Upgrading
This document has been superseded by this newer one and will be removed shortly.
Ways to upgrade:
Automatic Upgrader
IPS software can be automatically upgraded. The files for the new version will be uploaded automatically and then you simply need to visit an upgrade wizard on your community to complete the upgrade.
If you would like to take advantage of this, visit the client area and select "Purchases" from the left-side. Then select IP.Board license or IPS Hosting Package you want to be upgraded and click "Auto-Install", then follow the on-screen instructions.
Upgrade Service
IPS support agents will be happy to upgrade your software at no extra charge to the latest version on request.
Simply submit a support request from the client area to the "Install/Upgrade Request" department asking for an upgrade.
Manual Upgrade
For those who wish to perform the upgrade themselves, the guide below will take you through the process.
Manual Upgrade Instructions
Step One: Requirements
If you are performing a major upgrade (such as 2.3 to 3.0), you should check your server still meets our requirements. If you are an IPS Hosting Customer, you will definitely have the requirements you need.
Our requirements are listed here and from that page you can also download a script which will check if your server meets the requirements.
If you're not sure if your sever meets the requirements, or you need any of the requirements explained, simply submit a support ticket and a technician will be happy to advise you.
Step Two: Backup
We strongly suggest before you begin the upgrade process that you back up all of your files and database. Your hosting provider should provide you with tools to do this if you are not sure how.
Step Three: Downloading
You can download your software from the client area. Once logged in, select "Purchases" from the left-side menu, select the purchase/product you want to download and then use the Download button that will appear on the right. You will need to do this for each product you want to download (IP.Board, IP.Blog, etc). Once downloaded, unzip the packages using an unarchiver program. One unzipped, the package should contain at least an "upload" folder, and possibly "Documentation" and/or "Tools", depending which package you're looking at. Please note that the IP.Calendar app is downloadable from the IP.Board purchase.
Step Three: Uploading
For this step, you will need an FTP program (a free cross-platform one is Filezilla) if you don't already have one, and the FTP credentials for your server (your hosting provider will be able to provide these for you if you don't know them).
If you have renamed your admin directory, you should rename the admin folder in the "upload" directory to whatever you have renamed it to on your installation. You will then need to edit initdata.php with your admin directory name as when originally changing it. If you are not sure, you should assume that you have not renamed the directory and can ignore this instruction.
Using your FTP client, move into the directory your software is currently installed in and upload the the contents of the "upload" folder in the zip archive you downloaded. This is usually done by simply selecting all the files from upload folder, and dragging them into your FTP client window.
If you are upgrading more than one piece of software (for example, IP.Gallery in addition to IP.Board) you should also upload the contents of their "upload" folders to the same destination. Be sure to rename the admin directory on each if applicable.
The upload process is likely to take some time.
If you are performing a major upgrade (such as 2.3 to 3.0) you may need to check your CHMOD settings. The recommended CHMOD values for all applications are indicated in our CHMOD guide.
Step Four: Upgrading
After all the files have been uploaded, run the upgrade system by accessing "/admin/upgrade/index.php" on your system (for example: www.domain.com/forum/admin/upgrade/index.php) and follow the onscreen instructions.
At the end of the upgrade, pay careful attention to the message displayed at the end. It may contain further instructions.
Step Five: Handling Custom Skins and Languages
If you have any custom skins, you should at this stage run the template merge tool to update them to your new version. More information on how to do this can be found in this article.
If you are using a non-English language you will also need to update your language pack. More information on how to do this can be found in this article.
Upgrading will cause any edits you have made to the source files to be overwritten.
If you are performing a major upgrade (i.e. 3.1.x to 3.2.x) and you are using any custom skins hooks or applications, please check before you upgrade that the new version will be compatible with your skin. If you are performing a minor upgrade (for example, 3.2.1 to 3.2.2) then installed skins, hooks and applications should be unaffected.
If you are upgrading from 2.3.6 or older, all skins and modifications will be lost.
