Please help! Half of my websites crashed when updating to 4.4.0

[maggus]

Steps to reproduce the issue

• I have updated 18 websites from 4.3.4 to 4.4.0.
• A third of my websites crashed when updating them (on different servers!)
• Most of them are not accessible any more. I cannot login into the backend. And I get no error message. Purging the cache does not help.
• When trying to re-install the Core Files on Joomla's Standard Update server, it tells me I have version 5.0.0 installed! What is going on???

I really could cry as I have to recover nearly 18 websites for my customers. The one manual update I have made was working fine, but all other updates made with mysites.guru's core mass install function did crash. This has never happened before.

Expected result

Actual result

System information (as much as possible)

Additional comments

[joeforjoomla]

Confirmed!

Updating from 4.3.4 goes directly to 5.0.0 and not to 4.0.0. The result is that the compatibility plugin is not enabled and the website totally crashes. Damn.

[brianteeman]

Just to confirm then, the updates that all failed were not done with the joomla update component but by a closed source third party service.

[maggus]

When clicking the re-install button in the Joomla! Update component it updates to 5.0.0 instead of re-installing 4.4.0. This happens without any third party service like mysites.guru.

[maggus]

I can't say what is the problem. But yes, I have used a third party service. What makes me really wondering that I cannot login into the backend - and no error is reported. I even cannot log out when being logged in before the update.

[richard67]

The update channel in the Joomla Update component, was that set to „Default“? Or to „Next“? We have an issue with the update site, but as far as I can see only on the „Next channel“.

[richard67]

It was set to Default. Every test of mine is a clean install of Joomla. I also manually checked it was set to default before every test.

Thanks for checking. We continue to investigate. Sorry for the inconvenience.

[HLeithner]

I temporary remove it from the update server, you can still download the joomla 5 update package from downloads.joomla.org and manually install it (after you updated your site to 4.4.0). I would expect that we will solve this issue tomorrow.

[richard67]

No, reinstall core on 4.4.0 should work now and result in 4.4.0, update from 4.4.0 to 5.0 will work too when you change Update channel to „Next“. What was removed was the update within the 5 version which is not relevant yet and so was removed. It will be needed later when 5.0.1 will come. Only when you already have a 5.0.0 development version like e.g. a beta or release candidate and want to update to 5.0.0 stable the removed part is relevant, so that would now have to be done with Upload & Update of the previously downloaded 5.0.0 stable update package.

[HLeithner]

Yes thats a side effect, you can download the update file from downloads.joomla.org and upload it if you need to.if the update Blocks the Version you can try to rename the file or uploade the files by Hand. But tbh using a backup you did before the 4.4.0 update is a safer approach

[gesellea]

deleting administrator/cache/autoload_psr4.php does not allow me to log back in to affected sites, and I really do not want to restore a backup unless really needed, can I do something else to help you guys get to the bottom of this?

[woluweb]

same as @gesellea here: 20+ website where I can't login any more in the backend (page simply refreshes but if I type a wrong login/password then it says it)

[rdeutz]

Phil you are banned from the project and with your behaviour today you showed that this was a right and good decision. Your input was always valued but you personal behaviour not.

[gesellea]

Phil you are banned from the project and with your behaviour today you showed that this was a right and good decision. Your input was always valued but you personal behaviour not.

I do not agree that this is the correct way, without Phil I would have switched to Wordpress a long time ago, don't block somebody who is so valuable for the community simply because you don't like them!

You cannot say that Joomla has always been the most stable platform, but because of Phil we were always able to find a solution. Without him, I will think twice about installing a new Joomla instance!

[gwstyles]

I agree with gesella, the project is constantly calling for volunteers and one of the most valuable you ban, its crazy.

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_{This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/42154.}

[richard67]

What else shall we do if someone is permanently violating our code of conduct?

[cybersalt]

@woluweb Did you do a mass update through mysites.guru? If so, mysites will fix it for you as a client. Just submit a work request after logging in.

[brianteeman]

I can see the bug but I am still trying to understand why you would have tried to do the update twice.

