User Guide - Upgrading Applications in PBA Control Panel

22/12/2004 2:45 PM
- Server Configuration

Applicable Plans: All eApps General VPS plans

User Guide - Upgrading Applications in the PBA Control Panel

Overview

eApps Hosting releases new versions of the applications offered from the PBA Control Panel on a regular basis. These new versions range from point releases for bug fixes and new features to major version releases and updates. This User Guide explains how to update your applications using the PBA Control panel.

There are several ways to stay informed of any new or updated applications being released. One is to check the eApps News page at http://blog.eapps.com/news for any new listings, and another is to follow eapps on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eapps

To see what the current versions of the applications offered are, go to the Hosted Applications Index page at - http://www.eapps.com/applications/application-hosting-index.php

The applications listed on the Hosted Applications Index page are for the CentOS 5 plans only. There are no new updates or upgrades to applications for the Fedora or CentOS 4 plans unless security holes are found in the existing applications.

Making sure that you are current on your installed applications means that your system is more secure, and that all the latest features of the installed applications are available to you.

Upgrading Applications - Read This First
Release Notes

Pre-upgrade precautions

Upgrading Applications on Fedora and CentOS 4
Upgrading Applications on CentOS 5

Post-installation follow up
Links to other information

Upgrading Applications - Read This First

Release Notes

Read the Release Notes before upgrading your applications

Before upgrading any application from the PBA Control Panel, make certain to read the Release Notes first! The Release Notes contain important information on any extra steps needed to safely and successfully upgrade your applications.

The Release Notes are located here - http://support.eapps.com/release/all

For some applications, the only way to upgrade them is to uninstall the current version, and install the new version. This information is noted in the Release Notes.

As an example, the upgrade process for MySQL 5.1.38 requires that you run a command after the upgrade process completes to verify that your tables are compatible with the new version of MySQL, and fixes them if they are not. The exact steps to do this are outlined in the Release Notes for MySQL 5. If you did not read the Release Notes and did not run this command, it is quite likely that your application would no longer be able to talk to the MySQL database, and your site would probably be down.

Not reading the Release Notes before upgrading some applications can result in data loss and corruption, requiring that you restore your applications and files from backup, losing any data that might have been entered since the last backup.

Read the Release Notes before upgrading your applications

Pre-upgrade precautions

The PBA Control Panel is designed to make the upgrade process as smooth as possible. However, things do go wrong from time to time. With that in mind, it is wise to take some precautionary steps before upgrading your applications, especially if they are mission-critical applications.

Backup configuration files - if you have modified the configuration files for the application you are upgrading, make a backup of those files before starting the upgrade process

Backup any other important application files - if there are any files that are needed for the application being upgraded that have been modified, make a backup of those files before starting the upgrade process

Dump any databases - even if the Release Notes do not specify it, backup your databases before attempting to upgrade MySQL or PostgreSQL

Backup your application files - for JBoss, Tomcat or GlassFish upgrades, make sure to backup all the files related to your application, including databases and configuration files.

Upgrading Applications on Fedora and CentOS 4

To upgrade applications on a Fedora or CentOS 4 VPS, follow these steps

All Applications - click on All Applications, and any application that has an upgrade available will have a link to the new version in the far right Upgrade column

Upgrade Applications - click on Upgrade Applications

Both methods take you to the same place, the Upgrade Applications screen. Here you will see the application Name, the New Version, and the Current Version.

To upgrade an application, select the new version from the drop down menu under New Version, and click Upgrade.

Only upgrade one application at a time, and only update each application one version at a time. If you are several versions behind, you will need to install the oldest upgrade version first, then the next, until all the new versions have been installed.

It can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes for each application version to update. There is no way to rush this process, and trying to skip versions or upgrade everything at once will cause errors.

The way to tell if an upgrade has completed is to go back to the Upgrade Applications screen. The Current Version should now be the version you selected to upgrade to.

If you are on a Fedora or CentOS 4 plan, and there is no Upgrade Application link available, then you are current on all upgrades for the applications you have installed.

If you encounter any errors or problems trying to upgrade your applications, please contact eApps Support for assistance.

Upgrading Applications on CentOS 5

To upgrade applications on a CentOS 5 VPS, follow these steps

To see what operating system (OS) you have, click on the Subscriptions icon from the My Account tab of your Control Panel. Then click on the name of the subscription you want to see. The OS for the subscription will be displayed near the top of the page. If you are not on a CentOS 5 plan, but would like information on updating your plan, please contact eApps Technical Support for more information.

Login to your Control Panel, and click on the System Tab. If necessary, click the Select Another System (Subscription) link on the left and choose the correct Virtuozzo container.

Scroll down to Application Management. In the CentOS 5 plans, the Upgrade column is no longer available, and the Upgrade Application link no longer works. To keep up with the applications available for upgrade on CentOS 5 requires some more work on your part - you will need to keep up with what versions the applications you have installed are, and you will need to check the Hosted Applications Index page and the eApps News page (or follow eapps on Twitter) for news of new application releases.

To upgrade applications on CentOS 5, go to the All Applications page, and click on the application you want to upgrade. If the application is upgradeable, you will see two radio buttons - Test Upgrade and Upgrade To Latest. There will also be a Stop and/or an Uninstall button.

Applications that are Embedded in System, such as Apache, will not have the Test Upgrade or Upgrade To Latest buttons

Click the Test Upgrade button. This process may take 5 minutes or more to complete, depending on the application.

If there is no upgrade available, a message similar to Package 'package name' is already up-to-date will appear near the top of the screen.

If there is an upgrade available, the message A new version of 'package name' is available. The following packages will be installed after the upgrade: 'list of new packages' will appear near the top of the screen.

If you wish to proceed, click the Upgrade To Latest button. The message Package 'package name' has been scheduled for the upgrade successfully will appear near the top of the screen.

Wait for 5 to 10 minutes, and then click on the Test Upgrade button. If the message Package 'package name' is already up-to-date appears near the top of the screen, then the upgrade was successful. To verify, go to All Applications. There should be a green Installed listing under Status.

If you click on Test Upgrade again and get an error message saying Failed to get the information about available upgrades. Please refer to the Parallels Business Automation - Standard log file for details then the application is still in the process of installation. Wait another 5 to 10 minutes and then try Test Upgrade again.

If you encounter any errors or problems trying to upgrade your applications, please contact eApps Support for assistance.

Post-installation follow up

Once the applications have been upgraded, be sure to check any configuration files to see if you need to copy the files you backed up before the upgrade process into place. Also look over the Release Notes to see if there are any steps to take after the upgrade has completed.

Lastly, test your applications to make sure that things are working as expected. If you have any problems or questions, please contact eApps Support.

Links to other information

Release Notes - http://support.eapps.com/release/all
eApps News - http://blog.eapps.com/news
Hosted Applications Index - http://www.eapps.com/applications/application-hosting-index.php
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