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How to perform dist-upgrade procedure on Linux server with Plesk?

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Benjamin Weßel
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Plesk for Linux kb: technical ABT: Group A Plesk Obsidian for Linux

Applicable to:

  • Plesk Obsidian for Linux
  • Plesk for Linux

How to perform a dist-upgrade?

Warning: The dist-upgrade procedure is complex, hence you may want to consider migration instead as can be seen here: Plesk Migration and Transfer Guide

Warning: The dist-upgrade procedure can not be performed in a containerized environment. If this is not known, contact the server provider in order to know if the server or the environment is a container

Warning: For servers running Plesk versions below 18.0.35, always use Plesk-Archive repository in sources.list file by replacing "autoinstall.plesk.com" with "autoinstall-archives.plesk.com" in the following instructions

The dist-upgrade procedure is supported in Plesk as per the following versions:

Supported for Plesk version
Ubuntu 18 > Ubuntu 20 Plesk Obsidian 18.0.33 and above
Ubuntu 16 > Ubuntu 18 Plesk Obsidian 18.0.30 and above
Debian 10 > Debian 11 Plesk Obsidian 18.0.42 and above
Debian 9 > Debian 10 Plesk Obsidian 18.0.30 and above

If you have never performed dist-upgrade before, it is recommended to test it first as follows:

  • Install the previous version of OS on a test server or inside a virtual machine. Upgrade it using instructions provided in the documentation by the OS vendor:

    Debian 9 to Debian 10

    Ubuntu 16 to Ubuntu 18

    Ubuntu 18 to Ubuntu 20

  • Solve all potential problems and make sure that Plesk is working after the upgrade. Only after that run the upgrade on the production server.

If you want or need Plesk to assist on this task or to do it on your behalf, it can be requested to Plesk Professional Services team here: Plesk Professional Services: Administrative Services

Ubuntu distributions

Dist-upgrade from Ubuntu 16 to Ubuntu 18

Note: Ubuntu 16 by default has MySQL 5.7 installed, as a result of dist-upgrade it will remain intact and won't be replaced with MariaDB.

Preparing server for upgrade

  1. Create a full server backup. Before the upgrade, make a full server backup (which includes a full backup of all the databases). Also, notify the customers about upcoming downtime of one to three hours.

  2. Remote management module must be installed on the server so that it can still be managed if sshd service cannot be started. Like KVM over IP or IPMI. (This is because, in some tests, sshd service could not be started during the process)

  3. Update the current system to the latest available versions:

    # apt-get update && apt-get upgrade

  4. Add to the mariadb config file /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnf the string innodb_fast_shutdown=0 in the [mysqld] section. In case MySQL is installed, add the string into /etc/mysql/my.cnf in the [mysqld] section.

  5. Restart the DB server to apply changes:

    # systemctl restart mariadb || systemctl restart mysql || systemctl restart mysqld

  6. Remove packages that are no longer supported:

    # apt-get remove samba-common samba-libs samba-vfs-modules

  7. Remove Plesk components that are no longer supported or can break the upgrade:

    Note: Only the bold marked components and packages may be installed back later on this guide

    # apt-get remove psa-watchdog plesk-php52* plesk-php53* plesk-php54* plesk-php55* plesk-php56* plesk-php70* psa-spamassassin docker*

Performing the dist-upgrade

  1. Update source.list file and configure the repository for the OS release that is going to upgrade to, in this case to bionic

    # cat /etc/apt/sources.list
    deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic main restricted universe
    deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates main restricted universe
    deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security main restricted universe multiverse
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PSA_18.0.37/ bionic all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/ubuntu/PHP70_17 bionic all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PHP71_17/ bionic all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PHP72_17/ bionic all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PHP73_17/ bionic all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PHP74_17/ bionic all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/debian/SITEBUILDER_17.8.12 all all
    deb [arch=amd64] http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PMM_0.1.11 bionic all
    deb [arch=amd64] http://autoinstall.plesk.com/NODE_0.0.2 all all
    deb https://packages.grafana.com/oss/deb stable main
    deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu bionic stable

    Note: The example above is for an installed version of Plesk Obsidian 18.0.37. The correct link for each installed version must be modified accordingly. "sources.list" should be replaced with the contents presented above in the article. Only the highlighted line is to be updated/edited.


