Help:MediaWiki administration

The DFM Wiki runs on MediaWiki. The current version and installation details can always be viewed at Special:Version.

All the information we need about maintaining and upgrading MediaWiki software is available on the MediaWiki website.

Upgrading the software

We are running the 1.35 Long-Term Support (LTS) version, which was released in September 2020 and will reach end-of-life in September 2023.

To upgrade within the 1.35 series (e.g., to apply security updates), it is sufficient to upload the new source code to the server using the cPanel file manager. Note that our installation is located in public_html/kb/.

1. Unpack the new version of MediaWiki into the new directory public_html/kb_new.
2. Prepare that new directory:
   1. copy your current LocalSettings.php from the old directory
   2. copy over the contents of extensions and images subdirectories
3. Rename the old directory to kb_old and the new directory to kb.

Regularly monitor the MediaWiki release page for announcements of newly discovered security vulnerabilities.

Administration of the wiki

If you are an administrator on the wiki, you can add users manually through the page Special:CreateAccount. Normally this should not be necessary; project members can create accounts on their own by following the instructions at Help:Getting started.

Administrative actions are listed on Special:SpecialPages. Useful actions include searching for duplicate files, managing unused templates, listing uncategorized files, listing orphaned pages, etc.