apt-get and plesk

[LaurentFr]

Hi Everybody,

First of all, sorry for my english, but as a french guy, perhaps my sentences will look "strange"

Somes informations:
My server:
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS
Release: 12.04
Codename: precise

Plesk version: 11.5.30

I searched on the internet a clear answer of this question:
Can we do an update (apt-get upgrade) of a server or not ?

I read this post: http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?262519-Ubuntu-Upgrade and the answer is "...upgrading your OS would not break plesk..." but if I do an upgrade, there is some packages, like php5 for example that must be upgrade, and as I configure plesk to also update this package, is there a risk ?

apparmor apport apt apt-transport-https apt-utils apt-xapian-index base-files curl dosfstools initramfs-tools initramfs-tools-bin
isc-dhcp-client isc-dhcp-common language-selector-common libapache2-mod-php5 libapt-inst1.4 libapt-pkg4.12 libasn1-8-heimdal
libasn1-8-heimdal:i386 libaudio2:i386 libcurl3 libcurl3:i386 libcurl3-gnutls libgnutls26 libgnutls26:i386 libgssapi3-heimdal
libgssapi3-heimdal:i386 libhcrypto4-heimdal libhcrypto4-heimdal:i386 libheimbase1-heimdal libheimbase1-heimdal:i386 libheimntlm0-heimdal
libheimntlm0-heimdal:i386 libhx509-5-heimdal libhx509-5-heimdal:i386 libkrb5-26-heimdal libkrb5-26-heimdal:i386 libpci3 libpolkit-agent-1-0
libpolkit-backend-1-0 libpolkit-gobject-1-0 libpython2.7 libroken18-heimdal libroken18-heimdal:i386 libwind0-heimdal libwind0-heimdal:i386
libx11-6 libx11-6:i386 libx11-data libx11-xcb1 libx11-xcb1:i386 linux-libc-dev lsb-base lsb-release pciutils php5 php5-cgi php5-cli
php5-common php5-curl php5-gd php5-mysql php5-sqlite php5-xsl policykit-1 python-apport python-httplib2 python-openssl python-problem-report
python2.7 python2.7-minimal rsyslog tzdata w3m

I really want to have a server up-to-date but don't want to loose everything.

In addition, what is the best command:

apt-get upgrade

or

apt-get dist-upgrade

?

Thank a lot for your future help,

Regards

 

[IgorG]

I do not recommend to use "apt-get dist-upgrade"
The best way is following - http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?262519-Ubuntu-Upgrade&p=637949&viewfull=1#post637949

 

[LaurentFr]

Hi IgorG,

thank for you answer.
So you recommend a simple "apt-get upgrade" and for you this will not cause any problem, even regarding the php5 package ?

 

[IgorG]

No. I always do not recommend to use OS package manager for upgrading OS on Plesk server due to unpredictable consequences. Use migration as I wrote in mentioned link.

 

[LaurentFr]

Hi IgorG,

If I follow your link, the Plesk Mass Transfer Script (formerly Mass Migration Script) is designed to allow providers transferring accounts from one Plesk farm to another one by an automated way.
I don't want to migrate from a server to another one, I just want to have the server up-to-date.

 

[IgorG]

I don't want to migrate from a server to another one, I just want to have the server up-to-date.

I see. Use OS update on your own risk in that case. Do not forget create full backup of server before OS update.

 

[LaurentFr]

Ok thanks IgorG

So there is no way to have a server up to date if plesk is install on it ?
I find this really strange.

Why plesk didn't propose a way to update a server ? For me it's a real lack of security because this kind of update is for me essential (or perhaps I'm wrong and I missed something ??? )

 

[IgorG]

Regarding Plesk security - http://kb.parallels.com/114620

 

[Faris Raouf]

So there is no way to have a server up to date if plesk is install on it ?
I find this really strange.