    For example: http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PSA_x.y.z/ 

    Whereas the version x.y.z is the current Plesk installed version, which can be found in the output of the command:

    # plesk -v

  2. Update the repositories:

    # apt-get update

  3. Upgrade the kernel:

    # apt-get install linux-generic

  4. Remove from the mariadb config file /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnf the string innodb_fast_shutdown=0 in the [mysqld] section, added at the beginning of this process.

  5. Reboot the server

    # reboot

  6. Update dpkg package:

    # apt-get install dpkg

  7. Update apt package:

    # apt-get install apt

  8. Upgrade all possible packages:

    # apt-get upgrade

  9. When prompted, choose to keep local version config installed for:

    • /opt/psa/etc/apparmor.d/usr.lib.dovecot.dovecot-lda

    • /etc/awstats/awstats.conf

  10. Execute the dist-upgrade process:

    # apt-get dist-upgrade

  11. When prompted, keep the previous version of /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

    Warning: after this operation, apache2 may not start due to problems with http_proxy module.

    1. Disable it by removing file /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/proxy_http.load

      # rm /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/proxy_http.load

    2. Start apache:

      # systemctl start apache2.service

  12. When prompted, keep the local version currently installed for the config files below:

    • /usr/share/rsyslog/50-default.conf

    • /etc/cron.daily/spamassassin

    • /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

    • /etc/pam.d/common-*

    • /etc/rsyslog.d/50-default.conf

    • /usr/share/psa-roundcube/config/config.inc.php

    • /etc/pam.d/common-*

  13. It is safe to install the maintainer's version for the configuration files below when prompted:

    • /etc/apparmor.d/*

    • /etc/ssh/sshd_config

  14. Reboot the server.

    # reboot

  15. Check that Plesk and all its services are working.

Dist-upgrade from Ubuntu 18 to Ubuntu 20

Warning: The dist-upgrade process from Ubuntu 18.04 to Ubuntu 20.04 is supported by Plesk Obsidian 18.0.33 version.

Warning: The dist-upgrade process from Ubuntu 18.04 to Ubuntu 20.04 is supported with MariaDB scenario only.

Preparing server for upgrade

  1. Create a full server backup. Before the upgrade, make a full server backup (which includes a full backup of all the databases). Also, notify the customers about upcoming downtime of one to three hours.

  2. Remote management module must be installed on the server (This is because, in some tests, sshd service could not be started during the process)

  3. Connect and perform the process connected as root or by using the # su - or # sudo su -command.

  4. Uninstall unsupported components like PHP below 7.0, Watchdog (Ubuntu users only)... It can be done through Plesk installer.

    Note: More information can be found here: Software Requirements for Plesk Obsidian

  5. Temporary install msmtp component instead of Postfix. It can be done through Plesk installer or by using the command:

    # plesk installer add --components msmtp

  6. Add to the mariadb config file /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnf the string innodb_fast_shutdown=0 in the [mysqld] section. In case MySQL is installed, add the string into /etc/mysql/my.cnf in the [mysqld] section.

  7. Restart the DB server to apply changes:

    # systemctl restart mariadb || systemctl restart mysql || systemctl restart mysqld

  8. Make sure that   update-manager-core package is installed:

    # apt-get install update-manager-core

  9. Update the current system to the latest available versions:

    # apt-get update && apt-get upgrade

  10. Remove all plesk-related repos from /etc/apt/sources.list.d/. For example, you can archive them by removing originals using the next command:

    # tar -cvf ~apt-sources.tar /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plesk* --remove-files

  11. Stop grafana service:

    # systemctl stop grafana-server.service

Performing the dist-upgrade

  1. Update source.list file and configure the repository for the OS release that is going to upgrade to :

    # cat /etc/apt/sources.list
    deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal main restricted universe
    deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-updates main restricted universe
    deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-security main restricted universe
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PSA_18.0.37/ focal all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/pool/PHP_7.1.33_96 focal all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/pool/PHP_7.2.34_150 focal all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PHP73_17/ focal all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PHP74_17/ focal all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PHP80_17/ focal all
    deb https://packages.grafana.com/oss/deb stable main
    deb [arch=amd64] http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PMM_0.1.11 focal all
    deb [arch=amd64] http://autoinstall.plesk.com/NODE_0.0.2 all all
    deb [arch=amd64] http://autoinstall.plesk.com/RUBY_0.0.2 focal all

    Note: The example above is for an installed version of Plesk Obsidian 18.0.37. The correct link for each installed version must be modified accordingly. "sources.list" should be replaced with the contents presented above in the article. Only the highlighted line is to be updated/edited.


