How to recover Modx from PHP upgrade?

Hi everyone,

I have been running Modx 09.2.1 on most of my websites successfully for some time now.
The host of my dedicated server (Linux/Apache) recently upgraded my PHP from version 4.3.2 to
PHP version 5.04 bringing down all of my Modx websites.

I suspect that the new PHP config is a default implementation that is somehow different then
my previous configuration.

Does anyone know, what I need to look for, so I can recover my Modx websites, without having
to reinstall Modx on all of my websites all over again?

Technical advise and/or pointing me to the helpful threads is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Eric
web admin

I have upgraded MODx websites from PHP 4 to PHP5 without trouble, but it was when I moved from a shared hosting to a dedicated server. I am curious as to why they did not update to the latest 5.1.6 though... anyway, MODx should run fine. Curious : was there a MySQL upgrade as well ?

And exactly what’s the error message you get when you try to access you MODx websites ?
blank page ? error message ?

Another thing which could come into play is if Apache has been updated and runs some kind of special config, but again we would need more infos before being able to help you.

Anyway, as long as you have a copy of your templates, assets folder and a dump of your dB, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to restore those websites

Usually these things are bundled in with a control panel, so it’s highly likely that something else has changed.

Yes, we need to know error messages.

One thing that may make sense to do is to install a second copy of MODx in a subfolder in one of the domains - if that reports any errors during install, you’ll be able to identify areas that are likely to be causing problems for the other MODx installations.

Quote from: davidm at Sep 22, 2006, 09:39 AM

I am curious as to why they did not update to the latest 5.1.6 though...

Stablility? Being an early adopter on PHP releases doesn’t look fun - far better to let others try it out first in live environments. Also, this is a high indicator that it is a package bundle that has been installed, as these lag behind as people test the combinations of L,A,M&P.

Quote from: PaulGregory

Stablility? Being an early adopter on PHP releases doesn’t look fun - far better to let others try it out first in live environments.

A bit off topic, but even if what you say makes sense and I agree to it, I decided from day one to trust the guy who runs my server, and never had to regret it so far. He’s been a pro 15 years and running and I don’t think he would play with my sanity I asked for PHP5 and MySQL5, he installed it and upgraded it regularly. Might be MODx, but I never had a single issue so far (Expression Engine, Textpattern, ZenPhoto and UNB also running fine)... Also running MySQL 5.0.22, fine too. The only thing which needs updating is Apache (1.34). Maybe I have been lucky...

David, yes you are lucky: You have found a good guy that you have confidence in. Not all hosting companies can boast the same!

And jeric - I had a nosy at your past post to see if there was a URL I could look at. I see the last post was March! Congratulations are due on quietly running MODx on several domains for months successfully without needing to ask the community much. (Unless you have lots of foreign-language posts; I have no idea where in the world you are).

I really hope we can help you out today.

I have read literally hundreds of Modx post over the many months and solved issues on my own. If I can pinpoint the problem, I have an excellent chance of correcting the problem. In this case however, I am working with a third party (www.theplanet.com), and there are many variables outside of my direct control.

When I try and load a Modx website I get a blank page, with no error messages.
Example www.therileyfoundation.org

When I requested an upgrade to PHP 5.1.6, my host recommended an upgrade to PHP 5.04 due to compatibility with the "Plesk" control panel
which was upgraded also, from version 6.0 to version 8.01 at the same time. The new installation of the Plesk control panel appears to be functioning as normal as does PHP (Other non-Modx PHP website implementations are working).

When I try to install a new version of the Modx CMS to debug it I get no response from mySQL now, it just hangs on the test connection page.
(using "localhost" has always worked)

Other non-Modx PHP websites are working fine.
I can ping the Modx domains without issue.
A test of php-info shows that PHP 5 has been installed successfully.
The Plesk control panel is allowing me to create mySQL databases and users.

I am in contact with my host, support staff and they are trying to help me but their slow ticketing support system and hit and miss, multi-person responses makes it a slow and painful process.

I have root access to the server. Any ideas on what I should be testing next for answers?

I appreciate everyones feedback.

Eric
web admin

Site works for me. Either they’ve fixed it in the last 6 minutes, or.. if they’ve *moved* the domains from one box to another, then there may be DNS/IP issues. Although that seems unlikely from what you say... looks like it was the db connection that needed fixing.

EDIT: I think this outage underlines to all of us a benefit of running a site export regularly, so you have a static HTML site to fall back on should the db fail, while issues are resolved.

My host has resolved this issue, they haven’t given me any other information.

Quote from: PaulGregory at Sep 22, 2006, 02:43 PM

I think this outage underlines to all of us a benefit of running a site export regularly, so you have a static HTML site to fall back on should the db fail, while issues are resolved.

I couldn’t agree more!
During this entire ordeal I kept kicking myself in the pants, for NOT having a simple static HTML site to fall back on.

I’m glad I could serve as an example for disciplined and pragmatic development.

Thanks for all of the excellent feedback.

Eric