Moodle Updater v1.1

Automated Moodle update script with comprehensive backup, security checks, and maintenance mode handling.

Features

• Automated Updates: Download and install any Moodle version from GitHub releases
• Stable/Dev Resolution: Stable versions use vX.Y.Z tags; unreleased/dev targets require --allow-unstable
• Smart Backup System: Automatic backup of code, database, and critical data
• PHP Compatibility: Automatic PHP version checking and upgrade support
• Non-interactive Runs: --yes supports unattended runs after pre-flight validation
• Public Webroot Handling: Updates Apache/Nginx roots to Moodle public/ when needed
• Version Validation: Prevents downgrades and validates target versions
• Maintenance Mode: Automatic maintenance mode during updates
• Database Support: MySQL, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL backup support
• Security Focused: Proper permissions and security hardening
• Progress Tracking: Real-time progress with colored output
• Web Server Integration: Automatic web server restart after updates

Requirements

• Operating System: Ubuntu/Debian (preferred), CentOS/RHEL compatible
• Privileges: Root access (sudo) required
• PHP: Version compatible with the target Moodle release. Moodle 5.2+ requires PHP 8.3+
• Database: MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL
• Web Server: Apache2 or Nginx
• Tools: curl, tar, sed, grep, systemctl

Installation

Quick Install

# Download directly from GitHub
curl -o updater.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/EverHype-Systems/moodle-update/main/updater.sh
chmod +x updater.sh

Clone Repository

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/EverHype-Systems/moodle-update.git
cd moodle-update
chmod +x updater.sh

Verify Download

# Check script integrity
sha256sum updater.sh
# Compare with hash from GitHub releases

Usage

Basic Usage

# Interactive mode - will prompt for version
sudo ./updater.sh /var/www/html/moodle /var/www/moodledata

# Specify target version
sudo ./updater.sh /var/www/html/moodle /var/www/moodledata 5.2.0

# Update to latest available version
sudo ./updater.sh /var/www/html/moodle /var/www/moodledata latest

# Non-interactive run, only when all requirements already pass
sudo ./updater.sh --yes /var/www/html/moodle /var/www/moodledata latest

# Permit unattended PHP/database package changes as well
sudo ./updater.sh --yes --allow-system-changes /var/www/html/moodle /var/www/moodledata 5.2.0

# Install an unreleased/dev target such as 5.3dev from main (staging only)
sudo ./updater.sh --allow-unstable /var/www/html/moodle /var/www/moodledata 5.3

Options

-y, --yes                 Run non-interactively and answer yes to updater prompts
    --allow-unstable      Allow beta, RC, or dev targets such as 5.3dev
    --allow-system-changes
                          Permit unattended PHP/database package upgrades with --yes
    --skip-webroot-update Do not update Apache/Nginx DocumentRoot to /public
    --no-restart          Do not restart Apache/Nginx at the end

Examples

Standard Moodle Installation:

sudo ./updater.sh /var/www/html/moodle /var/www/moodledata

Custom Paths:

sudo ./updater.sh /opt/moodle /opt/moodledata 4.4.2

Development/Testing Environment:

sudo ./updater.sh --allow-unstable /home/user/moodle /home/user/moodledata 5.3

Directory Structure

The script expects the following structure:

/var/www/html/moodle/          # Moodle code directory
├── admin/                     # Moodle admin directory
├── config.php                 # Moodle configuration
├── version.php                # Version information
└── ...                        # Other Moodle files

/var/www/moodledata/           # Moodle data directory
├── cache/                     # Cache files
├── sessions/                  # Session data
├── temp/                      # Temporary files
└── ...                        # Other data files

Security Features

Backup System

• Automatic Backups: Created before any changes
• Multiple Backup Types: Code, database, and configuration
• Timestamp Naming: Easy identification of backup versions
• Safe Location: Stored in /tmp/moodle_backup_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS/

Permission Management

• Secure Defaults: Proper file and directory permissions
• Web Server User: Automatic detection of web server user (www-data, apache, nginx)
• Config Protection: Secured config.php with restricted access
• Maintenance Mode: Automatic activation during updates

Version Validation

• Downgrade Prevention: Blocks dangerous downgrades
• PHP Compatibility: Validates PHP version requirements
• Version Comparison: Intelligent semantic version comparison

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Permission Denied:

# Ensure script has execute permissions
chmod +x updater.sh

# Run with sudo
sudo ./updater.sh [paths]

PHP Version Too Old:

# Script will prompt to auto-upgrade PHP
# Or manually upgrade PHP first:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install php8.3

Download Failures:

