Updating Cumulus MX 3048

[caerhays]

After using Cumulus MX 3048 since January 2019 I am considering updating to the most recent release. What I don't know is what different functionality and visual difference this will make to my experience. Since getting it up and running I have had no real problems with MX 3048 and don't want to risk borking my system to no real advantage. I can't find any screen dumps of the current version for comparison.

Is anyone able to advise.

Many thanks, Phil

[PaulMy]

While there have been some additions to the program and added uploads, etc. it has been primarily the same interface throughout CumulusMX.
The new install zip has an Updates.txt file which is a log of changes made in each version from v3044 so you can check what the changes have been if you want.

An easy way would be to stop and rename your current version folder as backup.
Install the latest CumulusMX.
Copy-in the \data and \Records folders and the Cumulus.ini file from your v3048 to new install.
Also your previous \web files if you have made modification to them.

Run CumulusMX.exe as Administrator and all should work.
Go to Settings to view the new options and settings.

By having your current install as a backup you can quickly return to your existing if you want.

Here's a third-party website version of the localhost:8998 dashboard, but this has some additional menu items that are not part of CumulusMX local Dashboardwww.komokaweather.com/cumulusmx/index.php

Enjoy,
Paul

[sfws]

Phil, my short answer is that you are definitely missing out on functionality and content by sticking to the beta build you have. I cannot say whether you actually need the extra functionality, or whether you will feel better for seeing the extra items you cannot see at present. But, I believe you would benefit from updating as Mark has fixed several bugs as well as adding functionality.

don't want to risk borking my system to no real advantage

As for borking your system, well a correctly done update will not stop anything that currently works from still working, but that is dependent on you getting your system updated correctly.

If you attempted to jump straight from 3048 to 3088 in a single step you will encounter problems. You need to increase versions more gradually, and you need some help as you move up the versions, to ensure you have done all you need for a particular update, and your system will still work after you update.

What you need to tell us is which parts of MX you currently use.
What Admin Interface pages or web pages do you look at?
Do you use standard web pages (or have you done any customisation), do you use (or want to use) database tables?
Do you sometimes have to correct what is recorded as your highs and lows?
Which options have you turned on? Do you look at the NOAA style reports?

Knowing more about what you do now will help people to advise you on what benefits you will gain. And I need that information before I can spell out explicitly what you need to do for various versions as you gradually update MX to the most recent version as well as to tell you what you will gain.

I can't find any screen dumps of the current version for comparison

That is because there is not a series of screen dumps for latest version, and that is mainly because so much is changing in each release since start of this year, it is hard to keep any documentation (let alone screen shots) up to date.

I suspect your admin interface screens look like those shown in https://www.circuitspecialists.com/blog ... r-station/. If so, then now the admin interface has many more screens. It might not be bang up to date, but do look at https://cumuluswiki.org/a/MX_Administrative_Interface for more details, some screen shots and for information about what it can now do.

I recall Steve Loft (who wrote the MX beta) saying in an earlier post somewhere in this forum: "There is no need for screen shots in the documentation as all users should always use the latest release and can see for themselves what the screens look like".

The web pages have also had more lines added, but I have not seen any images. It depends on what you currently look at in your web pages, whether you will find the extra information worth having!

By updating from your beta you will gain (for example):
a) a generated moon image for your web server
b) weather diary (i.e. ability to make notes tied to a date, and to record any snow you see)
c) editors for updating the extreme records (this is why I asked earlier if you look at your highest and lowest for any period)
d) editors for updating log files
e) see feels like temperature on charts and in tables of both admin interface and web pages (do you only look at "raw" temperature or do you want to record how it feels each day)
f) several bug fixes

1. Updating from your beta 3048 directly to Mark's latest 3088 is virtually impossible for various reasons, certainly not easy as Paul suggests. You don't tell us what features of your current MX installation you are using. But for example if you use the MX feature to update database tables, the latest version will not be able to update your existing tables because 3076 onwards specifies columns not in the old tables.

2. I advise you only update to 3072 (3.5.1) as a first step. That version can be downloaded at https://github.com/cumulusmx/CumulusMX/ ... /tag/b3072.


3. Anyway, 3089 (3.7.0) adds even more fields to log files and columns to database tables, so you would be better off waiting for 3.7.0 to be released before you attempt to go beyond the 3.5.2 I suggest. Depending on what MX features you use, you might be better not installing any 3.6.x version.

4. There have been some issues with recent releases, but also some recent updates are drastic enough to need extra action before all functionality works for that update (hence my need to know which functionality you use).

