Upgrade 3.3.0 to 3.6.5 - Cannot Open File Error

[TwoHoot]

jcharper.net has been inactive for over a year and needs to be upgraded. When I try to use the one-button upgrade from Version 3.3.0 to 3.6.5, I get the following error message:
"Cannot open file for writing log"

How do I resolve this issue?

[AMurray]

This is my best guess - enable write permissions on the "log" folder?. Do that through your FTP program, or the file manager tool, e.g. in cPanel on your hosting account.

[Per Yngve Berg]

viewtopic.php?f=714&t=793531 Please

[TwoHoot]

Joomla! Instance :: Joomla! 3.3.0-Stable (Ember) 30-April-2014
Joomla! Platform :: Joomla Platform 13.1.0-Stable (Curiosity) 24-Apr-2013
Joomla! Configured :: Yes | Read-Only (444) | Owner: --protected-- . (uid: 1/gid: 1) | Group: --protected-- (gid: 1) | Valid For: 3.3
Configuration Options :: Offline: 1 | SEF: 1 | SEF Suffix: 1 | SEF ReWrite: 0 | .htaccess/web.config: No | GZip: 0 | Cache: 0 | CacheTime: 15 | CacheHandler: file | CachePlatformPrefix: N/A | FTP Layer: 0 | Proxy: 0 | LiveSite: | Session lifetime: 30 | Session handler: database | Shared sessions: N/A | SSL: 0 | FrontEdit: 1 | Error Reporting: default | Site Debug: 0 | Language Debug: 0 | Default Access: 1 | Unicode Slugs: 0 | dbConnection Type: mysql | Database Credentials Present: Yes

Host Configuration :: OS: Linux | OS Version: 4.14.22 | Technology: x86_64 | Web Server: Apache/2 | Encoding: gzip | Doc Root: --protected-- | System TMP Writable: Yes | Free Disk Space : 698.40 GiB |

PHP Configuration :: Version: 5.3.29 | PHP API: cgi-fcgi | Session Path Writable: No | Display Errors: | Error Reporting: 22519 | Log Errors To: | Last Known Error: | Register Globals: | Magic Quotes: | Safe Mode: | Open Base: | Uploads: 1 | Max. Upload Size: 20M | Max. POST Size: 20M | Max. Input Time: 60 | Max. Execution Time: 120 | Memory Limit: 64M

MySQL Configuration :: Version: 5.6.37-82.2-log (Client:5.5.41) | Host: --protected-- (--protected--) | Collation: latin1_swedish_ci (Character Set: latin1) | Database Size: 24.99 MiB | #of Tables: 130

PHP Extensions :: Core (5.3.29) | date (5.3.29) | ereg () | libxml () | openssl () | pcre () | sqlite3 (0.7-dev) | zlib (1.1) | bcmath () | calendar () | ctype () | curl () | dba () | dom (20031129) | hash (1.0) | fileinfo (1.0.5-dev) | filter (0.11.0) | ftp () | gd () | gettext () | SPL (0.2) | iconv () | session () | json (1.2.1) | mbstring () | mcrypt () | mysql (1.0) | mysqli (0.1) | standard (5.3.29) | PDO (1.0.4dev) | pdo_mysql (1.0.2) | pdo_sqlite (1.0.1) | Phar (2.0.1) | posix () | pspell () | Reflection ($Id: 4af6c4c676864b1c0bfa693845af0688645c37cf $) | imap () | SimpleXML (0.1) | sockets () | SQLite (2.0-dev) | exif (1.4 $Id$) | tokenizer (0.1) | wddx () | xml () | xmlreader (0.1) | xmlrpc (0.51) | xmlwriter (0.1) | xsl (0.1) | zip (1.11.0) | cgi-fcgi () | mhash () | Zend Engine (2.3.0) |
Potential Missing Extensions :: suhosin |

Switch User Environment (Experimental) :: PHP CGI: Yes | Server SU: Yes | PHP SU: Yes | Custom SU (LiteSpeed/Cloud/Grid): Yes
Potential Ownership Issues: No

Core Folders :: images/ (755) | components/ (755) | modules/ (755) | plugins/ (755) | language/ (755) | templates/ (755) | cache/ (755) | logs/ (755) | tmp/ (755) | administrator/components/ (755) | administrator/modules/ (755) | administrator/language/ (755) | administrator/templates/ (755) | administrator/logs/ (---) |

