MediaWiki - Revision history

Rootadminacc at 21:56, 3 January 2025

2025-01-03T21:56:47Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:56, 3 January 2025
Line 355:		Line 355:
	I would recommend doing this with your web server (Apache) and database (MySQL) in a stopped state, as this allows you to correct any issues that halt the update/upgrade e.g. missing extensions, missing extension files, missing LocalSettings.php		I would recommend doing this with your web server (Apache) and database (MySQL) in a stopped state, as this allows you to correct any issues that halt the update/upgrade e.g. missing extensions, missing extension files, missing LocalSettings.php

	Note: Tools like BlockAndNuke, NukeDPL, SmiteSpam and UserMerge did not work for me as they were either not supported on my version of MediaWiki, out of date, not supported any more or just didn't work. This guide seemed good but fell short as it didn't work for me: https://www.simplecloudworks.com/how-to-delete-a-long-list-of-spam-users-in-mediawiki/		Note: Tools like BlockAndNuke (deprecated), NukeDPL, SmiteSpam and UserMerge (only supports 1 user at a time) did not work for me as they were either not supported on my version of MediaWiki, out of date, not supported any more or just didn't work. This guide seemed good but fell short as it didn't work for me: https://www.simplecloudworks.com/how-to-delete-a-long-list-of-spam-users-in-mediawiki/

	You will then want to utilise the following scripts via command line:		You will then want to utilise the following scripts via command line:

Rootadminacc at 21:42, 3 January 2025

2025-01-03T21:42:30Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:42, 3 January 2025
Line 309:		Line 309:
	== Spam accounts ==		== Spam accounts ==

	ServerKB over 4 years (2021 to 2025) had ~300,000 spam pages and ~20,000 spam accounts created.		ServerKB over 4 years (2021 to 2025) had ~300,000 spam pages and ~20,000 spam accounts created. To save someone the hassle I went to trying to remove all these over a couple of days I documented the steps and tools I used below.
	~~These stats~~ can ~~easily~~ be checked for your own MediaWiki via these pages:
			Stats can be checked for your own MediaWiki via these pages:
	Special:ListUsers		Special:ListUsers
	Special:Statistics		Special:Statistics
	You will want to use these pages throughout your analysis and resolution to keep an eye on the numbers.		You will want to use these pages throughout your analysis and resolution to keep an eye on the numbers.

			If you do not wish to follow the below, you can instead export the known good pages, create a new database, update mediawiki and import the good pages.

	First recommendation, upgrade MediaWiki to the latest version possible: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Upgrading		First recommendation, upgrade MediaWiki to the latest version possible: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Upgrading
Line 352:		Line 355:
	I would recommend doing this with your web server (Apache) and database (MySQL) in a stopped state, as this allows you to correct any issues that halt the update/upgrade e.g. missing extensions, missing extension files, missing LocalSettings.php		I would recommend doing this with your web server (Apache) and database (MySQL) in a stopped state, as this allows you to correct any issues that halt the update/upgrade e.g. missing extensions, missing extension files, missing LocalSettings.php

	Note: Tools like SmiteSpam, UserMerge did not work for me as they were either not supported on my version of MediaWiki, out of date, not supported any more or just didn't work. This guide seemed good but fell short as it didn't work for me: https://www.simplecloudworks.com/how-to-delete-a-long-list-of-spam-users-in-mediawiki/		Note: Tools like BlockAndNuke, NukeDPL, SmiteSpam and UserMerge did not work for me as they were either not supported on my version of MediaWiki, out of date, not supported any more or just didn't work. This guide seemed good but fell short as it didn't work for me: https://www.simplecloudworks.com/how-to-delete-a-long-list-of-spam-users-in-mediawiki/

	You will then want to utilise the following scripts via command line:		You will then want to utilise the following scripts via command line:
Line 363:		Line 366:

	<pre>$wgNukeMaxAge = <days> * 86400;</pre>		<pre>$wgNukeMaxAge = <days> * 86400;</pre>

			Special:AncientPages and Special:RecentChanges are both useful for checking older pages vs newer spam pages.

			You can delete pages via SQL for pages edited before or after a certain date using this method: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/8839603/remove-mediawiki-pages-before-a-certain-date

	https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:DeleteBatch		https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:DeleteBatch
Line 422:		Line 429:
	https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Combating_spam#:~:text=Extension%3AAbuseFilter%20allows%20privileged%20users,links%20added%2C%20and%20so%20on.		https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Combating_spam#:~:text=Extension%3AAbuseFilter%20allows%20privileged%20users,links%20added%2C%20and%20so%20on.
	https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:ConfirmEdit#QuestyCaptcha		https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:ConfirmEdit#QuestyCaptcha

			If you use Cloudflare:
			https://community.cloudflare.com/t/page-country-redirect-possible-with-cloudflare/485283
			https://tenten.co/insight/dev/country-redirect-with-cloudflare/#:~:text=To%20redirect%20based%20on%20the,country%20variable%20for%20this.