    For example: http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PSA_x.y.z/ 

    Whereas the version x.y.z is the current Plesk installed version, which can be found in the output of the command:

    # plesk -v

  2. Update the repositories:

    # apt-get update

  3. Upgrade the kernel:

    # apt-get install linux-generic

  4. Update MariaDB to the next major version provided by the vendor:

    # apt-get install mariadb-server-10.3

    In case MySQL installed, update it to the next major version provided by the vendor

    # apt-get install mysql-server-5.7

  5. Remove from the mariadb config file /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnf the string innodb_fast_shutdown=0 in the [mysqld] section, added at the beginning of this process. In case MySQL is installed, remove the string from /etc/mysql/my.cnf in the [mysqld] section.

  6. Install udev package:

    # apt-get install udev

    Warning: The udev package installation may fail on Ubuntu systems which may be needed to be solved manually. If that is the case, the following should be checked and applied:

    1. At line 26 in the /lib/systemd/system/systemd-udevd.service file, the following string should be changed:

    2. From:

      CONFIG_TEXT: ExecReload=udevadm control --reload --timeout 0

    3. To:

      CONFIG_TEXT: ExecReload=/bin/udevadm control --reload --timeout 0

    4. And execute the following command:

      # apt-get -f install

  7. Install Systemd package:

    # apt-get install systemd

  8. Reboot the server to the new kernel:

    # shutdown -r now

    Note: This will help to avoid problems with services that already loaded old libc6/libstdc libraries

    Warning: MariaDB/MySQL won't start till the reboot is performed.

  9. Remove packages that were installed by dependencies and not needed anymore:

    # apt-get autoremove

  10. Upgrade packages:

    # apt-get upgrade

    Note: If prompted, choose "latest" for LXD if this is unknown.

    Note: When prompted, you should keep the previous version of Spamassassin configuration file.

  11. Remove packages that were installed by dependencies and not needed anymore:

    # apt-get autoremove

  12. Execute the dist-upgrade command:

    # apt-get dist-upgrade

    Note: At this point, plesk-mail-pc-driver, postfix, drweb, kav packages will be removed because there is already a vendor's Postfix that will be used in Ubuntu 20 (which version is lower that the psa-postfix installed in Ubuntu 18)

  13. Remove packages that were installed by dependencies and not needed anymore:

    # apt-get autoremove

  14. Update Plesk to the next available version finishing the dist-upgrade process:

    # plesk installer update

  15. Fix the Bind DNS server defaults file:

    # cp /etc/default/bind9 /etc/default/named

  16. Check that all the Plesk components are installed and if not (Like for example in case there were components uninstalled like the ones in the dist upgrade step), select and re-install them again through the plesk installer along with Postfix which was replaced by msmtp at the beginning:

    # plesk installer

  17. Reboot the server:

    # shutdown -r now

  18. Check that Plesk and all its services are working.

Debian distributions

Dist-upgrade from Debian 9 to Debian 10

Warning: dist-upgrade from Debian 9 to Debian 10 is supported by Plesk Obsidian 18.0.30 version.

Warning: The dist-upgrade process from Debian 9 to Debian 10 is supported with MariaDB scenario only.

Warning: Due to mail server being temporarily uninstalled for the time of upgrade, some settings, i.e. maximum message size, can be reset.

Preparing server for upgrade

  1. Create a full server backup. Before the upgrade, make a full server backup. Also, notify the customers about upcoming downtime of one to three hours.

  2. Connect and perform the process connected as root or by using the # su - or # sudo su -command.

  3. Uninstall unsupported components like docker, PHP below 7.0... (It can be done through Plesk installer).

    Note: More information can be found here: Software Requirements for Plesk Obsidian

  4. Temporary install msmtp component instead of Postfix. It can be done through Plesk installer or by using the command:

    # plesk installer add --components msmtp

  5. Add to the mariadb/mysql config file (Usually /etc/mysql/my.cnf) the string innodb_fast_shutdown=0 in the [mysqld] section.

  6. Restart the DB server to apply changes:

    # systemctl stop mariadb.service ; systemctl start mariadb.service

  7. Update the current system to the latest available versions:

    # apt-get update && apt-get upgrade

  8. Remove all plesk-related repos from /etc/apt/sources.list.d/. For example, you can archive them by removing originals using the next command:

    # tar -cvf ~apt-sources.tar /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plesk* --remove-files

  9. Stop grafana service:

    # systemctl stop grafana-server.service

Performing the dist-upgrade

  1. Update source.list file and configure the repository for the OS release that is going to upgrade to:

    # cat /etc/apt/sources.list
    deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security buster/updates main contrib non-free
    deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ buster-updates main contrib non-free
    deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ buster main contrib non-free
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PSA_18.0.37/ buster all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/debian/SITEBUILDER_17.8.12 all all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PHP71_17/ buster all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PHP72_17/ buster all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PHP73_17/ buster all
    deb http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PHP74_17/ buster all
    deb https://packages.grafana.com/oss/deb stable main
    deb [arch=amd64] http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PMM_0.1.11 buster all
    deb [arch=amd64] http://autoinstall.plesk.com/NODE_0.0.2 all all
    deb [arch=amd64] http://autoinstall.plesk.com/RUBY_0.0.2 buster all

    Note: The example above is for an installed version of Plesk Obsidian 18.0.37. The correct link for each installed version must be modified accordingly.
    "sources.list" should be replaced with the contents presented above in the article. Only the highlighted line is to be updated/edited


    For example: http://autoinstall.plesk.com/PSA_x.y.z/ 

    Whereas the version x.y.z is the current Plesk installed version, which can be found in the output of the command:

    # plesk -v

  2. Update the repositories:

    # apt-get update

  3. Upgrade the kernel:

    # apt-get install linux-image-amd64

  4. Update MariaDB to the next major version provided by the vendor:

    # apt-get install mariadb-server-10.3

    Warning: MariaDB/MySQL won't start till the reboot is performed.

  5. Remove from the mariadb/mysql config file (Usually /etc/mysql/my.cnf) the string innodb_fast_shutdown=0 in the [mysqld] section, added at the beginning of this process.

  6. When AppArmor was installed, bind service fails to start:

    # systemctl status bind9
    * bind9.service - BIND Domain Name Server
    Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/bind9.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
    Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Sun 2022-04-17 13:55:14 EEST; 4s ago
    Docs: man:named(8)
    Process: 13480 ExecStop=/usr/sbin/rndc stop (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
    Process: 13474 ExecStart=/usr/sbin/named -f $OPTIONS (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
    Main PID: 13474 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
    CPU: 12ms

    Apr 17 13:55:14 example.com named[13474]: loading configuration from '/etc/named.conf'
    Apr 17 13:55:14 example.com named[13474]: open: /etc/named.conf: permission denied
    Apr 17 13:55:14 example.com named[13474]: loading configuration: permission denied

    Resolve it by either disabling AppArmor with following commands or reconfigure AppArmor:

    # systemctl stop apparmor
    # systemctl restart bind9

  7. Reboot the server to the new kernel:

    # shutdown -r now

     

  8. Upgrade packages:

    # apt-get upgrade

    Note: When prompted, you should keep the previous version of Rsyslog configuration file.

    Note: When prompted, you should keep the previous version of Spamassassin configuration file.

  9. Remove packages that were installed by dependencies and not needed anymore:

    # apt-get autoremove

  10. In case AppApmor is enabled adjust it by following this article to let Bind9 load properly

  11. Execute the dist-upgrade command:

    # apt-get dist-upgrade

    Note: At this point, there is a possibility that components are removed, like for example: php7.0-curl plesk-mail-pc-driver postfix psa-drweb-configurator psa-spamassassin which is because on Debian 10 vendor's postfix is used and its version is lower than postfix shipped by Plesk for Debian 9

  12. Update Plesk to next available version finishing the dist-upgrade process:

    # plesk installer update

  13. Check that all the Plesk components are installed and if not (Like for example in case there were components uninstalled like the ones in the dist upgrade step), select and re-install them again through the plesk installer along with Postfix which was replaced by msmtp at the beginning:

    # plesk installer

  14. Reboot the server:

    # reboot

  15. Check that Plesk and all its services are working.

  16. Use the following commands to regenerate web server as well as DNS configuration files if needed:

    # plesk repair web

    # plesk repair dns

Dist-upgrade from Debian 10 to Debian 11

Warning: The dist-upgrade from Debian 10 to Debian 11 is supported by Plesk Obsidian 18.0.42 version.

Warning: The dist-upgrade process from Debian 10 to Debian 11 is supported with MariaDB scenario only.

  1. Create a full server backup. Before the upgrade, make a full server backup. Also, notify the customers about upcoming downtime of one to three hours.

