Updating Moodle

The high-level process for updating a Moodle system is as follows:

If you are updating from a previous version of Moodle, the process is the same. However, double-check the Upgrading document at docs.moodle.org/en/Upgrading for any version-specific issues.

For example, if your current Moodle system is still on version 1.8 and you wish to update to version 2.1, you will first have to update to the latest version of 1.9 before updating to the latest version of 2.1. However, you can update from 2.1 straight to 2.1.5.

Running the update script

Once you go to the location of your Moodle site and login in as administrator, the system will recognize that a new version is available and kick off the installer automatically.

The first screen displays the build of the new version (here, 2.0.1+) and asks you to confirm that you wish to go ahead with the upgrade.

Next, a screen is displayed that provides a link to the release notes and performs the same server check as the one described during the installation.

Moodle plugins, whether core or third-party, sometimes cause problems when upgrading Moodle. The installer lists all components and states whether they are Standard, Non-Standard, Extension, or Incompatible. The Status column highlights any actions required or problems found. You will need to resolve any issues that have arisen. See Chapter 14, Installing Third-party Add-ons, for more details.

Once this screen has been confirmed, the actual installation starts, during which new database fields are created and data is modified if and when necessary. Any new system settings that have been added to Moodle are shown and can be changed straightaway. For example, in the following screenshot, a new Path to dot parameter has been added to the System paths section.

Once the upgrade process has been completed, make sure you check the Notifications page as earlier. Also, don't forget to turn off the Maintenance mode!

As you would expect, Moodle updates can also be run using the already-discussed CLI. Once you have backed up your data and updated to the latest version, all you need to do is run the following script:

sudo –u www-root /usr/bin/php admin/cli/upgrade.php --non-interactive

Updating Moodle via CLI is even more powerful when combined with the CVS or GIT checkout of the Moodle source code. That is what we will look at next.

An alternative approach exists to keep a current version up-to-date. It uses open source versioning systems which are supported by Moodle, namely, CVS and GIT. All checked-in Moodle code is made available via this method, which allows you to update only the modules that have actually changed.

The repository cvs.moodle.org is a read-only version of git.moodle.org. First, we are going to describe the basics of how to set up CVS. CVS has to be installed on your Moodle server. The first time you use CVS, you have to download the full version of Moodle, as follows:

cvs -z3 -d:pserver:[email protected]:/cvsroot/moodle co –d <directory> -r <version>Moodle

<directory> is the location where your Moodle system is installed and <version> specifies the version you wish to install, for example, MOODLE_21_WEEKLY or MOODLE_20_STABLE.

Once this has been successful, go to your Moodle site and you will be guided through the same update process as discussed earlier. If this fails, check that the user and group permissions are set correctly and adjust them accordingly (chown –R <user>:<group> moodle).

For further updates you should use the following command, which remembers your previous settings, such as the chosen mirror site:

cvs update -dP

For further options of how to use CVS from the command line and in operating systems other than Unix, check out docs.moodle.org/en/CVS_for_Administrators.

Setting up GIT is a cumbersome process, which is beyond the scope of this book. You can find details at docs.moodle.org/en/Git. However, once set up, GIT is a very streamlined system to use, particularly in conjunction with the CLI we discussed earlier.

The following is a sample script which gets the latest version of the source code, puts Moodle in maintenance mode, merges the old code with the new, runs the upgrade script, and disables the maintenance mode.

git fetch
sudo -u www-root /usr/bin/php admin/cli/maintenance.php --enable
git merge origin/cvshead
sudo -u www-root/usr/bin/php admin/cli/upgrade.php
sudo -u www-root/usr/bin/php admin/cli/maintenance.php --disable

If you have changed any core code, potential conflicts might arise and will have to be resolved (CVS and GIT will prompt you to do so).

You might also come across some conflicting advice on whether to use CVS or GIT for production sites or not. The advantages are that your system is always up-to-date and that the updates are carried out automatically. The disadvantages are that the update process might require intervention to resolve any conflicts or it might fail, especially when a lot of third-party add-ons have been employed.