47.9. Upgrading Usermin
Even though Usermin can be upgraded by installing the latest RPM or tar.gz package from the command line, this module can do the job for you with even less effort. The program can be upgraded from a package that you have downloaded from a URL somewhere or directly from the www.usermin.com site. In all cases, the upgrade must be made using the same type of package from which Usermin is currently installed. This means that if you originally installed the RPM package, you must upgrade with an RPM as well.
The easiest way to upgrade is to have Webmin check for and download the latest version directly from the Usermin site. This ensures that the right kind of package will be used and that nothing will be done if you are already running the latest stable release.
To upgrade using any of the above methods, follow these steps:
1. | |
2. | The Upgrade Usermin form is very similar to the form for installing modules, as explained in Section 47.7 “Installing Usermin Modules”. Select either From local file if the new package is already on your server system, From uploaded file if it is on the PC on which your web browser is running, or From ftp or http URL to have the package downloaded from some URL. The easiest option is to choose Latest version from www.usermin.com to have the appropriate package automatically downloaded. |
3. | If Usermin on your system was installed from the tar.gz file, the Delete old version's directory after upgrade? box can be checked to have the old version removed after the new one is installed. Unless you want to be able to revert to the old release, this option should be enabled to save on disk space. It does not appear at all for RPM installs, as the RPM package always installs in the same directory. |
4. | Hit the Upgrade Usermin button to begin the upgrade. A page showing the download progress (if necessary) and output from the new version's setup.sh script will be displayed. |
The upgrade process will preserve all global and user settings, and should not even be noticeable by users currently accessing your Usermin server. If you originally installed the program from the tar.gz package, the new version will be installed in the directory next to the old one. For example, if Usermin 1.020 was in /usr/local/usermin-1.020 and you upgrade to version 1.030, it will be installed in /usr/local/usermin-1.030, and the old directory deleted if the Delete old version's directory after upgrade? option was enabled.
Also on the upgrade page are forms for installing updated modules for Usermin from www.usermin.com, and for having such updates installed automatically. Occasionally, a bug is found in the latest version of the program, and an updated module that fixes the problem is made available at www.usermin.com/uupdates.html for administrators to download and install. Instead of checking manually, you can use this Usermin module to find and install needed updates.
Because this feature is identical to one for installing updates to Webmin, it is not covered in this chapter. Instead, see Section 51.13 “Upgrading Webmin” for details on how to use it. The instructions in that chapter that apply to the Webmin Configuration module can also be used in this module as well.