Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Need help upgrading your Joomla! website or converting to Joomla! 3.x?

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by Webdongle » Fri Oct 24, 2014 12:13 am

Try site.com/administrator/index.php?option=com_installer&view=discover and Discover
Also site.com/administrator/index.php?option=com_installer&view=database and Fix
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https://www.weblinksonline.co.uk/updating-joomla.html
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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by cruzer » Fri Oct 24, 2014 12:31 am

At this point I am ready to restore and try it again. I'm not even getting a web page

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by Webdongle » Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:01 am

cruzer wrote:At this point I am ready to restore and try it again. ...
If the worst comes to the worst
  • Install a fresh Joomla 3.3.6 (without sample data) in a subfolder to an empty database.
  • Install the newest versions of the 3rd extensions that you had on the original site.
  • Edit the configuration.php to connect to your original database.
  • Use Akeeba to make a backup
You will now have a site that has fresh, clean, up to date Joomla core files and fresh, clean, up to date 3rd party extension files connected to your original database. If that fails to run then compare it with the database of the fresh install. But it should help.
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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by cruzer » Fri Oct 24, 2014 5:14 pm

Will do!

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by cruzer » Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:50 pm

Wow that saved me lot's of work. Do I remove the new sql DB? I have 6 more to do.

Thanks again!
Last edited by imanickam on Fri Oct 31, 2014 2:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Manual Signature Removed

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by sovainfo » Fri Oct 24, 2014 7:07 pm

Hope you realize this doesn't upgrade the database. So, it is not a replacement fro migrating!
Issue with migrating? Include logs/joomla_update.php in your report!
Blank screen? Verify pagesource for HTML code (javascript error)
Installation failing on populating database? Install with set_time_limit(0)
Document your customizations!

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by Webdongle » Fri Oct 24, 2014 7:23 pm

Option 1
If you are updating from 2.5 and the update partially complete you can
  • Install a fresh Joomla 3.3.6 (without sample data) in a subfolder to an empty database.
  • Install the newest versions of the 3rd extensions that you had on the original site.
  • Edit the configuration.php to connect to your original database.
  • Use Akeeba to make a backup
Option 2
But if you are concerned your 2.5.7 site will not update because of 3rd party files you can
  • Install a fresh 2.5.7
  • Edit the configuration.php to connect to the original database
  • Update with Components >>> Joomla update ... or via the Extensions manager.
    (This will update your database to 3.3.6)
Then
  • Install a fresh Joomla 3.3.6 (without sample data) in a subfolder to an empty database.
  • Install the newest versions of the 3rd extensions that you had on the original site.
  • Edit the configuration.php to connect to your original database.
  • Use Akeeba to make a backup
Option 3
But if you are concerned your 2.5.7 site will not update because of 3rd party files you can
  • Use a tool to update
Then
  • Install a fresh Joomla 3.3.6 (without sample data) in a subfolder to an empty database.
  • Install the newest versions of the 3rd extensions that you had on the original site.
  • Edit the configuration.php to connect to your updated database.
  • Use Akeeba to make a backup

Yes you will need to delete any Redundant databases and any Redundant files because they are no longer fresh and leaving them will cause confusion.

Using method 2 is a little like a cross between Brahmins Tower, the Shell game and Find the lady. But it is effective so long as you have a working database and match the fresh install with the working database. It is also the advised method of restoring a hacked site once all the files have been removed from the server.

Using method 3 is easier for some users but other users may not find it any faster than method 2.

Of course if the update(mini migration) works correctly there is no need to use the alternative method.
Last edited by Webdongle on Thu Oct 30, 2014 3:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by Webdongle » Fri Oct 24, 2014 7:43 pm

sovainfo wrote:Hope you realize this doesn't upgrade the database. So, it is not a replacement fro migrating!
Quite correct it doesn't but the update completed and the site was just No Avail. Therefore the database had been updated and it was files from 3rd party extensions that were causing the problem.

If the update fails during the database part of the update then running the Joomla cli\deletefiles.php from the command line (not requesting it in the browser) can often allow access to /administration to 'Fix' the database. Otherwise with a failed update reinstating the site from backup then using Option 2 that I outlined in my follow up post will work.

Also mentioned in my follow up post
Webdongle wrote:it is effective so long as you have a working database and match the fresh install with the working database
And
Webdongle wrote:Of course if the update(mini migration) works correctly there is no need to use the alternative method
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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by Slackervaara » Fri Oct 31, 2014 7:26 pm

It seems I have solved the problems with time outs and white page after 30-50 seconds.
I looked in php error logs for errors and it was time out after 50 seconds in:
\libraries\joomla\filesystem\file.php

This line will increase execution time and avoid timeouts: ini_set('max_execution_time', 1000);

\libraries\joomla\filesystem\file.php

In editor after:
<?php
ini_set('max_execution_time', 1000);

After that change the upgrade completed for the first time. And an impossible upgrade was suddenly very easy.