  2. Connect to the server and perform the process connected as root or by using the # su - or # sudo su -command.

  3. Uninstall unsupported components like mailman, webalizer, watchdog and PHP handlers below 7.3 version:

    Note: before applying the command below, switch the existing websites to PHP version 7.4 or higher.

    # plesk installer remove --components php7.1 php7.2 php7.3 mailman webalizer watchdog

  4. Remove packages which were installed by dependencies but aren't required:

    # apt-get autoremove

  5. Execute the command below to be sure that system is up-to-date:

    # plesk sbin pum --update

    OR

    # apt-get update && apt-get upgrade

  6. Run the command to make Plesk up-to-date:

    # plesk installer update

  7. Install aptitude:

    # apt-get install aptitude

  8. Remove repository lists that are related to Plesk:

    # rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plesk*.list

  9. Replace buster sources lists with bullseye ones in /etc/apt/sources.list and /etc/apt/sources.list.d/*.list:

    Note: below is the example for /etc/apt/sources.list file:

    CONFIG_TEXT: deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye main contrib non-free
    deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye main contrib non-free

    deb http://deb.debian.org/debian-security/ bullseye-security main contrib non-free
    deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian-security/ bullseye-security main contrib non-free

    deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye-updates main contrib non-free
    deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye-updates main contrib non-free

  10. Make installer to create Plesk sources list for Debian 11:

    # plesk installer --override-os-version 11 --check-updates --skip-cleanup

  11. Add string below into the /etc/mysql/my.cnf file under [mysqld] section:

    CONFIG_TEXT: innodb_fast_shutdown=0

  12. Restart MariaDB service to apply the changes:

    # systemctl restart mariadb

  13. Install modern kernel, libc6, python3, mariadb packages with the command:

    # aptitude install base-files linux-image-amd64 libc6 python3 mariadb-server-10.5

    Note:Make sure that after execution of the command above, Plesk-related packages are not marked, for removal, normally list should be as below:

    CONFIG_TEXT: Remove the following packages:
    1) g++-8 [8.3.0-6 (now)]
    2) galera-3 [25.3.25-2 (now)]
    3) gcc-8 [8.3.0-6 (now)]
    4) libgcc-8-dev [8.3.0-6 (now)]
    5) libpython-stdlib [2.7.16-1 (now)]
    6) libstdc++-8-dev [8.3.0-6 (now)]
    7) mariadb-client-10.3 [1:10.3.22-0+deb10u1 (now)]
    8) mariadb-client-core-10.3 [1:10.3.22-0+deb10u1 (now)]
    9) mariadb-server-10.3 [1:10.3.22-0+deb10u1 (now)]
    10) mariadb-server-core-10.3 [1:10.3.22-0+deb10u1 (now)]
    11) openssh-sftp-server [1:7.9p1-10+deb10u1 (now)]
    12) python [2.7.16-1 (now)]
    13) python-minimal [2.7.16-1 (now)]

    Note: when you will be asking to overwrite sshd configuration, left it as is. Also allow automatic restart for services

  14. Remove line below from the /etc/mysql/my.cnf file:

    CONFIG_TEXT: innodb_fast_shutdown=0

  15. Reboot the server
  16. Rename configuration from bind9 to named:

    # mv /etc/default/bind9 /etc/default/named

  17. Execute the command below to get Plesk build for Debian 11 OS:

    # plesk installer update --skip-cleanup

  18. Update the Plesk extensions:

    # plesk bin extension -l | egrep '(ruby|panel-migrator|site-import)' | awk {'print $1'} | xargs -i plesk bin extension -i {}

  19. Complete distupgrade process:

    # apt-get dist-upgrade

    Note: leave configuration for Postfix, PAM, rsyslog, SpamAssassin, cloud-init and other services as is. 

  20. Optional step: Remove unused packages:

    # apt-get autoremove

  21. Optional step: Purge the configuration files of the removed packages:

    # apt-get purge `dpkg -l | grep "^rc" | awk '{print $2}'`

  22. Restore the Plesk packages configuration:

    # plesk installer update

  23. Reboot the server

Warning: Most APS applications will not work with PHP 7.x

Unsupported EOLed OSes 

Note: Plesk Onyx 17.8 is EOLed and no support will be provided if something goes wrong. In case you have  EOLed OS/Plesk the best-recommended scenario is migration.

