An easy way to keep plugins and themes updated in multiple WordPress installations

In this article: Introduction, Prerequisites, How my file system is structured, Creating the repositories, Linking to the repositories, Recap, Common problems and fixes, Maintaining your repositories, Using this technique with ZenPhoto and other CMS systems, Additional resources, Comments and feedback

Introduction

WordPress is a wonderful blogging platform and, in certain situations, a good choice for a general content management system (CMS). It is easy to end up with several parallel installations of WordPress—one for each major topic you want to discuss. Everything works great at first, but after a while, the constant barrage of updates to the main application, various plug-ins, and the themes becomes something of a management nightmare. The more blogs you operate, the more time is spent maintaining the blogging environment and the less that is available to actually blog.

If you host your WordPress blog on a Linux-based server (BSD or most any other Unix-like operating system should be able to do this equally well) and you have “shell access”, I might have a way to ease your pain. In a nutshell, you will create a central repository containing every WordPress plug-in that you use in all of your blogs. You create a separate repository containing each of your themes. Next, you create symbolic links (think of them as shortcuts; more about them in just a moment) from each installation of WordPress to your central repositories. From that point on, you only have to update your plug-ins and themes once, and the change will take effect instantly across all your sites. It’s a very slick trick!

This trick works probably works well on many other CMS systems that use plug-ins and themes; I have started using it with my ZenPhoto installations, too. In addition to helping keep things updated, it also saves disk space since you are only maintaining a single copy of the files on your server.

I will provide step-by-step instructions and some quirks for which you need to be aware. One quick word of caution: mistakes, bugs, and goofs can also instantly affect all your sites, so be very careful as you work, take your time, and always backup your files and databases before you start.
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RAID – What is it and what are the differences?

RAID is a method of storing data on multiple hard disks. Through the “magic” of the disk array, all of the individual disks appear as a single disk to the operating system. Large arrays can be split into smaller logical disks, that can be any size up to the total amount of disk space. Depending on exactly how the data is spread across the multiple disks determines the relative speed and security of the data on the disks.

Back in the old days when large (750MB) hard disks were relatively expensive (say $1200 US) and smaller disks (100MB) were relatively inexpensive (maybe $130), somebody figured out that it could be possible to link several of the inexpensive disks together to roughly equal the capacity of a single larger disk. The complete package was called a disk array, and the method of storing the data on the disks was called RAID, for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks.

Today, the relative price difference between an 80GB and a 160GB or even a 400GB hard drive is not so great; however, RAID is still very much a part of life with computers—especially with servers. Obviously there is more to RAID than just a cost savings. (RAID now stands for Redundant Array of Independent Devices, which indicates the drift away from price being the motivating factor in choosing a RAID solution.) In fact, by the time you factor in the additional hardware to create and manage the array, RAID usually costs more than non-RAID solutions. So why do we use it? The answers are speed and reliability.

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Surge Protector vs. UPS

A client asked: Do I need a surge protector? If the power goes out sometime, what happens w/ the computer?

A surge protector is very important for protecting computers and other electronic equipment from damaging electrical spikes and surges. Fortunately this client already had one. Read the rest of the comments I wrote to her explaining the difference and dispelling the confusion surrounding surge protection and uninterruptible power supplies: (more…)

Preventive Maintenance Plans Are a Very Good Idea

Preventive Maintenance Helps Safeguard Data
Most of our clients find the information stored on the hard disk is much more important than the hardware that stores the data. Taking steps to protect this information makes sense. That is what preventive maintenance is all about.
Preventive Maintenance Improves Security
Regular virus and spyware scanning is critical to keeping your data safe. Security patches and software updates are released several times each month for a variety of software. Some notify you, but others do not. All are important if you wish to stay protected. System and security logs give a wealth of information about the state of the equipment and the network. By checking the logs, we often spot potential problems early and avoid emergencies by fixing problems before they become noticeable.
Preventive Maintenance Improves Performance
Some aspects of computer systems degrade in performance over time. This has even given rise to the colorful term of “Windows rot“. Preventive maintenance helps improve the overall speed of system and network performance in these respects.
Preventive Maintenance Saves Money
You’ve heard the old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It may be trite, but it’s also true. Avoiding problems saves you money in the long run, compared with laying out cash for new components or repair jobs. Emergency repair procedures can consume your IT budget at alarming rates. Most preventive maintenance procedures are quite simple, compared to troubleshooting and emergency repair procedures. This saves you much time (and stress!).