How do I upgrade to latest phpMyAdmin on Ubunut 20.04

Let me clarify a few things. I looked at my 'test' server which has phpMyAdmin 5.1.1 on it. So why doesn't my production server have that?

Here is the 'policy' on TEST server and PROD server. (note: the last three digits are the vesion: 4:5.1.1 is version 5.1.1 . I don't know what the "4:" is)

xxx@TEST: apt-cache policy phpmyadmin
phpmyadmin:
Installed: 4:5.1.1+dfsg1-3+focal1
Candidate: 4:5.1.1+dfsg1-3+focal1
Version table:
*** 4:5.1.1+dfsg1-3+focal1 500
500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/phpmyadmin/ppa/ubuntu focal/main amd64 Packages
500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/phpmyadmin/ppa/ubuntu focal/main i386 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
4:4.9.5+dfsg1-2 500
500 http://mirrors.linode.com/ubuntu focal/universe amd64 Packages
500 http://mirrors.linode.com/ubuntu focal/universe i386 Packages

=========================

xxx@PROD: apt-cache policy phpmyadmin
phpmyadmin:
Installed: 4:4.9.5+dfsg1-2
Candidate: 4:4.9.5+dfsg1-2
Version table:
*** 4:4.9.5+dfsg1-2 500
500 http://mirrors.linode.com/ubuntu focal/universe amd64 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

=======================

Each is finding phpMyAdmin in different repositories. What should I be doing here? so that PROD has the 5.1.1. version like TEST server?

What is "mirrors" here:

500 http://mirrors.linode.com/ubuntu focal/universe i386

What repos should I be using for Ubuntu 20.04?

Thanks.

TEST has a PPA configured as an extra package source from which its pulling phpMyAdmin.

You should enable that PPA on PROD for it to be available there.

Also, you should strongly consider using the mysql/mariadb command line interface instead of phpMyAdmin. Web-based management solutions like phpMyAdmin are generally fraught with security issues that make it much easier for a hostile actor to corrupt/destroy your data/system.

TEST has a PPA configured as an extra package source from which its pulling phpMyAdmin.

I will do that. Thank you!

Yes, phpMyAdmin can be insecure but most people who use it wall it off pretty well. Since I only use the program maybe twice a year (if there is an issue with a database) I rename the program and directory it is in and name it back if/when I need to use it.

The available PHP MyAdmin version on 20.04 LTS is 4.9.5. But I see you posted about PPA's. Is there a particular reason why you need a newer version of PHP MyAdmin?

I recall a few days ago that a couple of us highly recommended that you DO NOT use PPA's since they may not be updated/maintained, could possibly be unsecured or malicious packages that are created by an unknown source.

Is there a particular reason why you need a newer version of PHP MyAdmin?

Absolutely not. I just thought there might be some extra security built into the newer version.

I also didn't realize the software was coming from a PPA. Until ten days ago I didn't know what a PPA was. Now that I do, I'm as leery of them as you are.

Let me ask this. Say you have the newer edition of a program from a PPA. Say you delete the PPA. What happens the next time you do an "apt update/upgrade" to that program? Will the older version replace the newer one?

I hate to bring this up… but I upgraded to PHP 8.0 and phpMyAdmin throws all sorts of warnings. How (or from where) do I get ver. 5.1.3 which should work with php 8.0?

Let me clarify a few things. I looked at my 'test' server which has phpMyAdmin 5.1.1 on it. So why doesn't my production server have that?

4.9.5 is the released version for 20.04. See:

https://packages.ubuntu.com/search?suite=focal&searchon=names&keywords=phpMyAdmin

To get an answer to your question, you need to ask Canonical.

Apparently, to get 5.1.x you have to download/install it from phpmyadmin.net.

Let me ask this. Say you have the newer edition of a program from a PPA. Say you delete the PPA. What happens the next time you do an "apt update/upgrade" to that program? Will the older version replace the newer one?

Most likely.

-- sw

I purged phpMyAdmin from my test server. I downloaded the current version of phpMyAdmin from the PPA. It brought up the login screen but when I logged in, all I got was a semi-black screen. After a while I gave up trying to fix it and dumped the PPA and purged the server of it and reinstalled the Ubunte old version. It worked except it threw a ton of warning errors. I had to add a line of code to the config file to not show them… and that was that.