Laurent - when you do dist-upgrade, it is the Ubuntu equivalent of upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8. This is not what you want to do. What you want is to do is keep you "Windows 7" and install updates for it to keep it up to date, and not to upgrade to "Windows 8".

Why? When you do a "dist-upgrade" there will be very big changes to the OS and other standard applications. These changes can stop other applications, such as Plesk, from working.

It is the same with Windows 8. Although all your Windows 7 applications SHOULD work, some will not, especially those that make fundamental changes to configurations, or rely on the way things are done with Windows 7.

The problem with Ubuntu is that unless you choose the LTS (Long Term Support) version of Ubuntu, you will find that updates to the version you have currently installed will stop, and you will be asked to upgrade (dist-upgrade).

This is why, on a Linux server running something complicated like Plesk, you should choose an OS that offers long term support (LTS). Most commercial hosting companies will use Centos. For example for Centos 6 we will get updates until 2020!!!!

The current Ubuntu version where there is an LTS option is 12.04. This is EOL (End of Life) in 2017 which isn't bad at all.

But 12.10 and even 13.04 EOL in 2014.

All other Ubuntu versions are already EOL.

If you have an EOL version then trying to "dist-upgrade" is, as Igor says, not recommended. Things may break. Plesk may stop working. This is not what you want. It MAY work. It MAY be fine. But really it isn't recommended.

Doing a migration to a new server running a longer-supported version is really the best and safest option.

 

[LaurentFr]

Hi faris,

Thank for this precisions. I will of course keep my 12.04 LTS version to avoid any problem and to keep a support until 2017.

So if we do the comparison with windows7, when there are update for windows7, I launch the "Windows update" to have my windows7 updated.
For my server, if I do an apt-get update, I see a lots of package which need to be updated, somes for security reason, other for improvement.

So my question, is:
If I do an apt-get upgrade on a server with plesk install on it, is there a risk or not ?
If there is a risk, what is the best way to updated packages on a server ?

By the way, like I already said, I find really strange that, if we use a server with plesk, there is no way to update all the package directly through plesk, to be sure that in case of updated, there will not be conflict with plesk.

 

[FrankBech]

As far as I know it shouldn't be problem, all the necessary package for plesk will be updated, too. I would even say for security reasons u nee and should do it.

 

[Bernd_S]

As far as I know it shouldn't be problem, all the necessary package for plesk will be updated, too. I would even say for security reasons u nee and should do it.

I allways update my Ubuntu System with Plesk 11.0.9 with

apt-get update
apt-get -u -y dist-upgrade

and i had never any problems!

Bevor Plesk, i do this with Confixx, also with no problems.
Yo need Securtiy-Updates for OS, PHP, MySQL....Plesk must be able!

Nice Weekend!
bye, Bernd

 

[LaurentFr]

FrankBech, Bernd_s,

Thank a lot for yours feedback.
Indeed, there is no information on internet about this point, and it's good to have information from others users.

Well, if I summarize, you said that there is no problem to use at-get update/upgrade.
I didn't speak about apt-get dist-upgrade because I want to keep my Ubuntu 12.0.4 as it's a LTS version.

If others members have a feedback regarding this point, please don't hesitate, as I didn't find a lot of informations regarding this point on internet, especially regarding the update of packages used by plesk and also others applications.

By the way, for the Parallels team, what do you think about the idea to inclure a new option/features to allow users to update a server directly from Plesk ?
This will be, in my opinion, a good point and could facilitate the management.

 

[IgorG]

Please, use http://plesk.uservoice.com/ for feature requests. Thanks.

 

[LaurentFr]

Please, use http://plesk.uservoice.com/ for feature requests. Thanks.

Hi IgorG,

Ok, I will propose this feature, thank for the link.

For the other users, do you have any feedback or problem when you are using the apt-get update or not ?
It's just to collect other experiences

 

[LaurentFr]

Hi everybody,

I just do a little "up" to know if others have an opinion on this subject or if I am the only one to want to make updates of my server ?