Project:Updates and Maintenance

From MediaWiki

This page records maintenance and MediaWiki updates performed by AIC's contractor WikiWorks. For additional information on AIC wiki development visit the Project:Community portal and Project:AIC e-Editor Board Reports pages.

November 2024[edit source]

  • Migrate to docker volumes
  • Migrate to puppet (AIC)
  • Replace deprecated plugin mysql_native_password
  • Security Updates on Core
  • Template Editing Inquiry
  • Upgrade Variables to resolve deprecated hook InternalParseBeforeSanitize

October 2024[edit source]

  • Check Backups
  • Check Monitors
  • Check Site Security
  • Disk Space Cleanup
  • General Wiki Maintenance
  • Migrate to docker volumes
  • Migrate to puppet (AIC)
  • Perform Site Analysis
  • Security Updates on Core
  • Update Server Packages
  • Upgrade Variables to resolve deprecated hook InternalParseBeforeSanitize

September 2024[edit source]

  • Check Monitors
  • Check Server Logs
  • Check Site Performance
  • Check Varnish configuration
  • Clean up branches on repos (Conserva􀀥on Wiki)
  • Migrate to puppet (AIC)
  • Resolve perpetually loading SMW vertical bars
  • Update Server Packages
  • Upgrade Variables to resolve deprecated hook InternalParseBeforeSanitize

August 2024[edit source]

  • Check Monitors
  • Check Server Logs
  • Materials Testing Data tables on AIC wiki
  • Migrate to puppet (AIC)
  • Password Reset Issue
  • Set up a new server
  • Update Server Packages
  • Update SSH keys

July 2024[edit source]

  • Add Ash to Canasta developers
  • Check Backups
  • Close port 25 (SMTP)
  • Conserva􀀧on Wiki is down
  • Disable the RPC service on the server
  • Investigate and remove HTTP_X_REAL_IP if appropriate
  • Materials Testing Data tables on AIC wiki
  • Migrate to puppet (AIC)
  • Security Updates on Core
  • Test Restore from Backup
  • Upgrade OpenSSH
  • Upgrade Variables to resolve deprecated hook InternalParseBeforeSani􀀧ze

June 2024[edit source]

  • set a max size for Docker logs
  • Set up a new server
  • Upgrade Variables to resolve deprecated hook InternalParseBeforeSanitize

May 2024[edit source]

  • Add HTTP basic auth on the test wiki and disable sitemap genertion by default
  • Bring server back up
  • Check conservation wiki downtime
  • Check Sitemap
  • ESTIMATE: Semantic tags in Recent changes
  • Increase timeout limits
  • Past edits adjustments
  • Set up a new server
  • Upgrade Variables to resolve deprecated hook InternalParseBeforeSanitize

April 2024[edit source]

  • Check conservation wiki downtime
  • Check Server Logs
  • Increase Timeout limits
  • investigate downtime
  • Review performance improvements
  • Security Updates on Core
  • Text description issue

March 2024[edit source]

  • Check Backups
  • Check Server Logs
  • Check Site Security
  • Materials Testing tables card v. simple view
  • Perform Site Analysis
  • Text description issue
  • Update Server Packages

February 2024[edit source]

  • Add HTTP basic auth on the test wiki and disable sitemap generation by default
  • Add sitemap to robots.txt
  • Adjust purge permissions
  • Check Monitors
  • Check Server Logs
  • Check Site Performance
  • Debug slow performance
  • Disk Space Cleanup
  • General Wiki Maintenance
  • Restic policy update
  • Review performance improvements
  • Update Server Packages

January 2024[edit source]

  • Add Sentry back to the stack
  • Add sitemap to robots.txt
  • Check Backups
  • Check Caches
  • Check Site Security
  • Close port 25 (SMTP)
  • Disk Space Cleanup
  • Fix PDFEmbed

December 2023[edit source]

  • Check Backups
  • Check Site Security
  • Remove outdated security patch
  • Test Restore from Backup
  • Update Server Packages

November 2023[edit source]

  • Check Backups
  • Collecting search terms
  • Hide the option to change skins on user preferences
  • Improve uptime monitoring
  • Security Updates on Core

October 2023[edit source]

  • Add a favicon
  • Check Backups
  • Check Site Security
  • Explore adding Datatables for wikitext tables
  • Hide the option to change skins on user preferences
  • Perform Site Analysis
  • Update Matomo
  • Update Server Packages

September 2023[edit source]