Its a pity that this have not been included by the Joomla guys. Hope they will add this line in 2.5.28 to avoid major hassles for many.
Last edited by Slackervaara on Sat Nov 01, 2014 2:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by leolam » Sat Nov 01, 2014 6:41 am

Never change max execution time in the file. That is a server issue so you do that in either htaccess or in php.ini (depends on your server).

htaccess: Add

Code: Select all

php_value max_execution_time 90
with php.ini: Add

Code: Select all

max_execution_time = 90
to a php.ini file which you place in your Joomla root (90 = 1.5 minutes is sufficient for this)

Note if we would have that in the code we would allow each script on your site to run for 1000 seconds which is highly undesirable and your host would blow you off the box faster than the speed of sound

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by Slackervaara » Sat Nov 01, 2014 7:20 am

On my live site I cant change php.ini and not add an local php.ini due to shared host.
Changes in .htacess like this are impossible also.

However when I added the code in this and only file it vanished after the upgrade completed. Probably substituted by a Joomla 3.3 file.

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by leolam » Sat Nov 01, 2014 7:24 am

Slackervaara wrote:Changes in .htacess like this are impossible also.
Why not? Also protected by your host? In that case it is a solution for sure as long as it will be removed as soon as the job is done. Again the server load will spike so anybody who does this remove this as quickly as possible to avoid being targeted by their host

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by Slackervaara » Sat Nov 01, 2014 5:30 pm

Ideally it would be good if Joomla is tested in a shared host environments with limited resources that many people have and that bottle necks for upgrade like this are fixed by programmers, so that everyone does not need to spends weeks to fix such problems.

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by Webdongle » Sat Nov 01, 2014 5:44 pm

Slackervaara wrote:Ideally it would be good if Joomla is tested in a shared host environments with limited resources that many people have and that bottle necks for upgrade like this are fixed by programmers, so that everyone does not need to spends weeks to fix such problems.
It is tested on shared Hosting environments. In fact many of the bugsquad testers can only afford shared Hosting. The fact that there is something wrong with the server your Host provides does not mean that Joomla will not work on shared Hosting.

A screenshot of the System >>> System information ... would be helpful. Also a screenshot of the page displayed with the 'Directory Permissions' Tab of that menu item would also be helpful.
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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by Slackervaara » Sat Nov 01, 2014 5:50 pm

I have not tested on live site yet, but only Xampp. I have used max execution time etc like my live site. Prior installation Joomla has reported the Xampp fine and OK, but migration has always stopped at 82 % and blank page,

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by Webdongle » Sat Nov 01, 2014 7:31 pm

Slackervaara wrote:I... Prior installation Joomla has reported the Xampp fine and OK, but migration has always stopped at 82 % and blank page,
Please see http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?f ... 5#p3230645 That often will help recover enough from a failed update to reach /administrator. And to use the Database 'Fix' and the Discover tools.

If all else fails then http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?f ... 0#p3232132 will work
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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by ben_jadue » Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:18 pm

My Joomla site is offline and I followed the Joomla 2 to 3 update procedure and lastly when I changed the Joomla Update Option and set it to “Short Term Support” saved and closed. I am not getting the Update to Joomla 3 option to chose and update my site. What should I do?

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by leolam » Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:48 pm

ben_jadue wrote:My Joomla site is offline and I followed the Joomla 2 to 3 update procedure and lastly when I changed the Joomla Update Option and set it to “Short Term Support” saved and closed. I am not getting the Update to Joomla 3 option to chose and update my site. What should I do?


1) BACKUP WHAT YOU HAVE ! (use Akeebabackup) and download it to your PC!
2) Download this: http://joomlacode.org/gf/download/frsre ... ackage.zip and install as an extension (extension Manager --> install)

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by barraclm » Sun Nov 23, 2014 10:50 pm

I am still confused!

I have tidied up my 2.5 installation and removed everything that is no longer used and then done a backup. I know that I need to delete all components/modules/plugins that do not have a Joomla 3 version. That is easy. I also have some extensions where the same extension works in 2.5 and 3 so I will make sure that I have the latest version installed.

Where I am unsure what to do is where there is an extension which has a 2.5 version and a separate 3 version. Do I

a) delete the 2.5 version, update Joomla to 3 and then install the 3 version of the extension, or
b) delete the 2.5 version, install the 3 version (in Joomla 2.5) and then update to Joomla 3

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by sovainfo » Sun Nov 23, 2014 11:07 pm

That depends on the extension, you need to find out the answer from that developer. Each extension will behave differently.
Issue with migrating? Include logs/joomla_update.php in your report!
Blank screen? Verify pagesource for HTML code (javascript error)
Installation failing on populating database? Install with set_time_limit(0)
Document your customizations!

