Moodle upgrades are included in your hosting plan and made available to you at no extra cost. However, there are multiple types of Moodle upgrades and you may be curious about how we handle each. This document outlines our policy and guidelines for upgrading your installation.
Moodle has three types of updates:
Major versions are where new features will be released. Upgrades to major versions will never be scheduled without consulting you, as they can be backwards incompatible. We will reach out and work with you so that you are never running an unsupported major version if you begin to approach that version's security fix deadline. You can also specifically request an upgrade earlier. To do these upgrades we will always book a maintenance window.
Minor versions are released every two months and primarily contain bug fixes and security fixes. Our default policy is that we may periodically update you across minor versions during off-hours without a maintenance window, depending on if there is anything in the version which would resolve an issue with your installation's security or stability. We may not perform these updates immediately on release. You may also specifically request a minor version upgrade, in which case we will book a maintenance window.
Weekly releases are the beta version of the software released every week. These are combined every two months to form new minor versions in each major version line. We do not update to weekly releases unless specifically requested by you, in which case we will book a maintenance window.
If you are registered as a site administrator, you may receive a notice if the latest stable minor version differs from the one you are running. Two Story Robot will also receive these emails and are aware of them. If you prefer to not see these, you can turn this off in your user settings. We'll always ensure you are running a secure, stable version of Moodle and reach out for any major upgrades.
You may also receive emails if your plugin versions are out-of-date.
When we book a maintenance window, we will provide you with several options to choose from. Most maintenance windows are four hours in length, during which time your installation may be unavailable. Because your installation may be unavailable, we recommend you communicate this to your users well in advance and post this on your site.
When we begin the maintenance window, we will reach out to let you know that the maintenance is beginning. Additionally, once complete, we will again follow up to let you know that the maintenance has completed. You do not need to reply to these emails, particularly if the maintenance window is later in the evening or earlier in the morning.
After an upgrade, we always keep a close eye on your installation. However, if anything looks awry, don't hesitate to reach out at [email protected]
For more information on how plugins are handled during Moodle upgrades, see our plugin policy.