  • Add basic auth to staging
  • Adding in Google Analytics code
  • Create a separate Staging wiki
  • Resolve SubPageList on 1.39
  • Upgrade Production Wiki to 1.39
  • Upgrade Test Wiki to 1.39

August 2023[edit source]

  • Check Varnish configuration
  • Create a separate Staging wiki
  • Lexicon ques􀀠on
  • Remove SMW (not enabled)
  • Resolve perpetually loading SMW vertical bars
  • Update Extension Tests
  • Update extensions and skins to their latest minor versions
  • Update restic image to new version
  • Upgrade Test Wiki to 1.39

July 2023[edit source]

  • Add EditAccount to Canasta
  • Check Monitors
  • Check Server Logs
  • Check Varnish configuration
  • Update Apache logs mount point
  • Update Extension Tests
  • Upgrade Test Wiki to 1.39

June 2023[edit source]

  • Add EditAccount to Canasta
  • Add GTag to Canasta
  • Check widgets for security
  • Upgrade Test Wiki to 1.39

May 2023[edit source]

  • Add namespaces to pages
  • Check on backup creation
  • Meeting with Ike

April 2023[edit source]

  • Check why ads disappeared
  • Explore adding Datatables for wikitext tables
  • Switch to SMTP server
  • Fixed "Current events" page link
  • Swept the Main Page, adding namespaces as appropriate creating the following new pages:
    • Project:AIC E-editor
    • Help:AIC-CC User Guidelines
    • Project:AIC Wiki Chairs and Editors
    • Help:Wiki Editors' Resources
    • Help:Help Wanted
    • Help:Adding Images
    • Help:Adding Tables
    • Help:Citations
    • Help:Template for new Chapter
    • Project:Sandbox Page

March 2023[edit source]

  • Add DataTables for long table
  • Check why ads disappeared
  • Research resource leaks
  • Switch to SMTP server
  • User Emails not working

February 2023[edit source]

  • Configure remote backups
  • Mediwiki docker image build failure
  • Migrate stack to Taqasta
  • Restore elastic indexing
  • Vimeo issue

January 2023[edit source]

  • Fix all Critical security issues
  • Mediwiki docker image build failure
  • Move monit slack script into bin directory
  • Restore elastic indexing
  • Update Monit HDD check to report green state
  • Update the Widgets extension to fix XSS a􀀬ack vector (WikiTeq docker image)
  • Upgrade docker-compose to latest release
  • Vimeo issue

December 2022[edit source]

  • Add automa􀀞c docker images cleanup
  • Clean up working directory, sync changes
  • Fix all Critical security issues
  • Review SSH access

November 2022[edit source]

  • Accounts for new members
  • Clean up clutter and stale backups
  • Limit TOC headings
  • Site down
  • Update stack image (if necessary)

October 2022[edit source]

  • Add server to the vulnerabilities scanner
  • Update stack to include gateway option
  • Upgrade Production Wiki to 1.35.8
  • Upgrade Test Wiki to 1.35.8

September 2022[edit source]

  • Check system and docker logs to look for potential issues
  • Deploy test wiki via Portainer agent
  • Fix ES readonly alert
  • Node.js AWS EOL
  • Solve Portainer volume problem
  • Wiki is down incident

August 2022[edit source]

  • Clean up clutter and stale backups (if any)
  • Inspect ElastocSearch container warnings
  • Inspect Nginx error logs
  • Remove TalkRight extension
  • Upgrade system packages
  • Wiki is down incident

July 2022[edit source]

  • Clean up working directory, sync changes
  • Investigate Postfix Issue
  • Upgrade production wiki to 1.35.7
  • Upgrade test wiki to 1.35.7

June 2022[edit source]

Check system and docker logs to look for potential issues Maintenance Research Make ES readonly check report up status Site outage Status of external links page Update SSH Keys Verify Restic backups are restorable

May 2022[edit source]

WikiWorks accomplished the following tasks as requested and as part of the monthly service contract:

  • (urgent response) Bring the site back up
  • Add DataTables for long table
  • Add ElastiocSearch read-only Monit watcher
  • Check disk space monitor
  • Deploy test wiki via Portainer agent
  • Vimeo issue

April 2022[edit source]

  • Assist with TOC headings
  • Deploy test wiki via Portainer agent
  • Es􀀤mate: Add ads
  • Install EditAccount
  • Research ElasticSearch charges
  • Update name of the Canasta docker image
  • Update stack to allow PORT variable to contain bind address
  • Upgrade production wiki to 1.35.6
  • Upgrade test wiki to 1.35.6

March 2022[edit source]

  • Deploy test wiki via Portainer agent
  • Email issue
  • Responsive References
  • Sentry integration
  • Setup automatic packages updates
  • Update binding address on compose file

January 2021 Hosting and WikiWorks updates[edit source]

Server setup

  1. Set up, configure and test a LAMP stack (or similar) on a new AWS environment.
  2. Install git and composer.
  3. Set up SSL.

