Upgrading Moodle: Ensuring a Smooth Transition to the Latest Version

In the realm of modern education, online learning management systems (LMS) have revolutionised the way institutions deliver courses and interact with students. One of the most widely used and respected platforms is Moodle. Moodle provides educators with a versatile and comprehensive toolkit to create, manage, and deliver educational content in a virtual environment. Regularly upgrading Moodle to its latest version is essential for maintaining security, performance, and access to new features. This article will guide you through the process of upgrading Moodle, ensuring a seamless transition to the latest iteration.

Why Upgrade Moodle?

Moodle’s development community is committed to continuous improvement, addressing security vulnerabilities, and introducing new features that enhance the learning experience. By upgrading to the latest version, institutions can benefit from:

1. Enhanced Security: Newer versions of Moodle typically include security fixes, protecting your system from potential vulnerabilities and threats.
2. Performance Improvements: Upgrades often come with optimized code and improved performance, ensuring a smoother experience for both administrators and users.
3. New Features: The Moodle team regularly introduces innovative features and functionalities that can enrich the online learning experience, such as improved course formats, interactive content, and better integration options.

As you can read from the change log ( here for Moodle 4.2.2 ) each version really brings with it many improvements.

Before You Begin: Preparing for the Upgrade

Before initiating the upgrade process, it’s crucial to follow these preparatory steps:

1. Backup: Create a full backup of your Moodle site, including all files, databases, and configurations. This ensures you have a restore point in case anything goes wrong during the upgrade.
2. Review System Requirements: Check the system requirements ( here for Moodle 4.2) for the latest version of Moodle. Ensure your server environment meets these requirements to avoid compatibility issues. ( I had to ask my provider to update the version of MariaDB as the one I was using was no longer supported by Moodle ).
3. Check Plugins: If you have third-party plugins or themes, make sure they are compatible with the new version of Moodle. Incompatible plugins can cause disruptions.
4. Notify Users: Inform your users, including students and instructors, about the upcoming upgrade and any potential downtime and that the progress of that day or few hours could be lost.

Step-by-Step Guide to Upgrading Moodle

1. Download the Latest Version: Visit the official Moodle website and download the latest stable version of Moodle.
2. Create a staging environment: My advice is to perform this maintenance in a staging environment so you can have as little downtime as possible.
3. Move everything to a temporary folder: Take all the contents of the root and move them temporarily to a folder called “_backup”.
4. Upload the new version of Moodle: Unzip the previously downloaded folder and upload it to the root.
5. Copy Custom Themes and Plugins: If you have customised themes or added plugins, copy them to the new Moodle directory. The theme are in the “theme” folder, copy the old one from the “_backup” folder or download the new versions.
6. Copy the Confing: Take the old config.php from the “_backup” folder and move it to the root.
7. Run Upgrade Script: Access your Moodle site as admin through a web browser. Moodle will automatically detect the upgrade and guide you through the process.
8. Test and Verify: After the upgrade, thoroughly test your site’s functionality, including course access, user logins, and essential features.
9. Monitor Performance: Keep an eye on your site’s performance and stability in the days following the upgrade. Address any issues promptly.
10. Cleaning and publishing: The last step is to delete the “_backup” folder from the root and publishing the staging version.

Troubleshooting

Updating my version from 4.1.2+ to 4.2.2 I found myself struggling with the following error “It is required that you store all your data in Unicode format (UTF-8). New installations must be performed into databases that have their default character set as Unicode. If you are upgrading, you should perform the UTF-8 migration process (see the Admin page).” I having Moodle in Italian received the following message “Se si sta facendo un aggiornamento, bisogna eseguire il processo di migrazione (vedi pagina di Amministrazione).”

I was able to correct this error by logging into Phpmyadmin > clicking on the database used by Moodle > Operations > Character encoding and choosing utf8mb4_unicode_ci from the drop down menu, also remember to check the two checkboxes. Now we proceed by also making a change to the config.php by always writing utf8mb4_unicode_ci under dbcollation as shown in the images.

Returning now to the update page and clicking on update should have resolved your error.

Conclusion

Upgrading Moodle is a vital task that ensures your online learning environment remains secure, efficient, and feature-rich. By following a systematic approach and adequately preparing, you can navigate the upgrade process with confidence. Remember to backup your data, check for compatibility, and thoroughly test the new version before rolling it out to your users. With each upgrade, you’re not only keeping up with the latest advancements but also providing your students and instructors with an optimal online learning experience.