Elevated Permissions (First 10) :: cgi-bin/tmp/ (775) |

Database statistics :: Uptime: 13070547 | Threads: 14 | Questions: 5829931347 | Slow queries: 4604 | Opens: 219809321 | Flush tables: 1 | Open tables: 2000 | Queries per second avg: 446.035 |

Components :: SITE :: com_mailto (3.0.0) 1 | com_wrapper (3.0.0) 1 |
Components :: ADMIN :: com_content (3.0.0) 1 | com_media (3.0.0) 1 | com_joomlaupdate (3.0.0) 1 | com_config (3.0.0) 1 | com_menus (3.0.0) 1 | com_admin (3.0.0) 1 | com_search (3.0.0) 1 | com_phocadownload (3.0.4) 1 | com_contenthistory (3.2.0) 1 | com_templates (3.0.0) 1 | com_languages (3.0.0) 1 | com_banners (3.0.0) 1 | com_users (3.0.0) 1 | com_finder (3.0.0) 1 | com_messages (3.0.0) 1 | com_plugins (3.0.0) 1 | com_modules (3.0.0) 1 | com_tags (3.1.0) 1 | com_postinstall (3.2.0) 1 | com_redirect (3.0.0) 1 | com_login (3.0.0) 1 | com_weblinks (3.0.0) 1 | com_checkin (3.0.0) 1 | com_newsfeeds (3.0.0) 1 | com_categories (3.0.0) 1 | com_cpanel (3.0.0) 1 | com_installer (3.0.0) 1 | Akeeba (3.10.2) 1 | com_ajax (3.2.0) 1 | com_cache (3.0.0) 1 |

Modules :: SITE :: mod_tags_similar (3.1.0) 1 | mod_tags_popular (3.1.0) 1 | mod_syndicate (3.0.0) 1 | mod_whosonline (3.0.0) 1 | mod_articles_categories (3.0.0) 1 | mod_articles_latest (3.0.0) 1 | mod_related_items (3.0.0) 1 | mod_articles_popular (3.0.0) 1 | mod_menu (3.0.0) 1 | mod_articles_news (3.0.0) 1 | mod_footer (3.0.0) 1 | mod_wrapper (3.0.0) 1 | mod_banners (3.0.0) 1 | mod_random_image (3.0.0) 1 | mod_users_latest (3.0.0) 1 | mod_login (3.0.0) 1 | mod_stats (3.0.0) 1 | mod_breadcrumbs (3.0.0) 1 | mod_feed (3.0.0) 1 | mod_weblinks (3.0.0) 1 | mod_languages (3.0.0) 1 | mod_finder (3.0.0) 1 | mod_articles_category (3.0.0) 1 | mod_custom (3.0.0) 1 | mod_articles_archive (3.0.0) 1 | mod_search (3.0.0) 1 |
Modules :: ADMIN :: mod_popular (3.0.0) 1 | mod_title (3.0.0) 1 | mod_quickicon (3.0.0) 1 | mod_toolbar (3.0.0) 1 | mod_status (3.0.0) 1 | mod_menu (3.0.0) 1 | mod_submenu (3.0.0) 1 | mod_login (3.0.0) 1 | mod_latest (3.0.0) 1 | mod_feed (3.0.0) 1 | mod_stats_admin (3.0.0) 1 | mod_logged (3.0.0) 1 | mod_custom (3.0.0) 1 | mod_multilangstatus (3.0.0) 1 | mod_version (3.0.0) 1 |

Plugins :: SITE :: plg_extension_joomla (3.0.0) 1 | plg_search_contacts (3.0.0) 1 | plg_search_weblinks (3.0.0) 1 | plg_search_categories (3.0.0) 1 | plg_search_newsfeeds (3.0.0) 1 | plg_search_tags (3.0.0) 1 | plg_search_content (3.0.0) 1 | plg_twofactorauth_yubikey (3.2.0) 0 | plg_twofactorauth_totp (3.2.0) 0 | plg_captcha_recaptcha (3.0.0) 0 | plg_user_joomla (3.0.0) 1 | plg_user_profile (3.0.0) 1 | plg_user_contactcreator (3.0.0) 1 | plg_editors-xtd_image (3.0.0) 1 | plg_editors-xtd_phocadownload (3.0.1) 1 | plg_editors-xtd_pagebreak (3.0.0) 1 | plg_editors-xtd_readmore (3.0.0) 1 | plg_editors-xtd_article (3.0.0) 1 | plg_finder_contacts (3.0.0) 0 | plg_finder_weblinks (3.0.0) 0 | plg_finder_content (3.0.0) 0 | plg_finder_tags (3.0.0) 0 | plg_finder_categories (3.0.0) 0 | plg_finder_newsfeeds (3.0.0) 0 | plg_content_joomla (3.0.0) 1 | plg_content_phocadownload (3.0.1) 1 | plg_content_emailcloak (3.0.0) 1 | plg_content_pagenavigation (3.0.0) 1 | plg_content_loadmodule (3.0.0) 0 | plg_content_vote (3.0.0) 1 | plg_content_pagebreak (3.0.0) 1 | plg_content_finder (3.0.0) 0 | plg_editors_tinymce (4.0.22) 1 | plg_editors_codemirror (3.15) 1 | plg_authentication_ldap (3.0.0) 0 | plg_authentication_joomla (3.0.0) 1 | plg_authentication_cookie (3.0.0) 1 | plg_authentication_gmail (3.0.0) 0 | plg_quickicon_extensionupdate (3.0.0) 1 | plg_quickicon_joomlaupdate (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_highlight (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_redirect (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_p3p (3.0.0) 1 | PLG_ECC (3-1) 1 | plg_system_sef (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_languagefilter (3.0.0) 0 | plg_system_logout (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_debug (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_languagecode (3.0.0) 0 | plg_system_log (3.0.0) 1 | plg_system_cache (3.0.0) 0 | plg_system_remember (3.0.0) 1 |

Templates :: SITE :: beez3 (3.1.0) 1 | protostar (1.0) 1 |
Templates :: ADMIN :: isis (1.0) 1 | hathor (3.0.0) 1 |

[Per Yngve Berg]

PHP Configuration :: Version: 5.3.29

This version is EOL. Use 5.6, 7.0, 7.1 or 7.2


Session Path Writable: No

Must be Yes.


Update to 3.5.1 first with the update package. Install with extensions installer
https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla ... format=zip

Upgrade further with the Joomla Updater

[sozzled]

I agree with @Per to update from J! 3.3.0 to J! 3.6.5 (and then to J! 3.8.7) in two steps.

I disagree with using Extension » Update to update the Joomla CMS. I suggest that you use Components » Joomla! Update component to update to J! 3.5.1 and then update to J! 3.8.7 after that. Your biggest problems, however, are with an outdated version of PHP and the session path setting that inappropriate for what you're trying to do.

Folder permissions should not be 775; the recommended permissions for folders is 755.

You should also get your extensions up to date (e.g. Akeeba Backup)!

[TwoHoot]

Thank you for the informative reply. My little vanity site has been inactive for almost 2 years due to other priorities. I have forgotten a lot and appreciate your help.

I don't have much control over the PHP version since it is provided by the web hosting service (iPower). They usually upgrade when I complain.

How do I make the Session Path Writable?

[sozzled]

My ... site has been inactive for almost 2 years ...

And it shows! Joomla updates occur (on average) about every six weeks.

I don't have much control over the PHP version since it is provided by the web hosting service (iPower).

That's fairly typical for the low-end of the price range. Let them know that you need (at least) PHP 5.6.3x because your J! 3.3.0 site won't work without it (and you won't be able to update the site software if you use PHP 7 at this time). After updating to J! 3.8.7 (and updating your out-of-date extensions) then you can look at PHP 7.x. OK?

How do I make the Session Path Writable?

Talk to your webhosting provider. They can usually fix this for you.

[TwoHoot]

How do I make the Session Path Writable?

Talk to your webhosting provider. They can usually fix this for you. [/quote]

Talking to my webhost is a waste of time. They will tell me it is a Joomla problem, not a hosting problem. And it is.

Can you give me some instructions on how to do it myself?

[sozzled]

Talking to my webhost is a waste of time.

Arguing with anyone is a waste of time. Our collective wisdom is to have Session Path Writable = Yes. If "talking" with your webhost is a waste of time—remember, you're paying them for advice, not the other way around—then move your business to a website that (a) listens to its customers, (b) provides a webhosting service that supports J! websites, (c) maintains it hosting software (particularly PHP) regularly.

