3.0 Plugin Upgrade Bug? Could Not Create Directory

Exact same problem as you Elegant Bohemian. Only I have liquid web as well and so I logged into WHM and changed from Pure-FTP to ProFTP.

New result:
Unable to locate WordPress Root directory.
Installation Failed

Now I am completely baffled.

I have the same problem on my own Multi-install, but I just upgraded two plugins and WP on a single site install on another server in about 5 seconds. It does seem to be server-related or perhaps multi-related?

Hi,

If u installed via autoinstaller like Fantastico or someting.. try reinstalled manually, download from www.remarpro.com then upload to webhost.

I tried on my newly wordpress site via fantastico and giving me same error like you received. Tried delete /upgrade and recreate and its only work for a while.

I delete everything and installed manually, no problem there after..

its indeed a prob with permission like some of u explained before…

Hi,
I tried resetting the directory permissions. Didn’t work.
I tried deleting the upgrade folder. Didn’t work.
I tried fixing the php function mkdir(). Didn;t work.
I asked my host about PHP settings or file ownership. No go.

THEN, my host learned that the WP updater has a conflict with CPanel FTP settings. Thru CPanel he was using PureFTP and changed it to ProFTP.
IT WORKED!

I appreciate everyone’s posts searching for answers. Thanks JON

I am having the EXACT same problem as EloquentBohemian. Im trying to do a few things. Install a plugin, install a new theme, and upgrade WP. All of them are giving me Could not create directory.: /public_html. When I delete the upgrade folder and re-set the permissions and try again, I get Could not copy file.:/public_html/blog/wp-admin/css/theme-editor.dev.css. Driving me nuts!

If your WordPress is running on a server that uses CPanel/WHM, WordPress is probably NOT the issue. It’s most likely your FTP server.

The default CPanel installation uses Pure-ftpd as its ftp server. I haven’t dug around enough to figure out why/where, but there appears to be some sort of bug with its handling of permissions.

If you are your own server administrator, you can change from Pure-FTP to ProFTP with a few simple clicks in your WHM (root) interface. From the main screen, under “Service Configuration”, click on “FTP Server Selection”, choose the first option (proftp), then click save. After it is installed, scroll down to the bottom and click on the configuration link to double-check the options (you may want to disable anonymous FTP).

If you are not your server’s administrator (if you do not have access to the superuser WHM account), you will want to to pass this info along to your admin so he/she could make the change for you. Once this is done, both WordPress updates and plugin updates should work without having to keep your permissions dangerously open.

If your WordPress is running on a server that uses CPanel/WHM, WordPress is probably NOT the issue. It’s most likely your FTP server.

I’m currently running at least 8 WP sites on servers that use cPanel and I’ve never had this problem. So I doubt that it’s a generic cPanel issue.

Then what I said doesn’t apply to you. I said that IF you had this issue AND you were running CPanel, try proftp ??

Besides, your WHM admin might already be running proftp and you don’t even know it, in which case you would not have had the problem to begin with.

There might be some other things in the mix… so far, every site I’ve encountered with this issue on a CPanel server has been “fixed” by changing the FTP server. Also, every site I’ve “fixed” so far was originally installed via fantastico, not manually. Every site has multiple additional plugins in the mix. Every site has customized themes. All or none of those variables might or might not have anything to do with the specific conditions that cause the error to show up.

So, IF you have this error, AND you are running CPanel, it wouldn’t hurt to try proftp.

I will try to change from pureftp to proftp… will give feedback once i tested the wordpress upgrade/direct plugin installation and such.

Then what I said doesn’t apply to you. I said that IF you had this issue AND you were running CPanel, try proftp ??

Fairy ’nuff. ?? I’ll see if I can find out what those hosts are using for FTP and post back. It might help to clarify the problematic set of apps.

Mine is on a Cpanel server. Can I change the ftp server from Cpanel?
I will let you know if this fixes it.

mudthirsty

you need an admin access on WHM to change the ftp server type.

Thanks Maiself.. Just sent your instructions to my admin. I will let you, and everyone else, know if this works!

Just got answer back from the host:

We run Pure-ftpd on our servers for FTP, the most likely cause of these errors is file/folder permissions.

So it’s got a be something deeper than just a cPanel/Pure-ftpd issue. I wonder if it’s something in the server configs? Perhaps an allowed path setting?

Another way to check which FTP your cpanel using:-

Connect to your ftp server using FTP client, check the welcome message:-

[12/31/2010 12:59:15 AM] Socket connected. Waiting for welcome message…
[12/31/2010 12:59:15 AM] 220———- Welcome to Pure-FTPd [privsep] [TLS] ———-
220-You are user number 1 of 50 allowed.
220-Local time is now 00:59. Server port: 21.
220-IPv6 connections are also welcome on this server.
220 You will be disconnected after 15 minutes of inactivity.
STATUS:> [12/31/2010 12:59:15 AM] Connected. Authenticating…

Hope that help…