2.1.2 update error on "LARGE upgrade"

[SMiFFER]

Updating from 2.0.17, therefore a large update here.

Downloaded the "Large upgrade"
from https://download.simplemachines.org

Downloaded that twice to make sure the archive is correct.
Both files were the same
C5E88B6286792600510837B5DBCC4A0E (MD5) in 3013173 bytes on  .\smf_2-1-2_upgrade.tar.gz

Then I tried to upload that file to my forum in Administration Center » Package Manager » Download Packages

After some waiting, I get this error:

An Error Has Occurred!
Package upload failed due to the following error:
"Although the package was downloaded to the server it appears to be empty. Please check the Packages directory, and the "temp" sub-directory are both writable. If you continue to experience this problem you should try extracting the package on your PC and uploading the extracted files into a subdirectory in your Packages directory and try again. For example, if the package was called shout.tar.gz you should:
1) Download the package to your local PC and extract it into files.
2) Using an FTP client create a new directory in your "Packages" folder, in this example you may call it "shout".
3) Upload all the files from the extracted package to this directory.
4) Go back to the package manager browse page and the package will be automatically found by SMF."

How does it come that my forum thinks the file is empty when it is not?

GRRR, so I unpacked that archive and uploaded the smf_2-1-2_upgrade.tar and now I get

An Error Has Occurred!
The package manager currently allows only these file types: zip, tgz, tar.gz.

WHAT??? And for that I had to wait so long?

Summary: This is plain stooopid!
If I use the tar.gz it tells me the archive is empty.
If I use the tar it tells me if can only use tar.gz

[Illori]

take a look at https://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Upgrading

[Arantor]

Specifically, you can't apply the Large Upgrade package through the package manager because it's not a package designed for the package manager. And even if it was, it would fail on almost everything.

[geminiman]

smiffer if you want to install just the update package your package manager should show you the various updates available . you MAY have to go up one version at a time till you reach the current latest version . but the guys here know far far better than me , so if they say you can go straight to smf 2.1.2 please refer to their instruction .


if you want to do a large upgrade , in essence you are putting in a clean file set . to do that upload the large upgrade.zip file to the root folder of your site . that is on your host and this is what i do , open cpanel , you need to go to file manager , then you need to go to public_html and then open the folder that contains  the smf files for your site .

then upload the large upgrade.zip file to that location .

when i do it i first delete sources and themes folders , now the guys her may tell you to do otherwise . if they do then please refer to their instruction in that matter .

then click on the large upgrade file to highlight it , next you should have an option there onscreen (probably near the top of screen ) to extract . click on that . that extracts all the files . sources and themes folders will return .

you MAY not need to run the upgrade.php tool , but as you are upgrading up a versions if it was me i would do it .

to run the tool just copy and paste your site url to your browser , example

https://www.simplemachines.org/

and then just after the forward slash type in upgrade.php

the tool should run , it goes through a few stages where it asks you to click on continue . it puts your site in maintenance mode . you can exit maintenance mode via your sites admin panel when the process is complete . or you can run the repair_settings.php tool and do it that way . you will have to upload the repair_settings.php file from smf forum to the root folder as above . that tool can also help you fix issues with your site . HOWEVER when you are done delete it from your root folder . the same applies to upgrade.php and all upgrade files that smf 2.1.2 put in your root folder .

if you just install update packages your site will just update and SHOULD be the same after update with the exception that your NON DEFAULT installed themes and mods will be uninstalled . so if you go the large upgrade route you will have to reinstall them. just be aware that older mods / themes may not be suitable for use on smf 2.1.2

[Arantor]

If you're going from 2.0 to 2.1 you *definitely* need to run upgrade.php. I think you probably do as well coming from any 2.1 RC to 2.1.2.

It should be safe to run upgrade.php regardless though.

[SMiFFER]

Yes, I understand. And thanks to Arantor for your quickly sharing the knowledge.
Also many thanks to geminiman for your time!

My reasoning was:
- I am running 2.0.17
- updating it does not work because some mod is in the way, that is why the small update is not executed at all (shows list of red error msgs)
- so "you MAY have to go up one version at a time till you reach the current latest version" was not doable without a lot of manual work anyway
- I wanted to start 2.1 clean anyway, so a large update was recommended, quote: " Upgrading from an earlier branch (SMF 2.1.1 or below)? No problem, this is what you need. This archive will upgrade/reset your forum to a clean install of the latest version and will remove all modifications."

But if all this is not as automatic as I thought (for what reason anyhow), I could as well reinstall from scratch...both will result in me having to reinstall all the mods anyway, will it not?

Last questions:

1. Since I must manually upload the files again because the package manager cannot handle the recommended update file as discussed before, what is the difference for me doing
- pumping up the files of a large update and then running it or
- pumping up the files of a fresh install and running that?
Both will wipe my mods and give me a clean basic 2.1 to restart from scratch or not? I honestly do not see the sense of the large update for my case here.

2. Why is that important fact not explained or at least mentioned on https://download.simplemachines.org
I suggest that be done.
Just like (*) You can not run the large update through the package manager.

[@rjen]

If you use the full install it will overwrite your settings file with the database login.

That's the only diference between Large upgrade (that will 'hold' the existing database settings) and Full install (that will start with a new database)

[Doug Heffernan]

Why is that important fact not explained or at least mentioned on https://download.simplemachines.org
I suggest that be done.

It is mentioned here.

Upgrading SMF

Since I must manually upload the files again because the package manager cannot handle the recommended update file as discussed before, what is the difference for me doing
- pumping up the files of a large update and then running it or
- pumping up the files of a fresh install and running that?
Both will wipe my mods and give me a clean basic 2.1 to restart from scratch or not? I honestly do not see the sense of the large update for my case here.

The difference is self explanatory imo. The full install package is to be used for a fresh install only and should not be used to upgrade a forum. The large upgrade should be used when one updates/upgrades their forum.

For a more detailed info on upgrading the forum, please see the Upgrading Smf link I posted above. Hope it helps.

[Arantor]

The reason for the package manager not doing large upgrades is because the package manager is really a "manage the list of find/replaces needed to get from one version to the next". But the scale of changes in 2.1 is so huge it would break the package manager trying to do it.

I know, I actually tried it one time during 2.1 beta for a laugh.

As for version jumping, it is an interesting question because it was often recommended for 1.1 to 2.0 to get to the last 1.1 version *then* make the jump to 2.0, though I never really understood why this was recommended so heavily - as long as you were on I think 1.1.11 or higher (definitely after 1.1.9 but I think there was another DB change in 1.1.11) it shouldn't have made any difference.

In theory the upgrader should work out what version you're on and upgrade you to current, all the way back from YaBBSE through 1.0 through 1.1 and through 2.0.

In this case you should be absolutely fine going 2.0.17 to 2.1.2 in a single jump as any code changes will just be overwritten entirely.

There are some known mods that have caused problems if previously installed - 2sichat is one of them.