Upgrade from Moodle 2.9.2 (Build: 20150914)

Upgrade from Moodle 2.9.2 (Build: 20150914)

by Philip Jones -
Number of replies: 10

I need advice about upgrading my current Moodle V 2.9.2. to 3.4.1. 

I read that, "You can only upgrade to Moodle 3.4 from Moodle 3.0 or later. If upgrading from earlier versions, you must upgrade to 3.0 as a first step." 

But perhaps there is a better approach since I am running into issues. The attached  V 3.0 build 20150914, Current release information form reports these 3 issues:

1) Status is red Check. database mysql (5.5.5-10.2.11-MariaDB-log) version 5.5.31 is required and you are running 5.5.5.10.2.11. 

My web host company says I cannot switch to mysql version 5.5.31

2) Status is yellow Check. php_setting opcache.enable PHP setting should be changed. PHP opcode caching improves performance and lowers memory requirements, OPcache extension is recommended and fully supported.

3)  Status is yellow Check. unsupported_db_table_row_format if this test fails, it indicates a potential problem Your database has tables using Antelope as the file format. You are recommended to convert the tables to the Barracuda file format. See the documentation Administration via command line for details of a tool for converting InnoDB tables to Barracuda. 

My web host company says as for MySQL tables, we only provide Mysiam and InnoDB.


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In reply to Philip Jones

Re: Upgrade from Moodle 2.9.2 (Build: 20150914)

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

IF hosting provider will not, cannot, provide what's required for 3.4.x, then I'd say you need to ask about moving your server/service to a VPS (Virtual Private System) or a dedicated server where the customer (server OP) has full control over version of MySQL/MariaDB, the php extensions installed and loaded, as well as the file format of the DB for Moodle.

By 'better way' ... am translating that as 'work-around' ... basically, the answer I think many would say, is 'No.  Unfortunately, there is no 'better way'.

Even if one could provide a 'work-around', what of future versions of Moodle ... like 3.5 when it is released?   Don't foresee those new requirements going backwards ... only forward and/or upwards.

'spirit of sharing', Ken

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In reply to Ken Task

Re: Upgrade from Moodle 2.9.2 (Build: 20150914)

by Philip Jones -

Ken,Thanks for the advice. I believe the hosting provider provides what's required for 3.4. The problem seems to be that I need to use 3.0 as an intermediate step to get to 3.4. 

Perhaps the better way to accomplish the upgrade may be to somehow avoid the intermediate step to 3.0 or take it on a PC platform that I control.

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In reply to Philip Jones

Re: Upgrade from Moodle 2.9.2 (Build: 20150914)

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

"My web host company says as for MySQL tables, we only provide Mysiam and InnoDB."

That doesn't sound like they have or will do what's needed or 3.4 to me.  Maybe you asked the wrong question or missed it but the issue with the DB is file format ... Antelope -> Barricuda in 3.4.

Do a full site backup, install on a local PC that you control (to get it running you'll have to search/replace FQDN and edit config.php file appropriately) then try it - 2.9.x to 3.4. Sounds like you are determined ... so get after it! ;)

Had a 2.7 on a sanbox server that also had a 2.9,3.0,3.1,3.2 and 3.3.   Re-set things for 3.3/3.4 (PHP/MySQL).  Marched the 2.9 upwards to 3.0 and beyond - no issues ... as well as all the other 3's  ... then went back to upgrade the 2.7 ... guess what happened?

'spirit of sharing', Ken



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In reply to Ken Task

Re: Upgrade from Moodle 2.9.2 (Build: 20150914)

by Philip Jones -

@Ken

Thanks for the tip about the file format issue: Antelope -> Barricuda. I'll read up on MySQL table formats.

Here are more questions. 

  • How to interpret the Current release information form that Moodle presents when I try to upgrade to 3.0. I assume a row with a red Check is a fatal error and a yellow Check is a caution, yes? 
  • The Current release information form did not have a button to move to the next step in the upgrade, perhaps because of the red flag?

I haven't found the Moodle docs that describe the upgrade process in more detail than https://docs.moodle.org/34/en/Upgrading which says, "If there is anything it can't do itself (very rare) then you will see messages telling you what you need to do." 


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In reply to Ken Task

Re: Upgrade from Moodle 2.9.2 (Build: 20150914)

by Philip Jones -

@Ken,

Based on your advice to, "Do a full site backup, install on a local PC that you control" I spawned a new post https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=365937 to be sure I'm using the right approach. Thanks for the tip.

Your  "guess what happened" has me wondering whether it worked or not. Care to elaborate on the upgrade of your 2.7?

