Version Upgrades

Centmin Mod maintains three active branches, each supporting different OS versions. Upgrading involves two distinct parts: updating Centmin Mod code itself, and upgrading the software it manages (Nginx, PHP-FPM, MariaDB).

Before upgrading any component, complete these checks to ensure a smooth process.

• Verify your current Centmin Mod version by running centmin
• Back up database using MariaBackup or mysqldump
• Back up Nginx vhost configs at /usr/local/nginx/conf/conf.d/
• Back up PHP-FPM pool configs at /usr/local/etc/php-fpm.d/
• Save your /etc/centminmod/custom_config.inc persistent settings
• Check disk space: ensure adequate free space for compilation (at least 2-3 GB)
• Review the Changelog for any breaking changes in the target version

Check current versions of installed components:

The cmupdate command at /usr/bin/cmupdate is the primary tool for updating Centmin Mod code. This updates the shell scripts that power Centmin Mod's centmin.sh core — it does not upgrade software like Nginx or PHP-FPM.

Update to Current Branch

Run cmupdate to pull the latest code for your current branch via Git:

Switch to Stable Branch

To switch to the 132.00stable branch:

Switch to Beta Branch

To switch to the 140.00beta01 branch:

Example Output

Example output from cmupdate update-stable:

Centmin Mod supports automatic code updates via cron. Since the initial installation sets up a Git environment, you can schedule /usr/bin/cmupdate as a cronjob to keep your code current.

Set up a cronjob to run every 3 hours using crontab -e:

With auto cron updates enabled, you may wonder if custom settings in centmin.sh will be overwritten. Centmin Mod supports a separate custom_config.inc file for persistent settings that survive code updates.

Two supported locations:

1. /usr/local/src/centminmod/inc/custom_config.inc
2. /etc/centminmod/custom_config.inc (recommended)

Example: set a specific PHP version as default:

Example: enable Nginx IPv6 support and disable unused modules:

After adding settings to custom_config.inc, recompile the relevant component using the appropriate centmin.sh menu option (Menu 4 for Nginx, Menu 5 for PHP).

Use centmin.sh menu option 4 to upgrade or downgrade Nginx. This compiles Nginx from source with all configured modules. See the full Nginx upgrade documentation for details.

Key points about Nginx upgrades:

• • Nginx is compiled from source with all modules specified in centmin.sh or custom_config.inc
• • Existing Nginx vhost configs are automatically backed up before the upgrade
• • You can downgrade to a previous Nginx version using the same menu option
• • OpenSSL or BoringSSL versions can be customized via custom_config.inc

Use centmin.sh menu option 5 to upgrade or downgrade PHP-FPM on existing Centmin Mod installs. Supported PHP versions: PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 on 132.00stable/140.00beta01; PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5 on 141.00beta01. This compiles PHP from source with all configured extensions. See the full PHP upgrade documentation for details.

Key points about PHP upgrades:

• • PHP is compiled from source with all extensions specified in centmin.sh or custom_config.inc
• • PHP-FPM pool configuration files are preserved during upgrades
• • PECL extensions may need to be reinstalled after a major PHP version change

MariaDB MySQL upgrades are handled through centmin.sh Main Menu option 11. Main Menu option 6 is for MySQL user and database management (creating databases, users, and managing permissions). Note that Menu 11 has its own sub-menu with numbered upgrade paths (e.g., Menu 11 sub-option 10 upgrades to MariaDB 10.6 LTS) — these are distinct from the main centmin.sh menu numbering. See the full MariaDB upgrade documentation for details.

MariaDB minor version updates can also be done via YUM:

After any upgrade, verify that all services are running correctly.

Check Service Status

Verify Versions

Test Nginx Configuration

Check Error Logs

Also test your websites by loading them in a browser and verifying functionality. Check that PHP applications work correctly and that database connectivity is intact.

If an upgrade causes issues, you can roll back to previous versions.

Centmin Mod Code Rollback

Switch back to a previous branch using cmupdate:

Nginx Rollback

Downgrade Nginx to a previous version using the same Menu Option 4. Enter the previous version number when prompted:

PHP Rollback

Downgrade PHP to a previous version using Menu Option 5:

CentOS 7 reached end-of-life (EOL) on June 30, 2024. If you are running Centmin Mod on CentOS 7, you should migrate to a supported operating system such as AlmaLinux 8/9 or Rocky Linux 8/9. The 141.00beta01 branch also supports AlmaLinux 10 and Rocky Linux 10 (EL10).

OS Migration Steps

1. Provision a new server with AlmaLinux 8/9 or Rocky Linux 8/9 (or EL10 for 141.00beta01)
2. Install Centmin Mod on the new server using the standard installer
3. On the old server, create full backups using menu option 21 (backups.sh for files + MariaBackup/mysqldump for databases)
4. Transfer data to the new server using SSH tunnel transfers (tunnel-transfers.sh) or S3 storage
5. Recreate vhosts on the new server and restore database backups
6. Update DNS to point to the new server

Centmin Mod Branch Versions

Choose the appropriate branch for your target OS:

• 132.00stable — Stable release for CentOS 7, AlmaLinux 8/9, Rocky Linux 8/9
• 140.00beta01 — Beta for CentOS 7, AlmaLinux 8/9, Rocky Linux 8/9
• 141.00beta01 — Latest beta adding EL10 support (AlmaLinux 10, Rocky Linux 10) alongside CentOS 7, EL8, EL9

Switch between branches using cmupdate: