Chances are pretty big that I want to install a moodle system for my students alongside our paid, but lacking, LMS. This means I need to adminster the Moodle website and update from time tot time.
I have some experience with administering a CMS (Drupal), but I quit doing that because it often gave me a white screen of death after updating. Not being a supernerd (although half a nerd may apply), I got stuck and frustrated.
My fears for Moodle will be the same as the upgrading method is roughly the same (remove files, copy new files, run install). I know it should all be easy, but they also said that about Drupal. So what can I expect from Moodle and could you give me some insight in the upgrading methods of Moodle to remove those fears a bit.
The majority of upgrades go without issue but that is not to say that occasionally you won't run into a problem. The best way is to have a development server that you can test on prior to upgrading your live site. Luckily, Moodle has a very active forum and there is a lot of help available if you do run into trouble.
Yep, I recall my early days of using Moodle and my fear of upgrading Moodle the very first time. I was a novice. Somehow I succeeded.
Now I know that upgrading is easy. For example, just yesterday I upgraded my production moodle after upgrading my experimental moodle, all in less than 10 minutes.
I am also a stand-alone moodle administer. I am actually a professor, not a moodle or network administrator. But I take on those roles because I too wanted something better than what my schools were using. I have not been disappointed. Moodle runs like a charm (for already 8 years.)
Wouter,
here are some videos that may assist you in upgrading moodle, specially the last one
http://www.screencast.com/t/7di1TIv9NH
http://www.screencast.com/t/isCbx6rnVd
http://www.screencast.com/t/QfsROwJCz
http://www.screencast.com/t/p59D8pnX8h
http://www.screencast.com/t/BKK0rRLd1
http://www.screencast.com/t/ZtdiUTSrItGX
and if you want to make clones of moodle will also be helpful towards upgrading
http://www.screencast.com/t/aLYYluO8qs