Rootadminacc at 21:33, 3 January 2025

2025-01-03T21:33:41Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:33, 3 January 2025
Line 346:		Line 346:
	You should comment out all extensions (from both wfload and require_once) in LocalSettings.php as these were how I resolved these issues with an old unsupported captcha extension.		You should comment out all extensions (from both wfload and require_once) in LocalSettings.php as these were how I resolved these issues with an old unsupported captcha extension.

	During the upgrades, you will need to run " php update.php~~" regularly.~~ I would recommend doing this with your web server (Apache) and database (MySQL) in a stopped state, as this allows you to correct any issues that halt the update/upgrade e.g. missing extensions, missing extension files, missing LocalSettings.php		During the upgrades, you will need to run this command regularly:

			<pre>php update.php</pre>

			I would recommend doing this with your web server (Apache) and database (MySQL) in a stopped state, as this allows you to correct any issues that halt the update/upgrade e.g. missing extensions, missing extension files, missing LocalSettings.php

	Note: Tools like SmiteSpam, UserMerge did not work for me as they were either not supported on my version of MediaWiki, out of date, not supported any more or just didn't work. This guide seemed good but fell short as it didn't work for me: https://www.simplecloudworks.com/how-to-delete-a-long-list-of-spam-users-in-mediawiki/		Note: Tools like SmiteSpam, UserMerge did not work for me as they were either not supported on my version of MediaWiki, out of date, not supported any more or just didn't work. This guide seemed good but fell short as it didn't work for me: https://www.simplecloudworks.com/how-to-delete-a-long-list-of-spam-users-in-mediawiki/
Line 372:		Line 376:
	to this:		to this:

	"User:MamieNewquist0"		<pre>User:MamieNewquist0</pre>

	Use "=TRIM(A1)" in Excel to remove/strip spaces after usernames if needed.		Use "=TRIM(A1)" in Excel to remove/strip spaces after usernames if needed.
Line 379:		Line 383:
	Then you can call a long list of user pages from one text file like so:		Then you can call a long list of user pages from one text file like so:

	php maintenance/run.php deleteBatch /root/userpages.txt		<pre>php maintenance/run.php deleteBatch /root/userpages.txt</pre>

	=== Deleting unused accounts ===		=== Deleting unused accounts ===

Rootadminacc at 21:32, 3 January 2025

2025-01-03T21:32:34Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:32, 3 January 2025
Line 296:		Line 296:
	Access your install via command line, and set the permissions of the directory to restricted. On Linux, this is done like so:		Access your install via command line, and set the permissions of the directory to restricted. On Linux, this is done like so:

	chmod 000 mw-config		<pre>chmod 000 mw-config</pre>

	== Sitemap ==		== Sitemap ==
Line 324:		Line 324:
	If at any time during this process you run php scripts e.g.		If at any time during this process you run php scripts e.g.

	"php maintenance/runJobs.php"		<pre>php maintenance/runJobs.php
	"php maintenance/run.php update"		php maintenance/run.php update</pre>

	And get the following type of errors:		And get the following type of errors:

	[4758ee24ec3e12702aba0fed] [no req] Error: Call to a member function setHook() on null		<pre>[4758ee24ec3e12702aba0fed] [no req] Error: Call to a member function setHook() on null
	Backtrace:		Backtrace:
	from extensions/analytics.php(23)		from extensions/analytics.php(23)
Line 342:		Line 342:
	#0 includes/Setup.php(571): wfAnalytics()		#0 includes/Setup.php(571): wfAnalytics()
	#1 maintenance/run.php(49): require_once(string)		#1 maintenance/run.php(49): require_once(string)
	#2 {main}		#2 {main}</pre>

	You should comment out all extensions (from both wfload and require_once) in LocalSettings.php as these were how I resolved these issues with an old unsupported captcha extension.		You should comment out all extensions (from both wfload and require_once) in LocalSettings.php as these were how I resolved these issues with an old unsupported captcha extension.
Line 358:		Line 358:
	Nuke is best used when you haven't updated anything for over 30 days but the spammers have, but you can update LocalSettings.php to increase this check threshold:		Nuke is best used when you haven't updated anything for over 30 days but the spammers have, but you can update LocalSettings.php to increase this check threshold:

	$wgNukeMaxAge = <days> * 86400;		<pre>$wgNukeMaxAge = <days> * 86400;</pre>

	https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:DeleteBatch		https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:DeleteBatch
Line 387:		Line 387:
	https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:RemoveUnusedAccounts.php		https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:RemoveUnusedAccounts.php

	php maintenance/run.php removeUnusedAccounts --delete --ignore-groups administrators,Administrators,administrator,bureaucrats		<pre>php maintenance/run.php removeUnusedAccounts --delete --ignore-groups administrators,Administrators,administrator,bureaucrats</pre>

	Note: this only works for accounts that have never made any edits or contributions INCLUDING deleted edits/contributions.		Note: this only works for accounts that have never made any edits or contributions INCLUDING deleted edits/contributions.
Line 395:		Line 395:
	https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:DeleteArchivedRevisions.php		https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:DeleteArchivedRevisions.php

	php maintenance/run.php deleteArchivedRevisions --delete		<pre>php maintenance/run.php deleteArchivedRevisions --delete</pre>