If you are performing a major upgrade (i.e. 3.1.x to 3.2.x) and you are using any custom skins hooks or applications, please check before you upgrade that the new version will be compatible with your skin. If you are performing a minor upgrade (for example, 3.2.1 to 3.2.2) then installed skins, hooks and applications should be unaffected.
If you are upgrading from 2.3.6 or older, all skins and modifications will be lost.
Ways to upgrade:
Automatic Upgrader
IPS software can be automatically upgraded. The files for the new version will be uploaded automatically and then you simply need to visit an upgrade wizard on your community to complete the upgrade.
If you would like to take advantage of this, visit the client area and select "Purchases" from the left-side. Then select IP.Board license or IPS Hosting Package you want to be upgraded and click "Auto-Install", then follow the on-screen instructions.
Upgrade Service
IPS support agents will be happy to upgrade your software at no extra charge to the latest version on request.
Simply submit a support request from the client area to the "Install/Upgrade Request" department asking for an upgrade.
Manual Upgrade
For those who wish to perform the upgrade themselves, the guide below will take you through the process.
Manual Upgrade Instructions
Step One: Requirements
If you are performing a major upgrade (such as 2.3 to 3.0), you should check your server still meets our requirements. If you are an IPS Hosting Customer, you will definitely have the requirements you need.
Our requirements are listed here and from that page you can also download a script which will check if your server meets the requirements.
If you're not sure if your sever meets the requirements, or you need any of the requirements explained, simply submit a support ticket and a technician will be happy to advise you.
Step Two: Backup
We strongly suggest before you begin the upgrade process that you back up all of your files and database. Your hosting provider should provide you with tools to do this if you are not sure how.
Step Three: Downloading
You can download your software from the client area. Once logged in, select "Purchases" from the left-side menu, select the purchase/product you want to download and then use the Download button that will appear on the right. You will need to do this for each product you want to download (IP.Board, IP.Blog, etc). Once downloaded, unzip the packages using an unarchiver program. One unzipped, the package should contain at least an "upload" folder, and possibly "Documentation" and/or "Tools", depending which package you're looking at. Please note that the IP.Calendar app is downloadable from the IP.Board purchase.
Step Three: Uploading
For this step, you will need an FTP program (a free cross-platform one is Filezilla) if you don't already have one, and the FTP credentials for your server (your hosting provider will be able to provide these for you if you don't know them).
If you have renamed your admin directory, you should rename the admin folder in the "upload" directory to whatever you have renamed it to on your installation. You will then need to edit initdata.php with your admin directory name as when originally changing it. If you are not sure, you should assume that you have not renamed the directory and can ignore this instruction.
Using your FTP client, move into the directory your software is currently installed in and upload the the contents of the "upload" folder in the zip archive you downloaded. This is usually done by simply selecting all the files from upload folder, and dragging them into your FTP client window.
If you are upgrading more than one piece of software (for example, IP.Gallery in addition to IP.Board) you should also upload the contents of their "upload" folders to the same destination. Be sure to rename the admin directory on each if applicable.
The upload process is likely to take some time.
If you are performing a major upgrade (such as 2.3 to 3.0) you may need to check your CHMOD settings. The recommended CHMOD values for all applications are indicated in our CHMOD guide.
Step Four: Upgrading
After all the files have been uploaded, run the upgrade system by accessing "/admin/upgrade/index.php" on your system (for example: www.domain.com/forum/admin/upgrade/index.php) and follow the onscreen instructions.
At the end of the upgrade, pay careful attention to the message displayed at the end. It may contain further instructions.
Step Five: Handling Custom Skins and Languages
If you have any custom skins, you should at this stage run the template merge tool to update them to your new version. More information on how to do this can be found in this article.
If you are using a non-English language you will also need to update your language pack. More information on how to do this can be found in this article.
Do you have a tip, alternative approach, or extra information you want to share with the IPS community regarding this article? Feel free to contribute by adding a comment!
Comments are not for questions or support. Such comments will be deleted.