Dist-upgrade from Ubuntu 14 to Ubuntu 16

Warning: dist-upgrade from Ubuntu 14 to Ubuntu 16 and is supported by Plesk Onyx 17.8 version.

Warning: During an upgrade from Ubuntu 14 to Ubuntu 16, system PHP 5.x shipped by OS vendor will be upgraded to PHP 7.x. So to avoid any PHP compatibility issues, before an upgrade, it is highly recommended to switch all sites having PHP handler 5.x by OS vendor to corresponding custom PHP handlers. Please refer to these KB articles for details: How to configure PHP handlers in Plesk for Linux? and How to apply new PHP handler to multiple domains via CLI?

Warning: Also, MySQL server upgrade can fail during the upgrade. The issue and its resolution are described in: Dist-upgrade from Ubuntu 14 to 16 fails: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1).

Warning: if PHP by OS vendor was updated from third-party sources prior to dist-upgrade, it may break webmail functionality.

  1. Create a full server backup. Before the upgrade, make a full server backup. Also, notify the customers about upcoming downtime of one to three hours.

  2. Run below script and follow the wizard:

    # /opt/psa/bin/distupgrade.helper.ubt14-ubt16.x64.sh

    The script logs all its actions in /var/log/plesk/install/plesk-distupgrade.log .

  3. During the script execution, you will be asked to reboot the server. Reboot the server.

  4. After the server reboot, run the script once again.

Dist-upgrade from Debian 8 to Debian 9

Warning: dist-upgrade from Debian 8 to Debian 9 is supported by Plesk Onyx 17.8 version.

Warning: if PHP by OS vendor was updated from third-party sources prior to dist-upgrade, it may break webmail functionality.

Preparing server for upgrade

  1. Create a full server backup. Before the upgrade, make a full server backup. Also notify the customers about upcoming downtime of one to three hours.

  2. Consider to remove sources list backup files which might be left from the previous dist-upgrade:

    • /etc/apt/sources.list.saved_by_plesk_distupgrade
    • /etc/apt/sources.list.d/50sw_autoinstaller.list.saved_by_plesk_distupgrade`

  3. Run pre-upgrade helper script and prepare Plesk and the system for the upgrade:

    # /opt/psa/bin/distupgrade.helper.deb8-deb9_pre.x64.sh

    The script logs all its actions in /var/log/plesk/install/plesk-distupgrade.log.

Performing the dist-upgrade

  1. Update source.list file and configure the repository for the OS release that is going to upgrade to:

    # cat /etc/apt/sources.list
    deb http://deb.debian.org/debian stretch main contrib non-free
    deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security/ stretch/updates main contrib non-free
    deb http://deb.debian.org/debian stretch-updates main contrib non-free

  2. Update information about system packages:

    # apt-get update

  3. Upgrade the system:

    # /opt/psa/bin/distupgrade.helper.deb8-deb9.x64.sh

    This command will perform a complete upgrade of the system, install the newest available versions of all packages and resolve all possible dependency changes between packages in different releases.

    During the upgrade the system might produce prompts like:

    CONFIG_TEXT: Configuration file /etc/mysql/my.cnf
    ==> Modified (by you or by a script) since installation.
    ==> Package distributor has shipped an updated version.
    What would you like to do about it ?
    Your options are:
    Y or I : install the package maintainer's version
    N or O : keep your currently-installed version
    D : show the differences between the versions
    Z : start a shell to examine the situation
    The default action is to keep your current version.
    *** my.cnf (Y/I/N/O/D/Z) [default=N] ?

    Choose to replace configuration files with a new one (answer Y).

Finalizing the upgrade

  1. Run post-upgrade helper script:

    # /opt/psa/bin/distupgrade.helper.deb8-deb9_post.x64.sh

    Note: This script is already called during the execution of /opt/psa/bin/distupgrade.helper.deb8-deb9.x64.sh, run it to verify that everything was successfully done. Its actions are logged in /var/log/plesk/install/plesk-distupgrade.log too.

  2. Reboot the server.

  3. Check that Plesk and all its services are working.

Comments

101 comments

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  • Avatar
    Sebastian M. Braun

    Unfortunately my vserver hosted by hosteurope does not come online again after running

    # /opt/psa/bin/distupgrade.helper.ubt14-ubt16.x64.sh

    and rebooting after. Although there were no errors.

     

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  • Avatar
    Andy

    @Sebastian: Same here ... I've read your comment too late :-(

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  • Avatar
    Nikolay Voytko

    @Sebastian, @Andy it will be great if you can shed some light on the issues that you faced.

