debian upgrade to 1.07 wiped out all of /usr/lib/cgi-bin/foswiki!

I have just upgraded my version of foswiki from 1.06 to 1.07-2 using the debian repository. The install is on a Ubuntu 8.10 server install.

Everything in /usr/lib/cgi-bin/foswiki/ was deleted!

The only thing left in the folder was a perl script that isn't in the basic install!

The sequence was as follows:

1. sudo apt-get update
2. sudo apt-get upgrade
3. Asked to enter password for foswiki config - done
4. Someone shouts - the wiki is down!
5. Check - indeed browser states The requested URL /Main/WebHome (or whatever) was not found on this server.
6. Look at ssh - waiting for question on replacing apache config file
   • Choose N - leave as is
7. Now asked about Local site config file
   • Choose N - leave as is
8. Upgrade completes, wiki is not there
9. Discover (after much head scratching) that the /usr/lib/cgi-bin/foswiki directory was (virtually) empty!
10. Repopulate with the files that were in there last night
11. Wiki now up and running as before!

Three things arise out of this:

1. What could have happened to cause this - could it happen to someone else without a backup?
2. Will my foswiki now be back on 1.06? System web states 1.07...
3. What permissions should be applied to the files in that folder - they are currently mainly 755 owned by root:root, except the cfg files which are 644.

---

um, they should not have been wiped out, thought there's something weird there.

I moved the foswiki scripts from /usr/lib/cgi-bin/foswiki/ to /var/lib/foswiki/bin when updating to 1.0.7, and at the same time, updated the apache.conf file to redirect from /cgi-bin/foswiki to /foswiki/bin

nothing else should have changed dramatically :/

worrying especially as the changes Drake wants to make are even more dramatic.

-- SvenDowideit - 08 Oct 2009

Sounds like that is it then! The scripts got moved (I checked, and indeed there is a folder as described with the scripts in), but as the wiki was down, I didn't do my usual check differences between the new version of the apache.conf file and the old one - I just chose to keep the old one. Therefore the change you made in apache.conf to redirect didn't get implemented!

Does your redirect mess with any of the shorter url configs? And can you tell me what the changes were so that I can implement them?

Thanks.

-- EdMcDonagh - 08 Oct 2009

good point

1. see the apache.conf in http://svn.foswiki.org/trunk/core/tools/pkg/debian/
2. and please also use configure to update the scriptPath from /cgi-bin/foswiki to /foswiki/bin

sorry for the mess

-- SvenDowideit - 09 Oct 2009

I have eventually managed to undo my temporary fix and replace my apache.conf with yours, and reimplimented the shorter url by following the instructions in /etc/foswiki/ShorterUrl.conf

All is working fine, and I have renamed the old /usr/lib/cgi-bin/foswiki directory without anything breaking!

The problem with this update was not knowing what was changing, and therefore not having the information needed to know whether to replace or retain the original apache.conf file. However, I don't know of any way of furnishing the user with that information during an update.

-- EdMcDonagh - 23 Oct 2009