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In reply to Philip Jones

Re: Upgrade from Moodle 2.9.2 (Build: 20150914)

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Your environment check PDF attachment shows only one step ... 2.9.2 -> 3.0.x

In Site Admin menu, Server, Environment ... update the component.
Then use the pick list to check compatibility of your system
with 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and your desired destination version 3.4

https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Releases
Your 2.9.2 is behind 7 updates
3.0 highest is 3.0.10 - so you will be skipping those ... 10 updates.
3.1 highest is 3.1.10 - skipping these ... 10 updates
3.2 highest is 3.2.7 - skipping these ... 7 updates
3.3 highest is 3.3.4 - skipping these ... 4 updates
3.4 highest is 3.4.1 - skipping that one also ... 1 update

So all in all, you will be skipping 31 updates and 3 major upgrades - which are supposed to 'catch up' in one step ... 2.9.x -> 3.4.highest?   And in-between .. new features ... apache solr/search (and the extra required for that) ... in grading Annotation (and the extra required for that) ... not to mention themes - which are inline.

Along the way ... PHP can be upgraded to 7.0 then to 7.1 ... but when?   7.0.x NOT before version 3.0.highest
MySQL/MariaDB changes ... character set, collation, + file format ... but when? It becomes a real problem 3.3 -> 3.4 and if you do NOT have super user priv's to the DB server ... outta luck ... unless you have privs to 'Alter' your database and there are hosting providers that do not grant that priv to customers on shared systems.


Let's not forget changes to themes (they are now plugins) and any
addons you have installed and running.   They too will/might have to be updated
as well.

https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Releases#Version_support
https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Releases#Moodle_3.0
https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Releases#Moodle_3.1
https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Releases#Moodle_3.2
https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Releases#Moodle_3.3
https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Releases#Moodle_3.4

Won't elaborate but to say the belated 2.7.x upgrade became virtually impossible - even via command line - wasn't going to spend the time to fix it, either!

As Howard said in your other post ... 'why would you want to'?

There have been others in these forums that have stated downloading to local (server Linux, local is Mac or Windows), upgrading, then uploading the upgraded site is their process/work-around, but think that has sometimes been 'blind luck'.

Like I said ... you are free to try whatever you like! ;)

'spirit of sharing', Ken


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In reply to Ken Task

Re: Upgrade from Moodle 2.9.2 (Build: 20150914)

by Philip Jones -

Ah, yes, excellent advice. Thanks for the benefit of your experience and helping me along the moodle learning curve.

Now my plan is to install 3.4 on the hosted site and rebuild from scratch. 

It seems that on the hosted site I cannot simultaneously view the old 2.9 and new 3.4 because PHP version differences. So, I intend to migrate the 2.9 version to a PC so I have a local copy to view as an example. 

Any advice about this approach?

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In reply to Philip Jones

Re: Upgrade from Moodle 2.9.2 (Build: 20150914)

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Uhhh ... to be clear ... this wasn't my advice:

"Perhaps the better way to accomplish the upgrade may be to somehow avoid the intermediate step to 3.0 or take it on a PC platform that I control."

First post you suggested to skirt what little of the iceburg you had discovered, was to skip 3.0 and go from 2.9.x to 3.4. And then repeated that idea in another response.   Sounded insistent to me ... soooooooooo ...

At that point, thought it an opportunity for you to try your idea (rather than 'argue/attempt to convince')  It has always been the recommendation (for as long as I can remember) to test upgrades on 'sandbox' sites.   So down to local PC running Windows would have been a sandbox test ... cept there would be factors/differences from hosted (assuming Linux) and Windows PC.   That too would have been a lesson in which OS is 'easiest' or 'best'.

Afraid one is looking for an 'easy button' ... and there isn't one! ;)

'spirit of sharing', Ken


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In reply to Philip Jones

Re: Upgrade from Moodle 2.9.2 (Build: 20150914)

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

One more about local copy of site ...

Do know the distro of the hosted platform?   Ubuntu/CentOS and version?

If so, on your PC, run VirtualBox ... setup a guest OS Ubuntu/CentOS that is as close as you can get to the hosted.

Clone your production site ... the 2.9.x ... to the VB Guest OS ... now you can practice updates and upgrades.

Your local then would be the same environment (or very close) - minus tools like cPanel (that's $) but one could run Webmin (free/open sourced 'cpanel')

You would be in total control then ... so when provider/hoster says we can't do that ... ?????

'spirit of sharing', Ken

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In reply to Ken Task

Re: Upgrade from Moodle 2.9.2 (Build: 20150914)

by Philip Jones -

Ken,

Thanks for taking the time to describe using VirtualBox to duplicate the hosted platform distro. I will look into doing so to allow more flexibility in future updates and upgrades.

In the end I found upgrading from 2.9 to 3.4 too daunting. Given my level of misunderstanding. I kept skidding onto thin ice where I needed to learn many basics -- SQL table structure differences is an example. Well, I think maybe it is -- before I could make progress.  Instead of upgrading I used brute force and recreated the site in moodle 3.4.  

While there are still 3.4 icy spots (like bullets that don't look right  https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=366309) I finally do have some traction on this project to resurrect a neglected moodle installation.

So, thanks again.


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