GLPI Update

Objective

Update GLPI to a newer version while preserving data, configuration and plugins. Safe procedure with prior backups.

Prerequisites

• GLPI currently installed and functional
• Root or sudo access
• Sufficient disk space for backups
• Check compatibility: GLPI Documentation

Full Procedure

Step 1: Check the current version

cat /var/www/html/glpi/version.txt

Or via the interface: Configuration → General → Overview

Step 2: Enable maintenance mode

Configuration → General → System

• Check "Enable maintenance mode"
• Save

This prevents users from logging in during the update.

Step 3: Full backup

A. Backup GLPI files

mkdir -p /root/backup_glpi
cp -r /var/www/html/glpi /root/backup_glpi/glpi_$(date +%Y%m%d)

B. Database backup

mysqldump -u root -p glpi > /root/backup_glpi/glpi_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

C. Verify backups

ls -lh /root/backup_glpi/

Step 4: Download the new version

cd /tmp
wget https://github.com/glpi-project/glpi/releases/download/10.0.17/glpi-10.0.17.tgz

Step 5: Extract and replace

# Extract
tar -xzf glpi-10.0.17.tgz

# Remove old version (except config and files)
rm -rf /var/www/html/glpi/*

# Copy new version
cp -r /tmp/glpi/* /var/www/html/glpi/

# Restore configuration
cp -r /root/backup_glpi/glpi_*/config/* /var/www/html/glpi/config/
cp -r /root/backup_glpi/glpi_*/files/* /var/www/html/glpi/files/
cp -r /root/backup_glpi/glpi_*/plugins/* /var/www/html/glpi/plugins/

# Permissions
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/glpi
chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/glpi

Step 6: Update the database

Access the web interface: http://SERVER_IP/glpi

GLPI automatically detects that the database needs updating and displays the migration wizard.

1. Log in with an administrator account
2. Follow the update wizard
3. Click "Continue" at each step
4. Wait for the database migration to complete (may take several minutes)

Step 7: Disable maintenance mode

Configuration → General → System

• Uncheck "Maintenance mode"
• Save

Step 8: Update plugins

Configuration → Plugins

• Check plugin compatibility with the new version
• Update plugins if necessary
• Disable/Remove incompatible plugins

Post-Migration Verification

Version check

Configuration → General → Overview: verify the version number

Functional tests

• User login
• Create a ticket
• Search in the inventory
• Access reports
• Plugin functionality

Log verification

tail -f /var/log/apache2/glpi_error.log
tail -f /var/www/html/glpi/files/_log/php-errors.log

Rollback Procedure (in case of problems)

Restore files

rm -rf /var/www/html/glpi
cp -r /root/backup_glpi/glpi_20241215 /var/www/html/glpi
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/glpi

Restore the database

mysql -u root -p

DROP DATABASE glpi;
CREATE DATABASE glpi CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
EXIT;

mysql -u root -p glpi < /root/backup_glpi/glpi_20241215.sql

Security and Best Practices

• Always test the update in a test environment before production
• Check the release notes (changelog) for major changes
• Schedule the update during a maintenance window (outside business hours)
• Inform users in advance
• Keep backups for at least 30 days
• Document the procedure and any issues encountered
• Check PHP compatibility (GLPI 10.x requires PHP 7.4 minimum)

Troubleshooting

Problem: Blank page after update

# Check PHP logs
tail -f /var/www/html/glpi/files/_log/php-errors.log

# Clear the cache
rm -rf /var/www/html/glpi/files/_cache/*

Problem: Database error

• Check that the MySQL account has rights on the database
• Re-run the migration: access http://IP/glpi/install/update.php

Problem: Incompatible plugin

Temporarily disable the plugin:

mv /var/www/html/glpi/plugins/plugin_name /var/www/html/glpi/plugins/plugin_name.disabled

Key Points for the BTS Oral

• Full backup: files + database BEFORE any operation
• Maintenance mode: prevents concurrent changes during the update
• Database migration: GLPI automatically handles SQL schema changes
• Rollback: always prepare a rollback procedure
• Prior testing: never update directly in production without testing
• Compatibility: check plugins, PHP, MySQL before updating
• Maintenance window: schedule outside business hours