[cybersalt]

What else shall we do if someone is permanently violating our code of conduct?

We all know of others who regularly violate the code of conduct and are not banned. I'm not interested in getting into "it" with anyone, but some very large and unhealthy personalities have turned Joomla into a hostage situation for a lot of us - to the point where we avoid eye contact so we don't get shot.

[rdeutz]

We all know of others who regularly violate the code of conduct and are not banned. I'm not interested in getting into "it" with anyone, but some very large and unhealthy personalities have turned Joomla into a hostage situation for a lot of us - to the point where we avoid eye contact so we don't get shot.

We are trying to fix this.

Some people give good input and help, but on the other side they are being unfriendly. I can handle that but new people run away. So the question is: Is the total effect more positiv or negativ? It is not a question if I like someone or not.

[gwstyles]

I guess you have to strike a balance between having brilliant coders with no social skills or not.

[SniperSister]

I guess you have to strike a balance between having brilliant coders with no social skills or not.

Coding is not just about writing code, it's about understanding requirements, weighting pros and cons of solutions for different user groups, handling criticism and suggestions – or simpler: it's about communication. Social skills aren't optional, they are a vital part of the job.

[formfranska]

Some people give good input and help, but on the other side they are being unfriendly. I can handle that but new people run away. So the question is: Is the total effect more positiv or negativ? It is not a question if I like someone or not.

So I'm not a coder at all but I've read enough threads that I think I can understand that Phil is an incredible resource. I'm not a coder but I'm also a person that is probably referred to as someone lacking social skills (at least sometimes 😉).

What scares me more than anything else is when people are being silenced. This happens in too many communities and societies i m h o. I think that could also make "new people run away".

[gwstyles]

@SniperSister I completely understand your point of view. I just don't think banning is the solution, there are two really good coders banned I know of and they have both found and fixed many of the update problems before we even know of them in the past and to loose that is a shame.

[woluweb]

Let's focus on the issue raised by @maggus and also experienced at least by @gesellea and myself.
I am speaking here of sites which were upgraded to Joomla 4.4 and where you cannot login in the backend any more (the page just reloads).

[ Note: some people had suggested that this might be because the website would have already migrated to 5.0.0, but that was not the case, at least for my own cases ]

A long story short, here is the easy fix if you can't login any more in tha backend after the Update:

• download the Upgrade Package (not the Full Package) from https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla4/4-4-0 and put it at the root of your site. If you are in the Console, the command is
  wget https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla4/4-4-0/Joomla_4-4-0-Stable-Update_Package.zip
• unzip it. If you are in the Console the command is
  unzip Joomla_4-4-0-Stable-Update_Package.zip
• only then delete /administrator/cache/autoload_psr4.php (don't worry, that file gets re-generated automatically)

PS: most probably the root cause was that all files were not unzipped properly during the initial Update process

[brianteeman]

Please share the contents of the update log. That is the key to everything

[woluweb]

Please share the contents of the update log. That is the key to everything

This is all I have in /administrator/logs/joomla_update.php (not truncated). The same on the 2 sites I have just fixed. I guess the same for all my other sites concerned.

#
#<?php die('Forbidden.'); ?>
#Date: 2023-10-17 20:57:56 UTC
#Software: Joomla! 4.4.0 Stable [ Pamoja ] 17-October-2023 16:00 GMT

