Synology Package End of Life

  • Resolved smaaax

    (@smaaax)


    8 months, 1 week ago

    I have been running WordPress on my Synology NAS using the official package. Unfortunately, the package is very out of date running WordPress 6.1.1 and php 8.0. I have contacted Synology about the obsolete package, and they said that WordPress develops the package and they have nothing to do with updating the package.

    I have managed to update WordPress by commenting out the below lines in syno-wp-config-custom.php, which allows me to use the built in WordPress update functionality, but the package is hard locked to php 8.0 and the settings cannot be changed in DSM.

    //define(‘AUTOMATIC_UPDATER_DISABLED’, true); //add_filter(‘pre_site_transient_update_core’,’__return_null’);

    Can the developer either update the package such that the latest version of php in DSM can be used (8.2 currently), or better yet provide instructions for how to manually set php versions to avoid the need to stay with the official package setup? php 8.0 is well beyond end of life and security support.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 17 total)
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  • Moderator threadi

    (@threadi)

    8 months, 1 week ago

    I’ve been looking for something, but haven’t found any evidence that the community is concerned with this package in any way. I’ve passed on the question anyway on the #meta channel in Slack, maybe someone knows something.

    However, there are several guides online on how to use the latest WordPress versions on this NAS at any time. Take a look at this one, for example: https://mariushosting.com/manually-update-a-new-version-of-wordpress-in-your-synology/

    Thread Starter smaaax

    (@smaaax)

    8 months, 1 week ago

    I really don’t know who makes the package, and Synology couldn’t point me to anyone other than saying that it comes from WordPress. I have manually updated WordPress, but the problem is that the package has a hard lock that WordPress must use php 8.0 which cannot be changed despite updating WordPress version.

    Moderator Steven Stern (sterndata)

    (@sterndata)

    Volunteer Forum Moderator

    8 months, 1 week ago

    Then this is a synology question and should be directed to their support channels.

    Thread Starter smaaax

    (@smaaax)

    8 months, 1 week ago

    Synology says it is WordPress not providing an update. I don’t know who to talk to with all the finger pointing.

    Moderator Steven Stern (sterndata)

    (@sterndata)

    Volunteer Forum Moderator

    8 months, 1 week ago

    WordPress is updated if you’re at 6.8.2. Manual update instructions are at https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/updating-wordpress/.

    WordPress does not supply PHP or “lock” a PHP version. That’s part of Synology.

    Moderator threadi

    (@threadi)

    8 months, 1 week ago

    Yes, it’s annoying when one person points the finger at another. In the meantime, I have at least been able to determine that there must be a developer who maintains the package there. Synology writes the following in its own documentation:

    To find the contact information of a package publisher:

    Some packages on Synology Package Center are built and published by third-party developers, and as a result, Synology does not provide technical support for individual applications. Please contact the publishers or developers of each application for feature requests, questions and other feedback. Some packages have a publisher in addition to a developer. The publisher builds and makes the package available for Synology products, while the essential functionalities of the package are provided by courtesy of the developer. If a publisher is provided, please find the publisher for support.

    1. Click on a package to go to its detail page.
    2. Go to the Other Information section for the contact information of the publisher or developer of the package.

    https://kb.synology.com/en-br/DSM/help/DSM/PkgManApp/manage?version=7

    Unfortunately, there is no public information about who this developer is. As I said, I have already asked the question in Slack, so now we have to wait and see. There’s nothing more we can do at the moment.

    However, if you want to use the latest version of WordPress, follow the instructions described in the link above.

    mariushosting

    (@marius84)

    8 months, 1 week ago

    Hello, just follow my guide to install the latest WordPress on a Synology NAS: https://mariushosting.com/how-to-install-wordpress-on-your-synology-nas/

    Thread Starter smaaax

    (@smaaax)

    8 months, 1 week ago

    Marius, perhaps I should take a look at that method again. I would much rather get away from the Synology package so I can control my own destiny, but I would need to figure out how to use my non-Synology domain name and migrate my site over while maintaining my url structure. Probably for the best in the long run for migrating between machines as needed. Thanks, I’ll look into it again. I was hesitant before since it looks like you would have to go through the step of deleting the WordPress package from the NAS first to use the same domain name since Synology has the web station entry locked down. Uninstalling the Synology package also requires deleting the site database as part of the uninstaller, so it is quite the plunge. Just don’t want to lost all my work though I do have backups.

    lishan89

    (@lishan89)

    6 months, 3 weeks ago

    So I am not the only one with this problem. @smaaax Did you pull the trigger? If so is there anyway to back up the site and not have to start from scratch? I too want to just switch over the php 8.2 and call it a day, but I was met with the same unhelpful reply from synology.

    lishan89

    (@lishan89)

    6 months, 3 weeks ago

    @marius84 Is it possible to change the php to 8.2 for the official package version of wordpress for synology? are there any work around?

