System update

Check, prepare, install, stop and roll back new versions of dbxapp.

Guidance for administrators

Easy to update – with a safe decision before installation

dbxapp checks and loads an update first into a separate Preparation area. As long as it has not been installed, you can Continue without changing the running system or stop the update.

Where can I find the update?

Sign in as an administrator and open:

ADMIN → Dashboard → Status & Health → Update* *

The update notice appears in both the left dashboard menu and the pane Status and Health. One click opens the central page System Update**.

Note

The dashboard does not call GitHub every time it goes. It shows the last locally stored check result and therefore remains fast. A new online check only begins when you explicitly start the update page.

The four status indicators in the dashboard

The recommended sequence

1. Open the update page Installed, available and provided version and the Check the time of the last test.
2. Select “Prepare Update Automatically” dbxapp checks the latest stable release, loads a newer package and validates it completely. The current program and databases remain unchanged.
3. Read the result With “ready” the package can be installed. For “current” there is no Further action is needed. An error message indicates the specific cause.
4. Install or stop “Install now safely” starts after a confirmation the actual update. “Stop Update” only removes the prepared Package.
5. Controlling success After successful installation, the new version number must be “Installed” appears. Then the main functions of Check your own installation briefly.

What does “Stop Update” mean?

Stop update** is intended for the period between preparation and installation. dbxapp removes together:

• the downloaded release ZIP;
• the isolated, unpacked staging area;
• the status ‘provided’.

Installed program files and databases have not yet been changed in this phase. The information about the last release check and existing backups of previous installations are preserved.

Warning

As soon as you Safely install now has been confirmed, the short file/database step must not be interrupted manually. A stop switch during this critical section would be insecure and is therefore deliberately not available.

What happens with “Install safely now”?

dbxapp performs the following steps as a controlled operation:

1. The package provided and each unpacked file are checked again.
2. All program files to be replaced or removed are backed up.
3. For pending database migrations, the actually affected DD tables are backed up with schema, indices and data.
4. New program files are installed and outdated release files are removed.
5. Pending DD migrations that are not yet recorded are executed.
6. The new VERSION is confirmed and the update status is saved.
7. Staging and download are removed; an existing PHP-OPcache is reset.

If an installation step fails, dbxapp automatically attempts to restore the backed up files and affected database tables together. The error message remains visible for diagnosis.

What remains unchanged in an update?

Local runtime data and configurations are neither transferred from the release nor overwritten. In particular:

• .env, .env.local and local config.local.php;
• Files / and dbx/files/;
• Production .db3-, SQLite and other database files;
• uploads, logs, temporary files, caches and backup directories;
• Key and certificate files.

Modules belong to the normal dbxapp release and are therefore updated together with the system. However, production data of a module is not copied from the release ZIP.

DB3, MySQL and mixed installations

Each DD keeps its own locally resolved server bindings. Therefore, an installation may, for example, carry users and orders in MySQL, content in a DB3 file and sessions in another DB3 file.

Before a database change, dbxapp again determines the real local target for each affected DD. Security and migration are exclusively via dbxDB and dbxDD.

A release must not change an existing database destination unnoticed. If a new DD standard were to direct an existing table to another server, the update would stop without explicit local binding. The administrator then explicitly decides on binding or data transfer.

Stopping and rolling back are not the same

Action	Date	Effects
Stop the update	After preparation, before installation	Removes download and staging. The installed system remains unchanged.
Roll back the last update	After a successful installation	Restore the program files backed up during the last update and affected DD tables.

A rollback is only available if the last update backup is present, has not already been rolled back and the installed version has not been changed elsewhere since.

Warning

A database rollback puts the secured affected tables up to date ahead Back to the update. If new production data has already been created in these tables after the update, their backup and further procedure must be checked before the rollback. A rollback is a recovery measure, not a normal “back” switch.

Typical messages and the right response

Message	Meaning	Recommended reaction
The installation is on the known state	No recent stable release was found.	No further action needed.
Update ... is fully verified	The package is only in staging.	Read release notes, then install or stop.
Manifest unavailable	The published release does not yet have a suitable update contract or is not reachable.	Try again later and check release notes.
PHP requirement or extension missing	The server does not meet a technical requirement.	Update the PHP environment first; do not force the package.
SHA-256/Paket/Pfad invalid	The security check rejected the package.	Do not install manually; Discard download and clarify cause.
Update failed and rolled back	The installation failed; dbxapp has restored the backup.	Check the system status and files/dbxError.log Check before restarting.

Short checklist for production systems

• Read release instructions and select a suitable maintenance window.
• Create an complete external backup before important production updates.
• After preparation, check version number and status "ready".
• Off Safely install now Do not interrupt the browser, PHP process, or web server intentionally.
• After success, check sign-in, the homepage,, start page and test the most important own modules.
• In the event of an error, first back up the message and the error log; Use rollback only after checking new data.