Jenkins plugin update apparently doesn't work

[Paul Schwann]

Hi there,

I am new to Jeninks, I have installed v 1.456 a couple of days ago on a Windows 7 Enterprise 64 bit machine using the Windows package from the Jenkins homepage. It installs and runs fine. I can connect with my browser (Google Chrome) to localhost:8080 and see Jenkins working.

I went to Plugin Manager to update and install some of the plugins. I have set the proxy credentials in the Advanced tab. Then, I went back to the Updates tab, selected "Translation Assistance Plugin" (Jenkins says "Version 1.9 | Installed 1.8"), and clicked "Download now and install after restart". Jenkins indeed start downloading something and then restarts. Sounds promising so far but here it comes:

After Jenkins is up and running again, the Plugin Manager/Updates tab still shows for "Translation Assistance Plugin" Version 1.9 | Installed 1.8. (Huh? I would have expected the plugin is now up-to-date and not listed in the updates tab anymore). I go to the Installed tab of the Plugin Manager and it says: "Translation Assistance Plugin" Version 1.8 and a shows a button saying "Downgrade to 1.8". 

I don't understand what is going on. Which version is installed now 1.8? Why does Jenkins offers me to downgrade to 1.8 then? If 1.9 is installed, why is it still listed in the "Updates" tab?

The same strange behavior happens also for the other plugins offered for updating: SVN and CVS

Thanks a lot for your answers, explanations or ideas how to fix it!

Regards,

Paul

[Jan Seidel]

Hi Paul,

the catalogue file does indeed mention version 1.9 but the link leads
to nowhere.
The catalogue file is located at http://dl.aragost.com/jenkins/updates/update-center.json
You can search for the URL by searching the plugin name. it follows
after the name listed. sometimes is it mentioned twice but you can
easily look it up by inspecting the url.
anyways ... I learnd by removing parts of the URL that you have to
browse to http://updates.jenkins-ci.org/download/plugins/translation/
Clicking on the folder link 1.9 will start a download.
Save the file with the ending .hpi and copy it to jenkins_home/plugins
and restart Jenkins.
That should do it.
If the update center keeps complaining is there more bogus stuff going
on with the plugin.
I am content that Jenkins itself is doing fine.

Take care
Jan

[Paul Schwann]

Hi Jan,

Thanks for your reply! 

Based on your message, I started playing with the different ways of plugin updates and with the Jenkins installation itself. What I notices is the following:

Before changing anything, [jenkins]\plugins\ contains a translation.jpi with time stamp 3/23/12 9:39 and a folder translation.

I manually upload the 1.9 hpi of the "Translation Assistance Plugin". In the installation folder [jenkins]\plugins there is still a file translation.jpi but now with timestamp 3/23/12 11:34 This is somehow what I would expect since I uploaded the file (with *hpi extension though).

I restart Jenkins and now, translation.jpi has the former timestamp again 3/23/12 9:39. So apparently, the update has no effect and simply was ignored.

Next try:

I shut down Jenkins, remove the [jenkins]\plugins\translation.jpi and the [jenkins]\plugins\translation folder. I restart Jenkins and the folders reappear. 

Where do they come from? Is it possible that Jenkins simply overrides anything which I upload/update while starting? 

I must do something fundamentally wrong...

Regards,

Paul

[Manuel Doninger]

The translation assistance plugin is already bundled in the
jenkins.war. So if you restart Jenkins, it always loads the
translation plugin from the war. You can change that behaviour, if you
go to the installed plugins page, look for the translation assistance
plugin and click the button "Unlock" or something like that.
Then you should be able your own version of the plugin.

Regards,
Manuel

[Paul Schwann]

Dear Manuel,

thanks for your message! I've checked the Plugin Manager and indeed the table shown in the "Installed" tab has a column "Pinned". I read about it in the Jenkins help and it turns out that this is what you referring to. None of the plugins (including the "Translation Assistance Plugn") actually is pinned, though. I created - as described in the help - a file [jenkins]plugins\translation.hpi.pinned. And yes, now that Plugin Manager/Installed tabled shows the "unpin" button for the "Translation Assistance Plugin" (so I assume it is pinned now). Clicking it doesn't do much but removing the file I've created before and the unpin button is gone

Apparently, updating any of the plug-ins delivered with the package doesn't work for me. :-(

Now let's try to install a new plug-in:

I go to "Available" tab and select ... mmhh ... "Static Code Analysis Plug-ins". Download, install, restart -> OK After restarting, no new plugin. [jenkins]\plugin folder doesn't contain any new hpi.

Let's try it manually. URL of that plugin is http://updates.jenkins-ci.org/download/plugins/analysis-core/1.38/analysis-core.hpi

After uploading, [jenkins]\plugins has a new file analysis-core.jpi. Good. Now restart Jenkins: et voila, we have a new plugin "Static Analysis Utilities".

So the overall mechanism seems to work even if it doesn't directly from the web interface. Could live with that.

I really wonder how to update the default plugins as Jenkins overwrites them all the time during startup...

Regards,

Paul

[Jan Seidel]

Hi Paul,

I always have to update of plugins manually as our build servers are
separated from the network that has internet access.
So I can't tell you much about the update centers functionality atm.

I add the version number to the filename when I update. This way I get
a better overview as we store the Jenkins servers configuration,
plugins etc. into svn.

As Manuel mentioned do some plugins come along with Jenkins which
counteracts my approach as I then have to plugins with different
versions active at the same time.
I wasn't aware that the translation plugin is incorporated to Jenkins.

In cases like yours I create an empty file with the same name as the
plugins_filename.hpi/jpi and appended a .disabled plus the .pinned
file e.g. cvs.hpi.disabled and cvs.hpi.pinned.
.pinned files do not disable the shipped plugins. That's at least my
experience. Concurring plugins ain't no fun ;)

Then I copy the new plugin with the version in the filename into the
plugin folder and delete the according subfolder in plugins to be on
the safe side.
This has always worked fine until now.

Hope this help.

Jan

On 23 Mrz., 12:34, Paul Schwann <paul.schw...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear Manuel,
>
> thanks for your message! I've checked the Plugin Manager and indeed the
> table shown in the "Installed" tab has a column "Pinned". I read about it
> in the Jenkins help and it turns out that this is what you referring to.
> None of the plugins (including the "Translation Assistance Plugn") actually
> is pinned, though. I created - as described in the help - a file
> [jenkins]plugins\translation.hpi.pinned. And yes, now that Plugin
> Manager/Installed tabled shows the "unpin" button for the "Translation
> Assistance Plugin" (so I assume it is pinned now). Clicking it doesn't do
> much but removing the file I've created before and the unpin button is gone
>
> Apparently, updating any of the plug-ins delivered with the package doesn't
> work for me. :-(
>
> Now let's try to install a new plug-in:
> I go to "Available" tab and select ... mmhh ... "Static Code Analysis
> Plug-ins". Download, install, restart -> OK After restarting, no new
> plugin. [jenkins]\plugin folder doesn't contain any new hpi.
>
> Let's try it manually. URL of that plugin

> ishttp://updates.jenkins-ci.org/download/plugins/analysis-core/1.38/ana...