Upgrading dotCMS

Need to upgrade dotCMS from an older version?  The process is pretty simple, here is a short snippet from dotCMS’s documentation WIKI.

Upgrading dotCMS

1. Backup your dotCMS directory and database. (I’ve had several upgrades fail and ruin a db, please make sure and back everything up)

2. Download the latest dotCMS and unzip it. (I experienced better results from using the latest “trunk” in svn and compiling then I did with releases zip from their site)

3. Copy your older dotCMS/assets directory to the newer dotCMS-Root /dotCMS/
Note: If you have changed where your assets live use your altered assets directory.

4. If you have changed velocity files or jsps on the filesystem you will also need to move them.  If you don’t
know what these are then you probably haven’t.

Note: If you have changed any language properties copy the file under /common/ext-ejb/content/*

Note: From a version prior to 1.7a you need to move your reports directory also.
5. Change new instance database settings.
Uncomment the database you are using in the config (/dotcms/tomcat/conf/Catalina/localhost/ROOT.xml).

You will need to update the last part of the URL to your database name along with username:password.
The following is an example of a postgres config pointing to a database named dotcms

<!– POSTGRESQL –>
<Resource name=”jdbc/dotCMSPool” auth=”Container”
type=”javax.sql.DataSource” driverClassName=”org.postgresql.Driver”
url=”jdbc:postgresql://127.0.0.1/dotcms”
username=”postgres” password=”xxxxx” maxActive=”50″ maxIdle=”10″ maxWait=”-1″
removeAbandoned=”true” removeAbandonedTimeout=”60″ logAbandoned=”true”/>

6. Check your setting in conf/server.xml are correct.
This file is all new. Make sure that ip, ports, settings and ssl are all configured
correctly (configuring Tomcat is outside the scope of this document).
By default dotCMS will automatically run on localhost. If you need
the dotCMS to run on a particular IP address, edit the ./conf/server.xml file and search
the connector and server tags and add the address property on both. E.G.

<Server address=”208.250.1.102″ port=”8005″ shutdown=”SHUTDOWN” debug=”0″>
…
<Resource name=”jdbc/dotCMSPool” auth=”Container”
type=”javax.sql.DataSource” driverClassName=”org.postgresql.Driver”
url=”jdbc:postgresql://localhost/dotcms”
username=”postgres” password=”xxxxx” maxActive=”60″ maxIdle=”10″ maxWait=”60000″
removeAbandoned=”true” removeAbandonedTimeout=”60″ logAbandoned=”true”
testOnBorrow=”true” validationQuery=”SELECT 1″/>

7. If you are on a UNIX box, change the /bin scripts permissions,
add execution permission to *.sh in the bin dir.
> cd /wwwroot/test.dotcms.org/bin
> chmod 755 *.sh

8. Start your dotCMS using bin/startup.bat or bin/startup.sh depending on whether on UNIX or Windows.

9. Log into the dotCMS as an admin and goto CMS Maintenance usually under CMS Admin tab and do the following.
1. Execute Fix Asset Inconsistencies
2. Reindex all structures (very important, if you do not, then don’t be surprised if your hosts POOF disappear!)

Conclusion

All in all the process is pretty simple.  If you’re paying for a non CE version of DotCMS then they can simply upgrade you with a WAR file which in essence is just the new compile sources and once ran by your container (tomcat, GlassFish, etc) then it will perform upgrade tasks to the db and else where.  It’s fairly straight forward, but for those of you trying to save some dough this manual process is all you have at your disposal.

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