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by Webdongle » Mon Nov 24, 2014 12:48 am

Would suggest you use your backup to reproduce your site on localhost and try
  1. Uninstall all 3rd party extensions that are only compatible with Joomla 2.5 and disable the Joomla 'Remember me' plugin.
  2. Replace the files with those from the Joomla 2.5 full package. Do this by deleting all the folders and files (except the configuration.php) and uploading the folders and files (except the /installation folder) of the Joomla 2.5 full package. Then login to Joomla admin and use Components >>> Joomla update .. to update using the fresh files.
  3. Use a blank Joomala 3.x installation to replace the folders and files from the compatible third party extensions. Do this by deleting all the folders and file (including the configuration.php this time ) and uploading all the folders and files including the /installation folder this time) of the Joomla 3.x full package. Then install Joomla 3.x to an empty database and install the newest versions of the compatible 3rd party extensions to it. All that remains is to edit the configuration.php file to connect to the original(undated database). And if required rename the htaccess.txt.
Step #1 Makes sure all the folders files of 3rd party extensions are removed and can not interfere with the updating process. It also prevent the Joomla 'Remember me' plugin from causing cache problems.

Step #2 Makes sure the updating process uses fresh Joomla files.

Step #3 Allows fresh folders and files of the 3rd party extensions to be installed without altering their corresponding Tables in the original database. Editing the configuration.php to connect to the original (updated) database gives you a completed, updated working site.

If you do it on localhost then it won't damage your site.
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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by barraclm » Mon Nov 24, 2014 2:01 am

Thank you for your advice. FYI - all this advice does is tell me that it is imperative to get out of Joomla as fast as possible.

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by leolam » Mon Dec 15, 2014 2:04 pm

barraclm wrote:all this advice does is tell me that it is imperative to get out of Joomla as fast as possible.
That is hilarious. When your driving instructor tells you how to use your gear you get out of the car since you were used to an automatic?

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by leolam » Thu Jan 08, 2015 2:50 pm

Note that I am trying to get some moderators make some updates on this post to reflect some missing issues

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by aosorio » Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:43 pm

When I tried to update from 2.5 to 3.x I kept getting "No updates available" even though I had already changed the update policy to "Short Term". The problem was the cache and after doing these steps I updated successfully:
1. Go to the extension manager and select the update tab.
2. Click on purge cache.
3. Click on find updates.
4. Go to Control Panel. The Joomla Updater will now report an update available.

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by Dgras777 » Sat Jan 31, 2015 1:28 pm

I had also the same problem with caching, this has definitely helped

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by stuffdone » Mon Feb 09, 2015 7:38 pm

I have read the page for upgrading but am not able to find some of the functions told to use. https://docs.joomla.org/Joomla_2.5_to_3 ... _Migration

For one thing it tells me I already have the latest version of Joomla and there seems no option to update anywhere I can find. Joomla! 2.5.24

"There are no updates available at the moment. Please check again later."

I have a zip backup plus a server backup that can restore from so what I need is to know how to do the backup to 3.x.

Any help appreciated.
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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by stuffdone » Mon Feb 09, 2015 7:46 pm

stuffdone wrote:I have read the page for upgrading but am not able to find some of the functions told to use. https://docs.joomla.org/Joomla_2.5_to_3 ... _Migration

For one thing it tells me I already have the latest version of Joomla and there seems no option to update anywhere I can find. Joomla! 2.5.24

"There are no updates available at the moment. Please check again later."
I cannot find the suggested "one click update" anywhere on another site.
Joomla! 2.5.28 There is a warning that this version is no longer supported with a link back to docs for updating but they don't appear to be accurate or I am missing something in where to find the "one click" update button.
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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by mikerotec » Thu Feb 12, 2015 10:18 pm

Finally ( months behind schedule) I am getting ready to upgrade my live site.
I've just taken a fresh backup and loaded it into my DEV server.
I'm running down all the steps locally and documenting the time, so I can have an idea of how long a maintenance window I will need to schedule on the live server. Also, practice makes perfect!

Anyway, my question is regarding the "old junk SQL" files in the /administrator/components/com_admin/sql/updates/mysql folder.

( The ones that cause the dreaded '1062' error )...

Is it safe to delete ALL OF THEM before running the 2.5 -> 3.3 upgrade?
My earlier testing I just deleted the 1.7x ones, but there still tonnes of 2.5.x ones sitting there.

TIA!

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Re: Practical Guide Upgrade Joomla 2.5 to Joomla 3.x

Post by sovainfo » Fri Feb 13, 2015 12:30 am

Assuming there are no errors reported with Extension manager->Database with the structure of the database tables it is save to delete all of them. The update will put them back. Unfortunately more than you need, after succesfull update you can clean them again.
Issue with migrating? Include logs/joomla_update.php in your report!
Blank screen? Verify pagesource for HTML code (javascript error)
Installation failing on populating database? Install with set_time_limit(0)
Document your customizations!


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