Upgrade to MediaWiki 1.35 - MediaWiki will be set up on a fresh AWS server.

  1. Update MediaWiki to version 1.35LTS.
  2. Update all skins and extensions to their latest compatible versions.
  3. Research incompatible extensions, perform any minor fixes needed and propose replacements (if needed).
  4. Migrate to the new server.

Install VisualEditor - The VisualEditor is a WYSIWYG editor that makes adding or modifying pages much easier.

  1. Install VisualEditor.
  2. Install all dependencies.
  3. Configure VisualEditor to allow simple WYSIWYG editing of content pages.

Install ElasticSearch - The built-in MediaWiki search is not very good at all. Wikipedia uses ElasticSearch instead.

  1. Install ElasticSearch and its dependencies.
  2. Install Elastica & CirrusSearch.
  3. Configure to work with the existing wiki.

Miscellaneous

  1. Install a Vimeo widget.
  2. Install a Google Calendar widget.
  3. Replace Google Analytics with the newer GTag.
  4. Restyle the Main Page to match the new skin version.
  5. Open external links in a new tab.
  6. Make visited links more distinct.

March 2019 WikiWorks updates[edit source]

The following work was completed by Ike Hecht, WikiWorks 3-18-2020:


Future work that was suggested includes:

  1. We will need to update PHP to version 7 to support the new MediaWiki version. But we need the current wiki to stick with running PHP 5. That means we'll need to run PHP 5 & 7 side by side to perform this update. That is a very tricky configuration. Please contact your host and ask if they can perform this for you. Otherwise, we will need root access to the server (you can ask them about this as well - they almost certainly won't allow it) and it will take some time to set that up.
  2. This might be a good time to migrate your host. As I've mentioned, we offer hosting starting at $50/month plus a setup fee, but really we can work with any host you prefer, including a new VPS on your current host. This will make the above PHP issue much easier to deal with.
  3. We will probably need to switch the External Link extension to a more modern extension. That is a good thing as the current one is not so good.
  4. There is a [testwiki site] that should be updated as well.
  5. The Lockdown extension may not be compatible with the new MediaWiki version (this is used to prevent users from reading the Draft namespace).
  6. MediaWiki has removed the "hit counters" feature ("This page has been accessed ### times."). It can be kept functioning by using an extension, but this will take a bit of time.


Assuming numbers 1, 5 & 6 are non-issues, update to version 1.31LTS are estimated at 6 hours in total.

May 5, 2015 site maintenance[edit source]


December 16, 2012 site maintenance[edit source]

The following work was completed on the site by contractor Ike Hecht of WikiWorks:

  • Update MediaWiki version - The MediaWiki version was updated from 1.14.0 to 1.20.2, which is the latest stable version. The old version of MediaWiki together with its database is still available on the server in the /mediawiki-1.14 directory. Due to rewrite rules, this directory is currently inaccessible from the web.
  • Update extensions - The following extensions were brought up to their latest versions:
  • Cite
  • Math – modified to use the external script at : http://www.forkosh.com/mathtex.cgi
  • Lockdown
  • The following extension was removed: Password Reset – This extension is currently incompatible with the new version of MediaWiki and was deemed unnecessary. It has since been largely replaced with core functionality.
  • Password Reset replacement - Resetting passwords in MediaWiki is now largely provided by the Special:PasswordReset page. Users who have supplied email addresses can use this to reset their own passwords and Admins can use it to reset others’ passwords. If it is a requirement in the wiki to reset passwords for users who have not supplied email addresses, the options available will need discussion.
  • Update skin - The custom monobook-based AIC skin was updated to work with the latest version of MediaWiki. A bug in the original skin that caused formatting errors on special pages was corrected. The “About our funder” box was moved from its erroneous placement in the skin into the Main Page’s code.
  • URL structure - The URL structure was simplified. The wiki is now found at: www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Main_Page . However, the previous URL structure still works. For example: www.conservation-wiki.com/w/index.php?title=Main_Page.
  • The mediawiki extended toolbar was added
  • Modifications were made to the navigation sidebar but these remain incomplete until the image files can be added fix the appearance.


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