Installing and upgrading help

I agree, Emma, that Garth probably may not need to rename his moodle folder, but I can't quite tell by what has been provided.

I am going to assume that his "subdir" is the moodle code, as in /username/public_html/moodle. However, since "subdir" is used, it might be that "subdir" is any type of name. For example, I used to keep my moodles in folders named moodle3, moodle4, moodle5, so in my case, "subdir" is "moodle5."

If I kept my moodle inside public_html, I would have to create a symlink whose name cannot match a folder's name. I cannot have a symlink named moodle and a folder named moodle in public_html. So maybe this is what Garth has done. But I am not sure, Garth, because you then use a subdomain. So, Emma, I would say you are on target, but it depends on what Garth has done.

Garth, I can't say if your approach is "right," all I can say is that it seems to work as an approach. The key is that that the moodle/public folder should not be inside public_html.

I posted a video within this discussion: 

• Version 3 Moodle.org discussions: Version 3 - Upgrading from Moodle 5.0 to Moodle 5.1 on my VPS

I kind of do what you somewhat do, and I show how to comply with Moodle's security intent. But I don't use a subdomain. Also, I wouldn't claim that my method is the "right" method; it is one among other methods.

(I see a few more posts while I have been creating this one.)

"what you did might be the only way if where you host won't allow symlinks outside of document root"

Well, I could move the moodle folder back to:
/username/moodle

and then point
/username/public_html/subdir -> /username/moodle/public but then public wouldn't be web accessible (maybe? I'm not really sure as it would be outside the 'public_html' folder (so I assume not!?)

Well, Garth, having read this post and your others, it looks like things have come together.

I can add a few more thoughts.

You are correct, that it would seem that if the moodle/public folder is outside of public_html, that it would not be "web accessible." Not being a web server expert, I thought the very same thing. How could this work? But that symlink file, since it is inside public_html, is like a magic door to the moodle/public folder. Perhaps someone can provide more technical details, but it works. This is the first time that I have ever seen this happen. Like "magic."  Maybe someday I will figure it out, too, but until then, I'll accept that it works.

 

(Something similar happens to the moodledata folder, too, which should be outside public_html.  How does the Moodle application access data that is outside of web root?  I never worried about the mechanism for this; I just accepted that it worked.)

When considering a computer's folder structure, there are different ways to describe where a folder is. Is it inside, outside, within, above, below, a level up, a level down, etc. So, considering that a computer's storage is like a physical file cabinet, it is easy to envision many hanging folders in a drawer, and then placing other hanging folders outside each other, and a folder inside a hanging folder. If you have any thoughts about how to say this better, I would like to hear them.

 

In summary, I would say, "Great work, Garth."  I can't give you a prize, just congratulations.