I'll just wait for Ubuntu to update their repository with phpMyAdmin and get that one. It is not a program I use all that often.

I upgraded to PHP 8.0 and phpMyAdmin throws all sorts of warnings.

That's another reason why we advise not to use PPAs, unless you are testing something or have a VERY specific reason to do so.

@acanton77 --

I'll just wait for Ubuntu to update their repository with phpMyAdmin and get that one. It is not a program I use all that often.

As I explained in the other thread about php, you're going to have to update to 22.04 to get php 8.0 as a release version.

phpMyAdmin 5.0.4 is the release version on 21.01 so it would make sense to speculate that the release version on 22.04 will be 5.0.x.

-- sw

I know there is a methodology to install phpMyAdmin via a direct download but it is quite a bit of work. When I get a bit of time… and a small dose of courage I'll give it a try.

You can make your life much easier and install through the distro’s repository.

Any package updates would also be handled when running the update command, assuming there’s an update available.

As Stevewi said about needed PHP 8.

through the distro’s repository

If you mean install phpMyAdmin from the Ubuntu 20.04 repository, yes that is how I did it… via apt install

The problem I want to solve is that Ubuntu only has version 4.9 and I would like the latest 5.3 version of phpMyAdmin. The only way to get it is via the PDA.. and the one there did not work… it would not show databases and any other data. Actually they flashed and then went to 'white.' Maybe it was a bad install, but I didn't want to mess with it so I dumped it and re-installed the one from Ubuntu.

There are tons of sites with 'how-to' install the latest version direct from the phpMyAdmin site but it is a bunch of work and I find there is nothing in the new version that I really need.

My guess is that eventually Ubuntu 20.04 LTS will put in the new version which we'll get with an apt update/upgrade.

My guess is that eventually Ubuntu 20.04 LTS will put in the new version which we'll get with an apt update/upgrade.

No, it doesn't work that way Ke-mo-sab-ie… Not on Ubuntu LTS releases anyway. You need to upgrade the distro to the next version, in this case 22.04 LTS as Stevewi said a few posts up (give or take). It just got release late last week.

It will be 24.04 before you see phpMyAdmin 5.1.x as a release version. Ditto for php 8.1.x.

-- sw

Oh… I didn't catch (from Stevewi) that there was a 22.04 LTS.

I wonder if I should consider upgrading to it… or starting a new Linode and moving everything to it?

First, I'll have to see what the advantages of the new OS version might be.

First, I'll have to see what the advantages of the new OS version might be.

Package upgrades. Edit: and EOL is extended EOL for 5 years.

@LouWestin --

22.04 contains a newer kernel version as well: 5.15 (20.04 had kernel rev 5.13). I found this (market-droid-generated) list of improvements:

• A new NTFS file-system driver called NTFS3
• A new In-kernel SMB server
• Improved support for read-write operations (huhhh? -- sw)
• Support for ACLs
• New hardware support for AMD CPUs and GPUs, Apple’s M1 chip, Intel Alder Lake CPUs
• Various other hardware support and optimizations

Except for the in-kernel SMB server (which will improve the performance of Samba installations), this is all OS-geek-level stuff that will most likely have no tangible effects in a VPS environment like Linode.

The NTFS3 driver probably doesn't offer any new functionality…only increased compatibility and performance. Unless you have a burning desire to mount your Windoze discs on your Linode, this is going to be a non-issue as well.

When is the Linux Foundation going to tell Linus to stop gazing at his navel and implement real features™ like OpenZFS and BTRFS? Flames to /dev/null…

-- sw

I don't think we will see OpenZFS or BTRFS any time soon. But there is no reason people can't install it themselves.

I don't think that most Linode customers have a use-case for ZFS. I know I don't.

I don't think that most Linode customers have a use-case for ZFS. I know I don't.

However, Linode could make great use of them to expand their service portfolio (now that they have all kinds of Akamai dough to spend).

Can you imagine a Linode cloud storage service…similar to object storage but with regular filesystem semantics (and secure access via something like NFS…yeah, I know NFS is not suitable for this kind of stuff but the analogy is what I was going for)?

Maybe you like instantaneous, (semi-)unlimited snapshots instead of the current backup system?

Maybe you like low-cost cloud backup services for your 3-10 small-business PCs?

— sw