Radar Maker Web Development & Design

A step-by-step guide to upgrading a module and backing up your files and database.

This tutorial assumes you are using Drupal 6 and have access to your site’s database via phpMyAdmin.

Any modules that may require updating can be viewed at yoursite/admin/reports/updates, or you can follow the Available updates link in the reports section of the administration panel.

Follow the Download link, and save the zipped update on what, by rights, should be your appallingly messy desktop.

Throw your site into Maintenance mode through the yoursite/admin/settings/site-maintenance url, or use the Site maintenance link under Site Configuration. If you harbour any pretences of being a professional and good at your job, then you should style the site maintenance page (maintenance-page.tpl.php) to suit your theme. If you harbour no such pretences, you’re laughing. *chuckles*

Sticking the site in Maintenance mode will prevent file uploads and changes to your database whilst you perform the pesky but completely necessary task of backing up.

Backing up your site’s files is easy: FTP in and drag them all down. Backing up your database is slightly more complicated.

Log in to phpMyAdmin through whatever means your host allows, and select your database from the left. Now don’t go marauding in here drunk or insomniacally tired and start dropping tables, or you’ll be fending off kicks to the teeth from your client with the awesome skills you’ve learnt playing Tekken.

Click on the‘Export tab at the top of the window, then select all of the tables.

Check the Add DROP TABLE / DROP VIEW checkbox. This will remove the existing tables when you re-install the database before re-creating and populating them.

Select the Save as file option and and your preferred compression, and then hit Go.

With your database backed up, return to the admin section of your Drupal installation. Browse to the modules page (/admin/build/modules) and disable the module you’re upgrading.

Delete the existing module’s files and upload the new version (usually to sites/all/modules).

Enable the module and run update.php: yoursite/update.php. This script will iron out any changes made to the database by the new module. Select the updates you want to run, if any, and hit Update.

Take your site out of Maintenance mode, and like Ben Affleck in the awful mess of a film that is Boiler Room, you’ll be done.