#Fields: datetime	priority clientip	category	message
2023-10-17T20:57:56+00:00	INFO 178.62.5.35	update	COM_JOOMLAUPDATE_UPDATE_LOG_FINALISE
2023-10-17T20:57:56+00:00	INFO 178.62.5.35	update	JLIB_INSTALLER_SQL_BEGIN
2023-10-17T20:57:56+00:00	INFO 178.62.5.35	update	JLIB_INSTALLER_SQL_BEGIN_SCHEMA
2023-10-17T20:57:56+00:00	INFO 178.62.5.35	update	JLIB_INSTALLER_UPDATE_LOG_QUERY
2023-10-17T20:57:56+00:00	INFO 178.62.5.35	update	JLIB_INSTALLER_UPDATE_LOG_QUERY
2023-10-17T20:57:56+00:00	INFO 178.62.5.35	update	JLIB_INSTALLER_SQL_END
2023-10-17T20:57:56+00:00	INFO 178.62.5.35	update	COM_JOOMLAUPDATE_UPDATE_LOG_DELETE_FILES
2023-10-18T05:28:04+00:00	INFO 178.62.5.35	update	COM_JOOMLAUPDATE_UPDATE_LOG_FINALISE
2023-10-18T05:28:04+00:00	INFO 178.62.5.35	update	JLIB_INSTALLER_SQL_BEGIN
2023-10-18T05:28:04+00:00	INFO 178.62.5.35	update	JLIB_INSTALLER_SQL_BEGIN_SCHEMA
2023-10-18T05:28:04+00:00	INFO 178.62.5.35	update	JLIB_INSTALLER_SQL_END
2023-10-18T05:28:04+00:00	INFO 178.62.5.35	update	COM_JOOMLAUPDATE_UPDATE_LOG_DELETE_FILES

[brianteeman]

Possible brainwave.
The logs should be much bigger than that and not with language keys for the message. I am therefore making a leap to say that the update was done using the cli updater and that is where the bug lies. Both in terms of you not being able to log in after update AND the faulty log file

[peterwouda]

Let's focus on the issue raised by @maggus and also experienced at least by @gesellea and myself. I am speaking here of sites which were upgraded to Joomla 4.4 and where you cannot login in the backend any more (the page just reloads).

[ Note: some people had suggested that this might be because the website would have already migrated to 5.0.0, but that was not the case, at least for my own cases ]

A long story short, here is the easy fix if you can't login any more in tha backend after the Update:

* download the Upgrade Package (not the Full Package) from https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla4/4-4-0 and put it at the root of your site. If you are in the Console, the command is
  `wget https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla4/4-4-0/Joomla_4-4-0-Stable-Update_Package.zip`

* unzip it. If you are in the Console the command is
  `unzip Joomla_4-4-0-Stable-Update_Package.zip`

* only then delete `/administrator/cache/autoload_psr4.php` (don't worry, that file gets re-generated automatically)

PS: most probably the root cause was that all files were not unzipped properly during the initial Update process

This works great in my situation! Thanks for sharing @woluweb

[bembelimen]

See the Upgrade FAQ

[ernienet]

Let's focus on the issue raised by @maggus and also experienced at least by @gesellea and myself. I am speaking here of sites which were upgraded to Joomla 4.4 and where you cannot login in the backend any more (the page just reloads).

[ Note: some people had suggested that this might be because the website would have already migrated to 5.0.0, but that was not the case, at least for my own cases ]

A long story short, here is the easy fix if you can't login any more in tha backend after the Update:

• download the Upgrade Package (not the Full Package) from https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla4/4-4-0 and put it at the root of your site. If you are in the Console, the command is
  wget https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla4/4-4-0/Joomla_4-4-0-Stable-Update_Package.zip
• unzip it. If you are in the Console the command is
  unzip Joomla_4-4-0-Stable-Update_Package.zip
• only then delete /administrator/cache/autoload_psr4.php (don't worry, that file gets re-generated automatically)

PS: most probably the root cause was that all files were not unzipped properly during the initial Update process

YAY! I followed the steps and it worked perfectly - I just have to do this for 18 more sites and they'll all be fixed.

[gesellea]

can confirm that this works, and I only have 2 sites where I do not have SSH :-p (hosted by the client), but at least we have some way to fix it quickly...

[woluweb]

can confirm that this works, and I only have 2 sites where I do not have SSH :-p (hosted by the client), but at least we have some way to fix it quickly...

Well, if you don't have SSH (or a good file manager by the host) then indeed it takes ages to upload an unzipped package.

In such a case, I do the following: I upload the ZIP file and then use a little script to unzip.

There are probably plenty out there but personally I use the one written by the founder of my Joomla User Group, ie @cavo789 : https://github.com/cavo789/zip_unzip

[gesellea]

excellent tip, thank you !

[alikon]

i believe that this issue can be closed now