5. To discover what is extra at each new build, you will need to read each release announcement in turn. But I accept that reading words, often technical in their nature, is not as easy as comparing images.
- If it is easier, then for 3050 onwards, there is a summary at https://cumuluswiki.org/a/Cumulus_MX_fo ... e_versions.
- The file that Paul suggests you read is at https://github.com/cumulusmx/CumulusMX/ ... pdates.txt. There you will also see a summarised version of the updates made. It misses out some important points only seen in full release announcements.
- But all these tell you technical changes, they don't (for me at any rate) explain what difference I will see as a user. I spend time actually studying the source code changes to understand the impact it might have for me. My programming skills may be too limited to actually contribute to MX, but I have taught myself enough to read what is deleted/added in the source and work out what screens or whatever that affects.

5. You can read some of the enhancements made as MX came out of beta at https://cumuluswiki.org/a/Moving_from_C ... ut_of_beta, you may find that is less technical and more friendly.


I'm unsure why Paul says

Run CumulusMX.exe as Administrator and all should work.

Not only are there the issues I mention above that mean you should not update directly to latest version, but also Cumulus MX does not actually need to run as administrator on your windows 10 machine. His other advice about installing separately is valid (just use the version I said, not the latest) but he has forgotten to mention all the files you need to copy across from old installation. For example, if you use strings.ini you need to copy that file across, so I am actually going to suggest you don't follow Paul's method.

I would first stop MX, next duplicate your entire existing CumulusMX installation somewhere else as a back-up (and as Paul indicates you then have option to regress back if you don't make a success of update), then download the 3072 zip, and finally unzip it over your existing files to be sure you keep all the files not in the release that you need. My suggestion also means you can continue to use your existing way to start MX and works even if you don't use a folder called CumulusMX as the top level of your installation. You will find that some extra files (like the weather diary database) will not be created until you actually use the functionality that updates the relevant file.

The Using Cumulus MX link at the top of this forum page will help you find out much more when you decide you need to (including why it does not need to be started with run as administrator), but focus instead on what I have said above.

[caerhays]

Thanks Paul and SFWS,

I took the bull by the horns and updated to 3072 as suggested with no problems.

However I don't see any real difference to my previous version, visually that is. I was hoping there might be a better method of editing highs and lows and spurious data. It is extremely difficult trying to edit values using only Notepad++, especially when the imported files don't have the headers telling you what the column titles are.

I have no idea what NOAA is and have no knowledge of database tables. I don't have any customised web pages but do upload to a domain I own.

I will stick with what i've got for the time being until I have a better understanding of the benefit of further updating and feel confident I can do it successfully.

Many thanks, Phil

ps. Paul, I lived in Flin Flon, Manitoba for almost a year in 1976 as a Mining Engineer at the mine there. One winter of minus 35 was enough for me and I didn't like cleaning the huge splashed dragonflies off my car windscreen in the summer. They were as big as birds !.

[caerhays]

Me again !.

As you were.......

I had one last look at the functionality and initially the data log viewer was the old one but after a couple of refreshes it now shows line numbers and has an edit and delete function. Excellent and just what was required.

I am now a happy bunny.

Phil

[PaulMy]

Hi Phil,

ps. Paul, I lived in Flin Flon, Manitoba for almost a year in 1976 as a Mining Engineer at the mine there. One winter of minus 35 was enough for me

You wouldn't recall Blackwood Hodge or Euclid/Terex who were in the mining machinery business would you?

Re CumulusMX, I believe v3072 had most of the current edit settings so not much change there.

You should have no concern in running current version, and you don't need to use all the functions...

I have no idea what NOAA is

NOAA reports has been available in both Cumulus 1 and CumulusMX. This is the third-party website version of the NOAA reports http://www.komokaweather.com/cumulusmx/noaareports.php and is very similar to the local dashboard under Reports. Very simple to set up in Settings, NOAA settings.

Enjoy,
Paul

[sfws]

Phil

Now that 3.7.0 is available, you can skip the 3.6.x versions several of which had bugs, and upload now directly from the 3.5.1 I left you on.
There is no hurry, feel free to get used to your current version first. You probably will not use the new functionality, but you will gain from more bug fixes.


For anyone else, if they are using database tables, they would have to do various schema changes to move from 3.5.1 to 3.7.0 using files provided by Mark in release announcements for 3.6.0 and 3.7.0 that only work if default database table names are used), but for you (and any others not using database tables) it is simple and safe to skip in-between versions.

[caerhays]

Hi again,

I am happy with 3072 and it meets all my needs.

However my Dashboard page looks like the attached pdf file with the text at the bottom. Its not that important to me but I wondered why it shows this . Can anyone
enlighten me ?.

Regards, Phil

[rogerthn]

CTRL-F5 did fix it for me using Google Chrome

[caerhays]

Hi rogerthn,

Ctrl - F5 worked for me as well. Must be a function of screen display. I use Opera which I believe is a spin-off from Chrome.

Many thanks, Phil

[rogerthn]

Hi rogerthn,

Ctrl - F5 worked for me as well. Must be a function of screen display. I use Opera which I believe is a spin-off from Chrome.

Many thanks, Phil

Glad to be of any help!