Update Server Download Issues #

Problems with customers or client software not being able to download updates.

Issue 1: Download URL Returns 404 #

Symptom: Client software or customer portal download fails with a 404 error on the /dmsilm-download/ URL.

Most common cause: Rewrite rules not flushed after installation.

Fix:

1. Go to Settings > Permalinks
2. Click Save Changes (no changes needed — just clicking Save flushes the rewrite rules)
3. Retry the download

Why this happens: The extension registers a custom rewrite rule on every WordPress init hook. But the rewrite rules cache (stored in the database) needs to be refreshed to pick up new rules. This is a one-time step required after first installation. If it recurs, check whether a caching or security plugin is interfering with rewrite rule registration.

Issue 2: Download URL Returns 401 or 403 #

Symptom: Download attempt fails with HTTP 401 (Unauthorized) or 403 (Forbidden).

Causes and fixes:

Issue 3: File Is Missing After Upload #

Symptom: Customers get an error like "file not found" even though you uploaded the file.

Checklist:

1. In the version edit form, does the file name and size appear in the Upload Release File field?
2. Check that the directory wp-content/uploads/dmsilm/updates/ is writable by PHP
3. Check Settings > System Status for file writing status
4. On shared hosting, confirm the upload directory was created during plugin activation (if not, create it manually at wp-content/uploads/dmsilm/updates/ and add an .htaccess with Deny from all)

Issue 4: Customer Downloads Old Version Instead of New #

Symptom: API returns an older version even though you published a newer one.

Causes:

• Update check cache has not expired yet (wait up to the configured cache duration, default 15 minutes)
• Rollout percentage is set below 100% and this license is not in the current rollout bucket
• The version's channel is beta or alpha but the license channel is stable
• Compatibility requirements block the update for this client's environment

Fix:

1. Edit the version, scroll to Update Server Settings
2. Check the channel, rollout percentage, and compatibility fields
3. If needed, use the "Full Rollout" row action to set rollout to 100%
4. Clear the transient cache: go to DDLS > Settings > Update Server and check for a "Clear Cache" option, or deactivate/reactivate the plugin to force cache clearing

Issue 5: Version Sorting Is Wrong #

Symptom: An older version (e.g., 1.9.0) appears as "latest" instead of the newer 1.10.0.

Cause: Versions are ordered by ORDER BY version DESC using MySQL string sort. String sorting orders "1.9.0" after "1.10.0" because "9" > "1" in string comparison.

Fix: Use zero-padded version numbers to avoid this: 1.09.0 sorts before 1.10.0. Alternatively, plan version numbers to avoid this situation (e.g., jump from 1.9.x to 2.0.0 rather than 1.10.x).

This is a known limitation documented in the extension's gotchas.

Related Topics #

• Installation & Activation
• Secure Download Endpoint
• Download Token Settings