channel will present admins with the latest stable version that has been released by WHMCS. |
| Release Candidate | 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. |
| Beta | 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. |
| Current Version | 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. |
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.
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.
Performing an Update
Beginning the Update Process
Once the update configuration options have been set, admins can begin the update process.
It is also recommended that at least 250 MB of disk space is available before beginning the update process.
Checking for Custom Files
The next step in the upgrade process checks the current installation for customized files, such as template files, language translations, whois server entries, and additional domain fields. It's important to review these files, as just like in previous updates, any update applied to the installation of WHMCS will override any custom changes. Before continuing to the next step in the upgrade process, it is wise to backup any customized files in order to quickly apply them again after the update has been complete. WHMCS has also included changes to how admins can customize the additional domain fields, country / calling codes, and whois server entries so that admins can preserve changes between updates. To view this documentation, please refer to following documentation pages:
Starting the Update
Once an admin is comfortable with the status of their custom files, the next step in the update process is to start the update itself. It's important to note that this third step is the point of no return - one the update has started, there is no pausing or stopping the process, and it is strongly recommended that admins stay on this page and do not navigate away using their browser. When ready to begin, click the Update Now button.
Finalizing the Update
The final step of the update process is confirmation that the update has been completed. The system will present the admin with an Update Completed message, along with a link to the current version's release notes.
