Upgrading KnowledgeTree

We encourage our customers to upgrade to the latest version of KnowledgeTree. Our product is constantly improving so each new version has a number of feature enhancements as well as issues resolved.

We spend a lot of time making sure that upgrades are painless however because of the large variety of configurations and environments, issues may occur. We recommend that you comply with the following best practice guidelines to minimize the risk of data loss and interruption of service.

Best Practice Guidelines when Upgrading

  • Always read the release notes - they are published here.
  • Do not upgrade your production system without first testing the upgrade on a non-production copy. This copy should preferably be on a separate server. If you don’t have a separate server available, make a copy of the system on the same server using different MySQL and Apache ports.
  • Always keep a backup copy to roll back to should the upgrade run into problems. Instructions on how to backup and restore KnowledgeTree are available here.

Recommended Upgrade Process


  1. Set up test environment


    • Perform a fresh installation of the current version of KnowledgeTree.
    • Delete the default installed database.
    • Dump your current production database onto the test environments new MySQL server.
    • Copy your documents directory to the test environment.
    • Check that the test environment works.

  2. Run upgrade on test environment

    • Run the latest stack upgrade installer on the test environment.
    • Verify that the upgrade completes successfully and that you are able to login.
    • If the test upgrade fails, please take note of any error messages and contact the KnowledgeTree Team for assistance. See the instructions at the bottom of a page on how to log a support issue.

  3. Run upgrade on production environment

    • Close off user access to the production environment.
    • Backup the production environment – make a copy of the KnowledgeTree folder and call it *_BAK.
    • Run the latest stack upgrade installer on the production environment.
    • Verify that the upgrade has completed successfully and that you are able to login.
    • If the upgrade fails for whatever reason, revert back to the *_BAK version and set up another test environment.

Troubleshooting - if you run into problems you can try the following:

  • Close off user access to the production environment.
  • Backup your production environment database and documents.
  • Do a fresh install of the version you wish to upgrade to.
  • Delete the default installed database.
  • Dump your current production database onto the new MySQL server.
  • Copy your documents directory from the production environment to the new server.
  • Run the database upgrade script by opening the following URL in your browser and following the database upgrade wizard: http://Your_KnowledgeTree_server/setup/upgrade.php

Logging a Support Issue

  • KnowledgeTree Commercial Edition customers should log an issue on the KnowledgeTree support portal here. Our support team will contact you shortly.
  • KnowledgeTree Community Edition users click here to view the community forums.
  • If you are evaluating one of the Commercial Editions of KnowledgeTree and need support, email us on sales@knowledgetree.com and we will do our best to assist you.