Wordpress Update

Unfortunately - the default ubuntu install is a bit too broken to allow for an automated update in general.

Small updates

Can be done through with a bit of care using a script that temporarily changes the file permissions:

1. log in as admin.
2. navigate to the 'update' page. Do not press it yet.
3. run the script /usr/local/bin/wpup with 'sudo'
4. when the prompt appears -- press the update link in the browser
5. wait for the process to complete.
6. press return in the terminal to complete the process.

What this script does is fiddle a bit with permissions; temporarily allowing the neutered user apache runs as write access to the pages it serves (normally a very big `no-no'). And once complete - putting it back to something safer.

Large updates

The manual update process for simple releases is as follows:

0) Read the rel notes https://codex.wordpress.org/Version_VERSION (substitute the right version number for VERSION)

1) Consider making a backup of the database:

   umask 077
   mysqldump  --single-transaction --quick --lock-tables=false wordpress > ~/wordpress-pre-VERSION.sql

2) Fetch a recent copy from https://wordpress.org/download/releases, check, unpacked and _rename_ it:

Warning - do not do this in /usr/share - as it unpacks in wordpress rather than something version number namespaced.

   curl -O https://wordpress.org/wordpress-VERSION.tar.gz 
   openssl sha1 wordpress-VERSION.tar.gz 
   tar zxf wordpress-VERSION.tar.gz 
   sudo mv wordpress /usr/share/wordpress-VERSION

3) Get some permission sanity

   cd /usr/share
   sudo chgrp -R www-data wordpressVERSION
   sudo chmod -R o-rwx wordpress-VERSION

4) Take risk (after scanning the release notes) and copy the old config across

   sudo cp wordpress-4.9.7/wp-config.php wordpress-4.9.8

And link it in

   ln -s /usr/share/wordpress-VERSION /usr/share/wordpress

5) Test cursory and declared victory. Then let the mailing list know and ask people to be on the alert for issues.