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  • Avatar
    Andy

    Only the pre-installed version and their updates are usable.
    A dist-upgrade attempt will result in a system that is no longer running after a reboot.

    I'm still waiting for the backup process of 300 gigabytes (for 6 hours) to repair this bullshit ... please put a hint right over the call.


    Reason: 
    The virtualization software of hosteurope is probably not compatible with the updated kernel and no longer find the VM.
    @See: https://www.hosteurope.de/faq/server/server-allgemeines/selbst-installation-sicherheitsupdates/

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  • Avatar
    Dimitar Mustakov

    Hi,

    @Sebastian and @Andy are problems solved?

    I need to upgrade my debian server with plesk12.5 from wheezy to jessie this weekend. Can you share any recommendations about this upgrade?

     

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  • Avatar
    Alexander Tsmokalyuk

    @Andy please tell me what virtualization type is used. You can use "virt-what" utility to check it.

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  • Avatar
    Sebastian M. Braun (Edited )

    My "Solution": I ordered a new clean ubuntu 16.04 and installed plesk by myself. Very disappointing.

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  • Avatar
    Marco Marsala

    Prevent do-release-upgrade to be run directly or at least inject on it a clear warning message requesting confirmation.

    Plesk adds its pretty text to the SSH greeting message, so it should be doable. As per this KB article, you have to run a Plesk script; forgetting that and running do-release-upgrade directly may cause high troubles.

     

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  • Avatar
    Marco Marsala

    Updating from Ubuntu 14.04 to Ubuntu 16.04.1 using do-release-upgrade will fail because MySQL is updated from 5.5 to 5.7, that is unsupported update path as per MySQL official documentation. Your script should do these pre-checks and prevent upgrade or automatically solve the issue before the upgrade.

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  • Avatar
    Bulat Tsydenov

    @Marco, did you check Dist-upgrade potential issues article? Maybe it contains the issue you are talking about and the solution for that.

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  • Avatar
    Marco Marsala

    @Bulat Tsydenov Yes I do and this is not listed. It seems like a bug, infact running the script as described in this article on a clean Ubuntu 14.04 installation, will upgrade MySQL 5.5 to 5.7 that is an unsupported upgrade. Too, command 'update-alternatives' is not run. This will work only if MySQL was manually upgraded to 5.6 before, but this is not mentioned anywhere.

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  • Avatar
    Marco Marsala (Edited )

    Beware after upgrading from Ubuntu 14 to 16, cron jos set to be run with "PHP from OS vendor" won't run anymore, failing with error "/bin/sh: /usr/bin/php5: No such file or directory" because PHP 5 is not available anymore.

    "plesk repair" tool won't regenerate cron jobs.

    You have to fix them manually, just open them one by one from Plesk UI, and hit OK button. This will be enough to regenerate cron files.

    The issue maybe related to the fact that the "Use PHP version" dropdown still shows PHP 5.5.9 from OS vendor after upgrade. This maybe happens because there are residual 5.5.9 packages in the system that wasn't purged during upgrade.

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  • Avatar
    Denis Bykov

    @Marco, I have reproduced the behavior on a test server and created a request to developers to find out if this is a bug.

    All updates regarding the investigation will be sent to your email.

    Thank you for the feedback.

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  • Avatar
    Marco Marsala

    @Denis please see https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-release-upgrader/+bug/1725222/

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  • Avatar
    Marco Marsala (Edited )

    Please note that after upgrade, MySQL event scheduler won't be enabled again, if it was before the upgrade, and you should fix that manually.

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  • Avatar
    Robert Asilbekov

    @Marco we have created an internal request. You'll be notified via email.

    Thank you for the feedback.

     
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  • Avatar
    Alexander Tsmokalyuk

    @Marco a solution was found and sent to your email. "General information" section of this article was updated. Thank you.

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  • Avatar
    Marian Feiler

    Will there be pre and post upgrade helper files for deb8 to deb 9?

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  • Avatar
    Ivan Postnikov

    @Marian

    Instruction for an upgrade to Debian 9 will be added to this article soon.

    Click "Follow" to be notified when the article will be updated.

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  • Avatar
    Marco Marsala

    If MySQL event scheduler (SET GLOBAL event_scheduler = ON) was enabled before the upgrade, it won't be enabled again after following this KB article, without any notice to user.

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  • Avatar
    Trung Ma

    @Ivan I'm upgrading OS from Debian 7 to 8. After run file /opt/psa/bin/distupgrade.helper.deb7-deb8_pre.x64.sh , I got the error message as picure below

    What should i do?

    Regards,

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  • Avatar
    Ivan Postnikov

    @Trung, such errors are usually caused by incompatibility of Plesk with repositories that are configured on the server.

    Please, make sure that standard repositories only are configured on the server and restart the script.

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  • Avatar
    Florent

    Hi, since Ubuntu 18.04.1 was released a month ago, when the upgrade will be available ?

    + Do you recommend an upgrade or a migration on a fresh install ?

    Thanks

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  • Avatar
    Ivan Postnikov

    Hello @Florent, the upgrade will be available soon. There is no exact ETA but this article will be updated with the corresponding information.

    > Do you recommend an upgrade or a migration on a fresh install?

    Both methods are ok and the choice is up to you. 

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  • Avatar
    Janusz Kucharczyk (Edited )

    Hi, i try to update my Debian 8 up tp 9 with Plesk 17.8.11

    but it dies everytime at the 'Bootstrapper repair actions failed'

    Take a look:

    Actually I couldn't figure out how to fix this, do you have any idea?

    (And this is the Screenshot out of the told .log file...)

    Please help me. :D

    Thanks in advance and kind regards.

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  • Avatar
    Bato Tsydenov

    @Janusz Kucharczyk

    Please check the following article:

    https://support.plesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/213373289-Dist-upgrade-potential-issues

    If the article is not helpful I would recommend you submitting a Support ticket.

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  • Avatar
    Μίστερ Μολ

    I attempted today the upgrade from debian 8 to 9 following the above instructions. All went fine (except in the beginning that I had to manually remove some atomicorp repos [1] which were stopping the procedure), until at the end of the dist-upgrade that I got:

    Fetched 76.2 MB in 21s (3472 kB/s)
    Reading package lists...
    Reading package lists...
    Building dependency tree...
    Reading state information...
    E: Unable to locate package psa-php-configurator
    Some error during dist-upgrade middle stage have occurred.
    Check /var/log/plesk/install/plesk-distupgrade.log for error details.
    Visit https://docs.plesk.com/en-US/current/administrator-guide/server-administration/distupgrade-support.74627/ for information about troubleshooting and recovering from failed dist-upgrade.
    STOP Distupgrade

    Just out of curiosity I tried to run the post upgrade script (# /opt/psa/bin/distupgrade.helper.deb8-deb9_post.x64.sh) but there was no such script.

    I rebooted the server, everything looked fine, I entered Plesk and at the home screen I saw:
    Debian 9.8‬
    Product Plesk Onyx
    Version 17.8.11 Update #45

    It looked as if the upgrade had succeeded. But this being a critical server, I could not risk it, so I restored the server from the snapshot I had taken just before.

    So, what happened? Why those errors? Should I try again changing something?

    [1]
    Err http://updates.atomicorp.com stretch/main amd64 Packages
    404 Not Found [IP: 158.69.253.161 80]
    Err http://updates.atomicorp.com stretch/main i386 Packages
    404 Not Found [IP: 158.69.253.161 80]
    Ign http://updates.atomicorp.com stretch/main Translation-en
    Fetched 111 kB in 6s (17.8 kB/s)
    W: Failed to fetch http://updates.atomicorp.com/channels/tortix-common/debian/dists/stretch/main/binary-amd64/Packages 404 Not Found [IP: 158.69.253.161 80]
    W: Failed to fetch http://updates.atomicorp.com/channels/tortix-common/debian/dists/stretch/main/binary-i386/Packages 404 Not Found [IP: 158.69.253.161 80]

     

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  • Avatar
    Alexandr Nikolaenko

    Hello Μίστερ Μολ,

    The case looks quite complex to discuss it in article comments. Please submit a ticket for us and we will be glad to investigate the issue and assist you.

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  • Avatar
    Μίστερ Μολ

    Hi @Alexandr.

    Thanks for your offer, but I cannot submit a ticket since I'm on a licence key bought from Hetzner, which does not provide free support. And my company is not willing to pay for support on a thing that looks like a plesk bug... It's a deadlock! Can you help otherwise?

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  • Avatar
    Ivan Postnikov

    Μίστερ Μολ,

    Thank you for the feedback, I have provided an answer in this article: https://support.plesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/213953025

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