Do you know when PHP 5.3.29 was released? Look it up: http://google.com/search?q=PHP+5.3.39+release+date

Can you give me some instructions on how to do it myself?

see http://google.com/search?q=how+to+set+session+path+writable (or ask your webhosting provider to make the change in the php.ini file for you).

Session Path Writable = Yes is a hosting issue (it's pre-requisite in order to host J! websites); it's not a "Joomla! issue" (or something that can be changed within the J! GUI/backend) because there's no setting for it.

[TwoHoot]

PHP Configuration :: Version: 5.3.29

This version is EOL. Use 5.6, 7.0, 7.1 or 7.2


Session Path Writable: No

Must be Yes.


Update to 3.5.1 first with the update package. Install with extensions installer
https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla ... format=zip

Upgrade further with the Joomla Updater

The Session Path is now writable. I can upgrade to PHP 7.1 at any time. Should I do it before or after the upgrade to 3.5.1?

[sozzled]

I answered that question last time. You cannot use PHP 7 unless J! is already at version 3.5.0 or higher. See https://docs.joomla.org/Technical_requirements

[TwoHoot]

I did the following:
1)Download the 3.5.1 stable update Package
2) Unzipped it on my local computer
3) Used FTP to transfer the unzipped files to a temporary directory on the website
4) Used Extension Manager Install from directory

This resulted in the following error message:

JInstaller: :Install: Cannot find XML setup file
Path does not have a valid package.

What do I need to do next?

PHP version 5.3.29

[Per Yngve Berg]

Wasn't you able to upload and install in Extensions Manager?

Maybe 3.4.8 was the last one that could be installed.

https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla ... format=zip

[TwoHoot]

Thank you for the reply.

I used the Install from Directory method in Extension Manager after uploading the unzipped files via FTP. I used the Install from Directory because my internet connection is sometimes unreliable during thunderstorm season (now).

Since the PHP version seems to be the most critical problem here, I changed it to version 5.6.3 from the original 5.3.29 AFTER failing to install. Is that going to be a problem in any way?

I will try again with the 3.4.8 upgrade package and post results shortly. Thank you for your help.

[TwoHoot]

Wasn't you able to upload and install in Extensions Manager?

Maybe 3.4.8 was the last one that could be installed.

https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla ... format=zip

I notice the link you gave is a stable patch for 3.4.x to 3.4.8. I am trying to upgrade from 3.3.0.

Is that the correct package or should I try to upgrade to 3.4.0 first?

[sozzled]

@Per: Joomla cannot be updated using Extensions » Update. It's never been possible to do it this way—not with J! 3.x (not even with J! 1.x)—because there's no XML setup file in the top-level folder of the installation package. The only recommended method to update J! Is to use Components » Joomla! Update.

Any other "update method" will result in problems.

[TwoHoot]

...The only recommended method to update J! Is to use Components » Joomla! Update.

Any other "update method" will result in problems.

I have never used the Component Update. Can you give me step-by-step instructions or a link to same?

I currently have J! 3.3.0. What version should I try to upgrade to?

[TwoHoot]

The only recommended method to update J! Is to use Components » Joomla! Update.

Under "Options" on the Update J! Components, I am asked for a Custom URL. I assume that is the URL of the package to be installed. What is the URL of the package you recommend installing to upgrade from J! 3.3.0?

[Per Yngve Berg]

Sorry, I linked to the wrong update package. Here is the 3.4.8 update package.

https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla ... format=zip


Select "Standard" in the Updater.

[sozzled]

@TwoHoot: I am pleased that you found the Joomla! Update component.

@Per's information is correct about locating the update package that you should start with. Go to https://docs.joomla.org/Joomla!_CMS_versions to find all the versions of Joomla that are available

Make a backup of your website before you attempt to update. In case the update fails, use the backup to restore the site to the point where you currently are ate.

Use the Joomla! Update component with that file, first, and then see if it works. Reply when you have done that.

[TwoHoot]

Sorry, I linked to the wrong update package. Here is the 3.4.8 update package.

https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla ... format=zip


Select "Standard" in the Updater.

