In cPanel & WHM version 56 we\u00a0updated\u00a0the internal version (and only the internal version) of Perl from 5.14 to 5.22. This has a couple of potential consequences\u00a0that we want to make sure our users are\u00a0aware of.<\/p>\n
Memory use is always a concern in server environments, and we have worked very hard to ensure that the upgrades have had minimal effect on your environment. With our first\u00a0release of version 56 to the EDGE tier it was immediately\u00a0clear: systems running v56 (with Perl 5.22) were consuming slightly more memory than similar systems running v54 (with Perl 5.14).\u00a0We have taken steps to help bring\u00a0the\u00a0memory footprint of v56 closer to what memory consumption in the same environments using v54, ensuring\u00a0it will have less of an impact on our\u00a0end users. In addition to those steps, we have expanded and improved our use of\u00a0dormant mode<\/a>\u00a0in v56, which you can read about in another post on the\u00a0cPanel blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n Upgrades across versions of programming languages does require some work on the behalf of 3rd party application developers that build plugins for cPanel & WHM. Plugin developers should be aware of the upgrade already, so most users won’t see any problems at all. In the unlikely event that a 3rd party application that uses Perl modules installed through\u00a0cPanel’s internal CPAN installer, they may need to have those modules reinstalled after the upgrade to v56 to ensure compatibility after the Perl version change.<\/p>\n If you want to check to see what version of Perl is being used by cPanel right now, you can check that with the command used below:<\/p>\n After the upgrade to cPanel & WHM v56, you will see this:<\/p>\n If your third party plugin or addon starts having problems after the upgrade, you may need to reinstall the application or any related Perl modules. It’s also possible that the application will have errors related to code compatibility with the updated version of Perl. Either way, the quickest way to a fix will be to contact the provider of your third party application.<\/p>\n Though most developers should be upgrading their plugins to remain compatible, you may wish to retain Perl 5.14 on your server during your upgrade to v56. As a root level system administrator you can choose to retain Perl 5.14 on your system by running the below command prior to the upgrade.\u00a0Please do be aware that\u00a0retaining Perl version 5.14 on your server\u00a0will prevent you from being able to upgrade to v58 and beyond<\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n After the upgrade you will see Perl 5.14 is still on the server, but please do note that if you are doing this to allow an out of date plugin to continue to function, you will need to adjust the files of the plugin to reference the appropriate binary:<\/p>\n You can also install Perl 5.14 after the upgrade by running the two commands below. I want to again mention that\u00a0retaining Perl version 5.14 on your server\u00a0will block upgrades to v58,\u00a0<\/strong>and that v58 will not allow you to install Perl 5.14 for cPanel.<\/p>\n If you want to revert that change, and allow your server the ability to upgrade to v58 once it is released, use this command:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It is the responsibility of plugin or addon developers to test their applications on the newest version of cPanel & WHM. As a plugin developer if there is a module that you need that we are currently not shipping with cPanel, letting us know will increase the liklihood that we include it for you in future version updates.\u00a0If you are just getting started the best place to look for help is in\u00a0our\u00a0Quickstart Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you are an existing developer, cPanel offers you access to the EDGE version of cPanel, and can provide you with a development license. In addition, you can keep abreast of all of the changes related to new versions of cPanel & WHM by signing up for our development-related mailing lists. If you aren’t already a member of those mailing lists, reach out to me, and I’ll get you signed up!<\/p>\nCompatibility, and CPAN Perl Modules<\/h1>\n
[~] # \/usr\/local\/cpanel\/3rdparty\/bin\/perl -v |grep version\n This is perl 5, version 14, subversion 4 (v5.14.4) built for x86_64-linux-64int\n[~] #<\/pre>\n
[~] # \/usr\/local\/cpanel\/3rdparty\/bin\/perl -v |grep version\n This is perl 5, version 22, subversion 1 (v5.22.1) built for x86_64-linux-64int\n[~] #<\/pre>\n
A Word of Caution, and Retaining Perl 5.14<\/h1>\n
\/usr\/local\/cpanel\/scripts\/update_local_rpm_versions --add target_settings.perl514 installed<\/pre>\n
[~] # \/usr\/local\/cpanel\/3rdparty\/bin\/perl514 -v |grep version \nThis is perl 5, version 14, subversion 4 (v5.14.4) built for x86_64-linux-64int\n[~] #<\/pre>\n
\/usr\/local\/cpanel\/scripts\/update_local_rpm_versions --add target_settings.perl514 installed\n\/scripts\/check_cpanel_rpms --fix<\/pre>\n
\/usr\/local\/cpanel\/scripts\/update_local_rpm_versions --remove target_settings.perl514<\/pre>\n
Developer resources<\/h1>\n