Starting from July 8, 2019, Plesk enables the automatic updates for Partners. Within a timeframe of 6 months, all Plesk servers running 17.0 and 17.5 will be automatically updated to Plesk Onyx 17.8. We’ve discussed why you should be on the latest Plesk version in a previous blogpost.
The Concept of Auto-Updates for Partners
We have added several crucial features to our Partner Central portal that allow Partners to apply additional settings related to the auto-updates, namely:
- Set the specific week days when the auto-updates will run
- Add email addresses (in addition to the administrator’s email) that will be used for update-related notifications
Note that these settings will become available in Partner Central on June 24, 2019.
The Phases of Auto-Updates Adoption
When it comes to auto-updates, several tiers of Partners are defined:
- Early adopters
- General release
- Late adopter release
Partners with Early adopter tier will be updated first, during June. General release tier implies the update right after the early adopter tier. This means that your Plesk servers will be auto-updated during the July – November time frame. Late adopter release tier means that the servers belonging to this tier will be auto-updated in September – November.
How to Check my Tier on a Single Plesk Server?
In the Plesk interface, in the left side menu, click on Tools & Settings -> Update and then Upgrade settings.
Alternatively, check via ssh console using the Plesk CLI:
plesk bin server_pref -s | grep -i release-tier
| “current” | Early adopter release |
| empty value or “release” | General release |
| “stable” | Late adopter release |
How to Define a Specific Release Tier for a Bunch of my Servers?
You might want to check your tier to have a better understanding of the time frame when your servers will be auto-updated, and then decide to change the settings if you need to.
To do so:
- Log in to Partner Central here
- Go to Product Configuration > configuration you need > click Edit link close to Server Settings
- Select the tier you need and make sure the radio button Install updates automatically is selected
- Set weekdays when you want the auto-updates to run (at least 2)
- Enter the email address of a person or group of people who should be notified when the auto-update starts and ends
- Click Save
And that’s it – you’re ready!
Note: If you want to apply auto-update settings to more than one Plesk server, please use Partner Central.
Other Important Facts to Know (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: When exactly will updates of my servers be installed?
A: The exact date and time of the update depend on the update settings configuration set by the party managing the Plesk servers. However, if you already see a notification in the Plesk control panel, it means that some time during the 5 month time frame the auto-updates will be installed.
Q: How can I know exactly (at least the month) when my server will be updated?
A: This is not possible – but you can adjust the settings of your tier, following the instructions above.
Q: Will all of my servers be updated at the same time?
A: No. There is a smart algorithm used by Plesk to update Plesk servers. For technical reasons, updating all servers at the same time is not possible.
Q: What will be the downtime when my Plesk server is upgraded, will my websites be down?
A: There is no downtime during the Plesk upgrade as such, though there is minor downtime (a few minutes) when the Control Panel service is restarted.
Q: Where can I find information about what was changed with the update?
A: You can find all the information about this in the Change Log for Plesk Onyx or What’s new pages.