PHP versions 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 have reached end of life (EOL). This means PHP authors will no longer support these versions with patches for security vulnerabilities and bugs found in the software (
https://secure.php.net/supported-versions.php).
Our servers feature third party backported patches that resolved security issues with these versions. Unfortunately, the patches for these older versions have been discontinued. Without backported patches or official security updates from PHP.net; we can no longer support these depreciated versions. As part of our commitment to strengthening the security and integrity of our servers, we will be performing upgrades from EOL versions to PHP 5.6 and MariaDB 10 starting on March 4th, 2016.
PHP 5.6 and MariaDB10 provide extensive improvements in performance and security over previous versions. Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento, all support PHP 5.6. We will be taking every precaution you can imagine to ensure your service continues to run smoothly without a glitch. Although it is highly unlikely the upgrade will break things, it is wise to be ready.
To prepare for the PHP upgrade, we suggest the following steps:
First, we recommend our users to take regular backups of their sites. Although we backup our servers, it is a wise to keep a backup for yourself. If you do not have an automatic backup solution in place then it is time to install one of them or at least create a manual backup of your website.
The next step is to make sure that you are running the latest version of Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal or other application you are using.This also entails ensuring all your plugins and
themes are up-to-date. In Wordpress just go to the updates screen and install any updates available. Wordpress has an auto-update feature you can select to give you that extra peace of mind knowing you're always up to date.
WordPress will not be affected by PHP update. However, it is possible that some plugins may stop working. If a plugin on your site has stopped working
due to a PHP update, then you need to contact the plugin author for support or find an alternative.
If you need assistance testing your site's compatibility with the upgrade or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact our help desk anytime day or night.
Thank you for your patience and understanding!