	I would also recommend running RemoveUnusedAccounts again after running DeleteArchivedRevisions.		I would also recommend running RemoveUnusedAccounts again after running DeleteArchivedRevisions.
Line 403:		Line 403:
	https://superuser.com/questions/600818/how-do-i-delete-all-non-confirmed-users-in-mediawiki		https://superuser.com/questions/600818/how-do-i-delete-all-non-confirmed-users-in-mediawiki

	mysql> DELETE FROM user WHERE NOT user_name='<insert_your_admin_account_here>';		<pre>mysql> DELETE FROM user WHERE NOT user_name='<insert_your_admin_account_here>';
	Query OK, 14536 rows affected (1.60 sec)		Query OK, 14536 rows affected (1.60 sec)</pre>

	=== Fix statistics ===		=== Fix statistics ===
Line 410:		Line 410:
	https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:InitSiteStats.php		https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:InitSiteStats.php

	php maintenance/run.php initSiteStats --update		<pre>php maintenance/run.php initSiteStats --update</pre>

	=== Follow up recommendations ===		=== Follow up recommendations ===

Rootadminacc at 21:30, 3 January 2025

2025-01-03T21:30:57Z

@@ Line 291: / Line 291: @@
 $wgDBuser           = "DatabaseUser";<br>
 $wgDBpassword       = "DatabaseUserPassword*";
 == Sitemap ==
@@ Line 300: / Line 306: @@
 http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/User:Superxain/GenerateSitemap (from [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual_talk:GenerateSitemap.php#A_BUG_FIX_to_work_the_Google_Webmaster_Tools here])

Rootadminacc: /* Migrating to a new server */

2015-08-02T14:27:49Z

Migrating to a new server

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:27, 2 August 2015
Line 258:		Line 258:
	On the original server, do this:		On the original server, do this:

	<pre>mysqldump --default-character-set=binary --user=root --password=EnterPasswordHere databasename > dbdump.txt</pre>		<pre>mysqldump --default-character-set=binary --user=root --password=EnterPasswordHere databasename > dbdump.txt
			or
			mysqldump --default-character-set=binary --user=root databasename > dbdump.txt -p</pre>

	Then copy all your content and the dbdump.txt file across to the new server.		Then copy all your content and the dbdump.txt file across to the new server.
Line 272:		Line 274:
	Then on the new server do:		Then on the new server do:

	<pre>mysql --silent --local --password=EnterPasswordHere DatabaseName < dbdump.txt</pre>		<pre>mysql --silent --local --password=EnterPasswordHere DatabaseName < dbdump.txt
			or
			mysql --silent --local DatabaseName < dbdump.txt -p
			</pre>

	Go into MySQL and create the MySQL user from the old server (specified in LocalSettings.php on the original server) by doing:		Go into MySQL and create the MySQL user from the old server (specified in LocalSettings.php on the original server) by doing:

Rootadminacc: /* Migrating to a new server */

2015-08-02T10:36:08Z

Migrating to a new server

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:36, 2 August 2015
Line 281:		Line 281:
	Edit your LocalSettings.php to ensure the following setting are correct:		Edit your LocalSettings.php to ensure the following setting are correct:

	$wgDBtype = "mysql";		$wgDBtype = "mysql";<br>
	$wgDBserver = "localhost";		$wgDBserver = "localhost";<br>
	$wgDBname = "DatabaseName";		$wgDBname = "DatabaseName";<br>
	$wgDBuser = "DatabaseUser";		$wgDBuser = "DatabaseUser";<br>
	$wgDBpassword = "DatabaseUserPassword*";		$wgDBpassword = "DatabaseUserPassword*";

Rootadminacc: /* Installation */

2014-12-07T09:23:28Z

Installation

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:23, 7 December 2014
Line 128:		Line 128:
	It will state:		It will state:

	<pre>qmail will refuse to accept SMTP messages except to ~~web.novalocal~~.		<pre>qmail will refuse to accept SMTP messages except to `hostname`.
	Make sure to change rcpthosts if you add hosts to locals or virtualdomains!</pre>		Make sure to change rcpthosts if you add hosts to locals or virtualdomains!</pre>

Rootadminacc: /* Installation */

2014-12-07T09:23:09Z

Installation

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:23, 7 December 2014
Line 125:		Line 125:
	chmod 700 LocalSettings.php		chmod 700 LocalSettings.php
	apt-get install qmail</pre>		apt-get install qmail</pre>

			It will state:

			<pre>qmail will refuse to accept SMTP messages except to web.novalocal.
			Make sure to change rcpthosts if you add hosts to locals or virtualdomains!</pre>

	Then check this: http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Config_script		Then check this: http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Config_script

Rootadminacc: /* Installation */

2014-01-30T09:28:44Z

Installation

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:28, 30 January 2014
Line 103:		Line 103:
	pecl install Memcache		pecl install Memcache
	pear install net_smtp		pear install net_smtp
	vim /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini		vim /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini # you need Apache installed first)
	# as well as		# as well as
	vim /etc/php5/cli/php.ini		vim /etc/php5/cli/php.ini