# Check internet connection
curl -I https://github.com

# Verify GitHub access
curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/moodle/moodle/tags | head

Moodle 5.3 Is Not Listed As Stable:

# Moodle 5.3 is currently resolved from the main branch as 5.3dev.
# Use this only in staging/testing:
sudo ./updater.sh --allow-unstable /var/www/html/moodle /var/www/moodledata 5.3

Moodle 5.1+ Shows The Wrong Web Directory:

# Moodle now ships a public/ webroot. The updater attempts to update Apache/Nginx.
# If skipped or not detected, set your site root manually to:
/var/www/html/moodle/public

Database Backup Issues:

# Ensure database tools are installed
sudo apt-get install mysql-client    # For MySQL/MariaDB
sudo apt-get install postgresql-client  # For PostgreSQL

# Verify database credentials in config.php

Debug Mode

The script automatically enables debug mode during updates. To manually enable:

// In config.php
$CFG->debug = 32767;
$CFG->debugdisplay = 1;

Log Files

Check these locations for detailed error information:

• Web server logs: /var/log/apache2/error.log or /var/log/nginx/error.log
• PHP logs: /var/log/php/error.log
• Moodle logs: Via Admin → Reports → Logs in Moodle interface

Update Process Flow

1. Pre-flight Checks

   • Validate paths and permissions
   • Check current Moodle version
   • Verify PHP compatibility
   • Fetch available versions

2. Backup Phase

   • Create timestamped backup directory
   • Backup Moodle code
   • Backup database
   • Backup configuration files

3. Maintenance Mode

   • Enable maintenance mode
   • Display maintenance message to users

4. Update Phase

   • Download target Moodle version
   • Extract and install new files
   • Preserve existing configuration
   • Set proper permissions

5. Upgrade Process

   • Run Moodle CLI upgrade script
   • Update database schema
   • Clear caches

6. Finalization

   • Disable maintenance mode
   • Restart web server
   • Verify installation
   • Display success status

Recovery Process

If an update fails, recovery steps:

1. Automatic Recovery:

   # Restore from automatic backup
   BACKUP_DIR="/tmp/moodle_backup_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS"
   sudo cp -r $BACKUP_DIR/moodle_code/* /var/www/html/moodle/
   sudo cp $BACKUP_DIR/config.php.backup /var/www/html/moodle/config.php

2. Database Recovery:

   # Restore database from backup
   mysql -u username -p database_name < $BACKUP_DIR/database_backup.sql

3. Manual Maintenance Mode Disable:

   # If maintenance mode is stuck
   sudo sed -i '/maintenance_enabled.*true/d' /var/www/html/moodle/config.php

Advanced Configuration

Custom PHP Paths

# If PHP is in non-standard location
export PATH="/opt/php8.3/bin:$PATH"
./updater.sh [paths]

Custom Web Server User

# The script auto-detects, but you can modify the script:
# Edit line: WEB_USER="${3:-www-data}"
# Change www-data to your web server user

Firewall Considerations

# Ensure outbound HTTPS is allowed
sudo ufw allow out 443
sudo ufw allow out 80

Support

Before Seeking Help

1. Check Requirements: Ensure all prerequisites are met
2. Review Logs: Check web server and PHP error logs
3. Test Manually: Verify Moodle works after update
4. Backup Status: Confirm backups were created successfully

Getting Help

• GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features
• GitHub Discussions: Community support and questions
• Moodle Community: moodle.org/support
• Documentation: docs.moodle.org

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

Reporting Issues

When reporting issues, include:

• Operating system and version
• Current Moodle version
• Target Moodle version
• PHP version
• Error messages
• Relevant log excerpts

Security Notice

Important Security Considerations:

• Always test updates in a staging environment first
• Ensure you have complete system backups before major updates
• Review Moodle security announcements before updating
• Keep PHP and web server software updated
• Monitor file permissions after updates
• Verify database integrity after updates

License

This script is provided as-is for educational and operational purposes. Use at your own risk and always maintain proper backups.

Changelog

v1.1 (Current)

• Fixed Moodle 5.1+ public/ webroot handling
• Added explicit stable/dev target resolution for versions such as 5.3dev
• Fixed database backup config parsing by defining CLI_SCRIPT
• Fixed polluted backup path output during command substitution
• Updated PHP requirements for Moodle 5.2+
• Added --yes, --allow-unstable, --allow-system-changes, and restart/webroot controls

v1.0

• Initial release
• Automated Moodle updates with backup
• PHP compatibility checking
• Database backup support
• Maintenance mode handling
• Multi-platform support
• Comprehensive error handling

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Happy Updating!

For the latest version and updates, visit: https://github.com/EverHype-Systems/moodle-update