There is no "Standard" in the Options under Components --> Joomla Update. The options are:
1) Long-Term Support
2) Short-Term Support
3) Testing
4) Custom URL

When I choose 4) Custom URL and enter the URL you give, I get the following Warning:

Warning

Update: :Collection: Could not open https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla ... update.xml

From the Help File:

Update Channel: (Default/Joomla! Next/Testing/Custom URL) This allows you to choose the update source for Joomla.
Default: is the recommended setting to stay on the latest release (3.6.x currently - and when 3.7.x comes out it will become this). This ensures that you still receive all released updates.
Testing: is used for testing Joomla! releases prior to their release as 'Stable'. With this setting nightly builds will be shown until a Beta or RC (Release Candidate) is available. It is recommended not to use on Production sites. Only use this setting on test sites.
Custom URL: This setting allows a custom update server to be used. It is recommended not to use on Production sites. Only use this setting on test sites.
Custom URL: This field is used to point to a custom XML update source URL, used only when the 'Update Server' option is set to 'Custom URL'.

[sozzled]

You're right. There is no "Standard" (as @Per wrote). The Update Channel selections are Default | Joomla! Next | Testing |Custom URL

Clear the Update Cache settings first. The documentation should explain what to do.

Use the Default channel.

Some of the documentation may be incorrect because you have not kept your J! software up-to-date but the doco has been updated in the time since J! 3.3.0 was released. Sorry for that. These things happen. Good luck.

[TwoHoot]

One thing that may be relevant is that System Information shows that all Directories are Writable except the configuration.php and the Log Directory.

When I use the default, it tries to upgrade to 3.6.5 and generates the following error:
0 Cannot open file for writing log

What is the easiest way to set the Log Directory to Writable?

[sozzled]

The file configuration.php should not be writable. The standard permissions for this file are 444.

I know that we've asked for this information before but, because you have made a couple of recent changes, could we please see the updated Forum Post Assistant report for your website?

Question: did you define, in the Global Configuration » System » System Settings » Path to Log Folder

[TwoHoot]

The file configuration.php should not be writable. The standard permissions for this file are 444.

I know that we've asked for this information before but, because you have made a couple of recent changes, could we please see the updated Forum Post Assistant report for your website?

Question: did you define, in the Global Configuration » System » System Settings » Path to Log Folder

Thank you for the helpful reply.

I will rerun and post a new FPA before the evening (here) is over.

I did not define the Path to Log folder - it was there by default. I will check the C-Panel at the webhost and make sure it is correct.

I did change the Log Directory Permission from 755 to 757 and the log file from 644 to 757 in the C-Panel. It didn't change the result of the attempted upgrade.

(In previous builds on the localhost server and at the webhost, I have set all Directory and File permissions to 757 to avoid write problems when the server presents itself as "Other". Then I change them to 755 and 644 before going live).

The configuration.php permissions are 444

[TwoHoot]

I may have to move to another hosting service. They will not leave the Session Path Writable for more than a few minutes. Their default is Unwritable.

Let me sleep on this problem and get back to you tomorrow.

[TwoHoot]

After sleeping on it, I think the website is too outdated to upgrade successfully. There doesn't seem to be agreement among the experts as to how it should be done and I sure don't know. The best course would seem to be to junk it and build a new one. Any advice or comment?

Can I build a new Joomla 3.8.x in a directory of the existing website while leaving jcharper.net online as it is and building in something like jcharper.net/newJoom? The subdirectory would have a different Joomla version, database and PHP from the main domain. Is that doable?

[wojsmol]

HI TwoHoot
Regarding unwritable logs folder:
1. Please crate php file with following content

Code: Select all

<?php echo $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'];?>

2. Upload this file to jcharper.net root folder.
3 Visit jcharper.net/[filename].php in your browser and compare displayed text with content of public $log_path in configuration.php file.

[TwoHoot]

HI TwoHoot
Regarding unwritable logs folder:
1. Please crate php file with following content

Code: Select all

<?php echo $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'];?>

2. Upload this file to jcharper.net root folder.
3 Visit jcharper.net/[filename].php in your browser and compare displayed text with content of public $log_path in configuration.php file.

Thank you for the reply and suggestion.

I have already spent too much time on this problem and have decided to drop it. My attention has shifted to building new instead of repairing the old. It is a small, personal website and transferring articles to a new installation will be relatively quick. I also want to change the focus and structure of the website to reflect new personal interests. Building new will facilitate both objectives.

What problems do you foresee with developing the new site with Joomla 3.8.x in a directory of the old site running Joomla 3.3.0? The URL would be something like jcharper.net/newsite.