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Updating MX to new version: Difference between revisions
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=Who this article is for=
= Updating to a new MX release =▼
This article is for those who already use MX, and so are comfortable with basic MX installation and running.
The ease of doing a major update (i.e. where middle part of version number changes) is more variable in difficulty depending on which features in MX you actually use. You can even update skipping some major updates, but as that can be more complex, there is a separate section later with advice on how to update in stages from an early build to a recent build.▼
== CREDIT ==
Thanks to ''Billy'' on support forum for suggesting text for this article.
=Who is not intended reader=
Cumulus MX has been updated so frequently in 2020, that you may be used to updating to a new build, and for you this article is not useful.
=Introduction to updating MX=
==Installer Option==
HansR on support forum is developing an installer as this is being typed, see [https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=18893 this topic]. He proposes to start a new topic when his installer is ready for general use, and I hope he will update this section appropriately.
==Updating if you are running MX on a Linux computer==
You might want to read galfert's post on the support forum [https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=148851#p148851 in this post] for the relevant Linux instructions in a concise format.
The simplest update is from the immediate preceding build, and the steps required are summarised as follows:
# Download the release distribution zip for the next build (see later for where from)
# Use '''Control-C''' to stop Cumulus MX (see later if running as a service)
# Take a backup of your complete existing MX installation (as it is not running, no files will be locked)
# Unzip the new distribution overwriting the previous installation (the release announcement might ask you to delete obsolete files)
# Run any one-off batch scripts needed to prepare for upgrade (see later for examples)
# Restart your Cumulus MX (consider running with '''-debug''' parameter if you are not sure the new build is bug free)
The remainder of this article explains all options for updating, and is thus less simple than above.
==Considerations that determine when to update==
Cumulus MX will nag you, in various places, to make you aware if you are not running the latest build. Some people will choose to update as soon after a new release as they can. However, each upgrade does involve a period when MX is not running, and that causes some loss of data:
*for some weather station types readings taken every minute, or more frequently, are replaced by whatever period you station data logger records at;
*for other stations, without their own logging, all data is lost for the period when MX is not running.
Other, more cautious, people (like the present writer) will not update each time a new release becomes available (and there are a lot of new releases in 2020), here are some of the reasons:
* you will see in the Cumulus Support Forum that many builds have bugs, and so you realise that it is better to stick with your fully working release, than install one with bugs;
* you may wish to avoid the loss of data mentioned above, by minimising the number of times that you stop MX;
* you may run MX on a computer that you rarely visit, perhaps even in a remote location not often visited, so you prefer to leave it untouched, rather than risk possibility of being unable to restart remotely;
* you may just have more important ways to use your time than updating your MX software, and some new builds might not give you any benefits that make it worthwhile to change your priorities.
It is perfectly possible to update from old versions of MX to the latest, skipping intermediate versions, but there are some key versions that you should not skip over. This article also includes suggestions for which releases to install and get running before moving onto newer releases. This will be especially useful for those people who do not immediately update to new releases, as per above suggestions.
===Advice about skipping versions===
Early builds of MX were all assigned to the same version number, recently the version number seems to change with every new build. Thus the following simple advice about skipping versions might not be applicable in 2021 onwards.
One would assume that, skipping minor releases in an update (from 3.x.y to 3.x.z, i.e. only final digit of version number changing is a minor release) would always be simple, even if several intermediate builds are skipped. Most developers would not introduce a new feature in a minor release that requires a one-off extra action for a successful upgrade. Unfortunately, some minor releases of MX have required you to do special actions.
One might assume that the ease of doing a major update (i.e. where middle part of version number changes) involves greater difficulty. Most developers would only classify a new release as a major update if there was new functionality being introduced that, depending on what functionality you use, might involve a one-off extra action to prepare for upgrade to that version. It is harder to understand why some MX releases are classified as major version number change, and some as minor version number change.
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= Knowing when a new release is available =
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