Akeeba Backup for WordPress

Thursday, 02 June 2016 03:51 CDT

bettondesign

Hi

Whenever I try to do an automatic update of Akeeba for Wordpress I get the following error:

There was an error communicating with the update package extraction script restore.php. This usually indicates a permissions issue making this file unreadable to the web server or a server configuration (e.g. .htaccess file directives) issue blocking access to this file.

This is a pain but not really the issue. The issue is that if I download Akeeba for Wordpress and overwrite the plugin (via ftp) then this resets all of my config within Akeeba.

My question is; how can I do a non-destructive manual upgrade of Akeeba for Wordpress?

Thursday, 02 June 2016 04:05 CDT

nicholas

Yes, there is. It's written in the release notes (click on More information). Please let me copy it here for you.

Due to changes in the packaging format and / or issues in the updater, you cannot update automatically from Akeeba Backup for WordPress versions 1.0 through 1.8.2 (inclusive) to version 1.9.0 and beyond. You will have to do that manually.

Heads up! You must NOT uninstall or deactivate the plugin before the update. Doing so may result in loss of your backup settings and / or your backup archives. Instead, here's what to do:

Download the ZIP file for Akeeba Backup for WordPress 1.9 and extract it locally. You will see an extracted folder named akeebabackupwp.
Upload the files from the extracted akeebabackupwp folder into your site's wp-content/plugins/akeebabackupwp folder, overwriting your existing files, using FTP or SFTP. Please note that the name of the folder on your site may be different than akeebabackupwp, e.g. akeebabackupwpcore, akeebabackupwp (1) or something similar. It depends on how you installed the plugin.
Log in to WordPress' wp-admin and access Akeeba Backup for WordPress to automatically complete the update process. There is no message when the process completes. You just see the main page of Akeeba Backup for WordPress (this means the update succeeded).
You will only need to do this once, upgrading to version 1.9 or later for the first time.

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

Thursday, 02 June 2016 04:28 CDT

bettondesign

Hi Nicholas

Thank you for your reply. I have done exactly as you described and this has still wiped my configuration. I now have to re-add my download ID, run the configuration wizard and set up Amazon S3 post processing.

Is there no way in which I can do this that doesn't delete my config? If this was only one site then it wouldn't matter but I have to do this on multiple Wordpress websites.

Thursday, 02 June 2016 04:48 CDT

nicholas

Are you using a Mac? This would explain the issue. A Mac will, by default, wipe out the entire existing folder before uploading the new one. This also deletes the all important wp-content/plugins/akeebabackupwp/app/Solo/engine/secretkey.php file which holds the encryption key for your settings. When this file is deleted a new one is created. Since the encryption key changes all your settings are removed.

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

Thursday, 02 June 2016 04:52 CDT

bettondesign

Hi Nicholas

Yes, I am using a Mac. If I were to overwrite all files except wp-content/plugins/akeebabackupwp/app/Solo/engine/secretkey.php then would everything be OK or is the only viable option to use a Windows Machine?

Thursday, 02 June 2016 05:10 CDT

nicholas

You can always copy that file somewhere safe before the update and then copy it back after uploading the updated files.

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

Thursday, 02 June 2016 05:25 CDT

bettondesign

Hi Nicholas

Thanks for your reply. I did just that and I had to re-enter my download ID but the config was untouched which is fine with me.

Thanks again.

Support