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    Thread Starter smaaax

    (@smaaax)

    6 months, 3 weeks ago

    I have not taken the plunge yet; I will have to spend some time working on it which is unfortunate. There are many plugins that will backup your site to be restored where you want.

    jnmida

    (@jnmida)

    5 months, 1 week ago

    I am in a similar situation. I HAD a wordpress site installed and running by the original synology wordpress package.

    Due to security issues and lack of support from synology I made the decision to follow marius instructions and installed a native wordpress instance changing directory structure as noted in the instructions and reused the mariadb database with minor tweaks. All has been working fine for months with wordpress updating to the lates as expected and support packages updating as needed.

    Now the problem is synology released a new wordpress package update that I do not want to use. Is there any way to uninstall, or mark as not installed, the wordpress package? If you uninstall the wordpress package it will destroy the mariadb database which has all of my current website information. I feel like I am really stuck in a pickle. Does anyone know how to get out of this predicament I am sure others are in the same boat.

    • This reply was modified 5 months, 1 week ago by jnmida. Reason: corrected grammar
    Thread Starter smaaax

    (@smaaax)

    5 months, 1 week ago

    @jnmida i asked Synology support this exact question a year or two ago when I wanted to divorce myself from he Synology package as well. Their response is below but short answer is no, you have to run the uninstaller to remove the package. The uninstaller will delete the database registered to WordPress and delete the WordPress directory. Perhaps there is a way to temporarily make a new database with a different password and move the WordPress folder to fake the uninstall, but the uninstaller has to delete things for it to process. I was not willing to take these risks even with a site backup. Let me know if you try this and have any success.

    Based on the information you provided in your first response. I understand your concern that entering the root password to uninstall WordPress would also delete your other databases under MariaDB 10.Installing any applications requiring a Database will ask you to enter the MariaDB Root password to store the Application’s username/password & Database under the MariaDB directory. MariaDB is the ‘Administrator’ for those passwords & Databases. Without the root password, you won’t be able to uninstall the Application, and Uninstalling the Application will not delete your other databases.
    jnmida

    (@jnmida)

    5 months, 1 week ago

    @smaaax An interesting if not somewhat obtuse reply from synology. I must say that 1) I have my new site in a completely new and different directory not in the same structure. I am fairly confident that it would not find or delete my current instance. I did leave the “Old” version there so synology would find it and be able to delete it.

    I will start looking into MariaDB and see how it is established there to see if it is worth the risk.

    Finally I would not want it to delete the other dependent apps like apache, PHP, etc. Everything is backed up and MariaDB is the thing I am most worried about since I can’t “see” it in my directories but only with phpMyAdmin. If I could see the DB I would simply copy it away let the uninstall do its thing, then copy it back. So I guess the plot thickens. If I do anything I will post the trials and results.

    jnmida

    (@jnmida)

    5 months ago

    @smaaax Uninstall accomplished with no problems. Steps:

    1. Renamed web_packages/wordpress to web_packages/old-wordpress
    2. new site was in a different directory under /web
    3. Ran Updraft+ backup for the entire site and database (new location) and have been for months
    4. Ran wordpress package uninstall, supplied root password for DB
    5. Everything continued to work fine after full testing.
    6. Deleted web/old-wordpress

    Emergency plan was if Synology deleted all wordpress and database I could do a full restore from updraft+, which I have done in the past, to recover the production site located in the /web directory. It was surprisingly effortless with no problems. But I did make sure I had the full backup just in case. And had installed the native wordpress instance in the /web directory rather than the /web/web_packages/wordpress location that is the Synology default.

    If you attempt this good luck and backups are your friends.

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