Concerns about updating cPanel/WHM

[nivekau]

Hi, on several occasions I experienced serious issues with my server after cPanel updates, each time this rendered the server unusable and one time it required many hours of work from external server support specialists to get the server operating again. Consequently , I disabled auto updates and I am currently running v80.0.18.

I also run Cloud Linux LVE to support some legacy sites that require old versions of php.

I am currently running MySQL 5.6

I am now looking into the feasibility of updating cPanel but I have a question - will later versions of cPanel automatically update MySQL to a later version?

 

[RadWebHosting]

Hello, MySQL 5.7+ (MariaDB 10.2+) can typically be modified to provide support for your legacy 5.6 environment variables. Having said that, you will still want to perform a thorough review of your system before making the update and, of course, have some disaster recovery solution in place should there any unforeseen issues with the upgrade.

Overall, you will notice performance improvements almost immediately if your system has regular DB usage. Updating is highly recommended for performance and compatibility. Your server will thank you later.

 

[ZenHostingTravis]

Hi nivekau,

MySQL wouldn't be automatically upgraded if you upgrade cPanel.

Can you elaborate re the issues you experienced previously upgrading cPanel?

In contrast, our upgrades have always been relatively stress-free.

 

[cPanelLauren]

What I would suggest in this instance, to ensure that there isn't a configuration issue on the server is to open a ticket with us so our analysts can investigate the issues you had further. The concern is that running on v80 is absolutely not a solution to the problems you were having updating. When you run on EoL software you expose yourself to vulnerabilities due to lack of critical updates.
As far as plans to update MySQL automatically, the same way we are forcing updates to at the very least the LTS tier maintaining compatibility with that tier will be mandatory meaning, eventually, you will be automatically moved to a newer version of MySQL - this isn't in practice as of now though it is something that is planned for the future.

I will personally always advise you to address the root of the issue rather than just manage its symptoms.

 

[nivekau]

Thanks for all the responses!

I don't have the capacity right now to modify a newer version of MySQL to support legacy 5.6 environment variables.

My server is supported by an external company, however I'm not sure if they know exactly what has gone wrong in the past. All I really knew was that my server was down and I was told that a cPanel update had caused the failure. It has happened several times.

cPanelLauren, I will follow your advice and open a ticket for you to check for configuration issues.

 

[cPanelLauren]

@nivekau

Should you open a ticket please update here with the ticket ID so I can follow up with the results here as well.