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Installing and Upgrading Plugins




NOTE: Plugins require Craft Bukkit, Spigot, or MCPC+ and do not work on Vanilla Minecraft!


STERN WARNING:
I can't stress this enough, so I'm going to use all caps. Forgive me, but it's necessary. DO NOT USE PLUGINS ON YOUR SERVER THAT HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATED FOR YOUR VERSION OF SPIGOT/BUKKIT!

If plugins are showing errors in your console, they are NOT updated or compatible with your server. It makes NO difference if they appear to work in-game, the errors mean there is a PROBLEM that can cause severe lag, memory leaks, crashing, and even world corruption. We see it all the time.

Take this plugin error, for example:

[13:48:37] [Server thread/WARN]: [Bending] Task #3 for Bending v1.1.0 generated an exception
java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: org.bukkit.Server.getOnlinePlayers()[Lorg/bukkit/entity/Player;
    at airbending.AirBubble.handleBubbles(AirBubble.java:126) ~[?:?]
    at main.BendingManager.manageAirbending(BendingManager.java:139) ~[?:?]
    at main.BendingManager.run(BendingManager.java:110) ~[?:?]
    at org.bukkit.craftbukkit.v1_10_R1.scheduler.CraftTask.run(CraftTask.java:53) ~[craftbukkit.jar:git-Bukkit-67b2424]
    at org.bukkit.craftbukkit.v1_10_R1.scheduler.CraftScheduler.mainThreadHeartbeat(CraftScheduler.java:349) [craftbukkit.jar:git-Bukkit-67b2424]
    at net.minecraft.server.v1_10_R1.MinecraftServer.D(MinecraftServer.java:686) [craftbukkit.jar:git-Bukkit-67b2424]
    at net.minecraft.server.v1_10_R1.DedicatedServer.D(DedicatedServer.java:360) [craftbukkit.jar:git-Bukkit-67b2424]
    at net.minecraft.server.v1_10_R1.MinecraftServer.C(MinecraftServer.java:647) [craftbukkit.jar:git-Bukkit-67b2424]
    at net.minecraft.server.v1_10_R1.MinecraftServer.run(MinecraftServer.java:551) [craftbukkit.jar:git-Bukkit-67b2424]
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source) [?:1.8.0_25]


That is a MAJOR problem. The Bending plugin is looking for a method named getOnlinePlayers, which DOES NOT EXIST in the Minecraft source code. That means the plugin has not been updated for the version of Spigot/Bukkit the server is currently using, and it should NOT be used until the developer updates and compiles against the latest source code. Memory leaks and lag are just the beginning of the issues you will have with this plugin, I guarantee it.


Installing Plugins:

There are two ways to install and/or update plugins for your server. Manually using FTP, or using BukGet.

Using BukGet:
BukGet is built into your Multicraft control panel and is by far the easiest way to install and upgrade trusted plugins.


To use BukGet, login to your Multicraft control panel, click on your server, click on "Files" in the menu, and then click on "BukGet Plugins":

BukGet



In the BukGet interface, you will find a list of available plugins, their description, the release status and supported Craft Bukkit (CB) versions. (Spigot and MCPC+ are both based on Craft Bukkit.)

Use the text boxes at the top to search and filter the results to quickly locate a plugin you are interested in. For example, let's say you are interested in the Essentials plugin. Simply enter "essentials" for the plugin name and then press enter:

Plugin search

Once you find the plugin you are looking for, click on the underlined name of the plugin to proceed to the plugin page. From there you can see more details about the plugin, as well as install, disable, or uninstall the plugin.


When installing plugins, the version you are installing must match the version of Craft Bukkit, Spigot, or MCPC+ that your MOD pack is currently using. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL CAUSE YOUR SERVER TO LAG, CRASH OR CAUSE WORLD CORRUPTION.

We cannot stress that previous point enough. When Mojang updates Minecraft, the plugin developers almost always have to update plugins because of protocol or game changes.

The version is listed in the MOD pack list in parenthesis. It will say MC and then the version number, like this:
MC Version

In that case, the Pixelmod MOD pack is running MCPC+ version 1.6.4. That means all plugins must also be version 1.6.4 or they will cause you nothing but trouble. Do not install any other version unless the author specifically states that it it is compatible with the version of Bukkit/Spigot/MCPC+ your server is using.




The good news: We've had a custom version of BukGet created so you can quickly locate and install the correct version of your favorite plugins! Just select the newest version that matches your Craft Bukkit, Spigot, or MCPC+ version from the drop-down list, then click the install button:


Plugin details

In that example the plugin jumps from 1.6.4-R2.0 to 1.7.2-R0.3. For the Pixelmon example above, you would want to install the most recent 1.6.4 version, which is highlighted in the screen shot.


If you can't find the exact version, click on the "more" link in the plugin description and read the instructions and user comments. The plugin developer will usually list compatible version information, and users will complain loudly if the plugin isn't working correctly.


To install it, just click on the "Install" button, wait for it to finish, and then return to your server's main page and click on the restart button. Watch the console output for indication that the plugin has loaded successfully:

Plugin installed


Please note that many plugins will automatically update themselves to the latest version without asking you.


Auto Update

Many plugins come with the annoying default of automatic updating. After you install the plugin and start the server, any plugin that has the default auto update setting will update itself after it writes out the default set of configuration files. You must then stop the server, change the auto update setting to false, reinstall the older version of the plugin, and then start the server again.

Here are a few plugins with known default auto-update settings, and the option that needs to be changed:

Abyss/config.yml:  auto-update: true
AdminFun/config.yml:  automatic-updates: true
AllBanks/config.yml:  autoUpdate: true
AlwaysDay/config.yml:    autoupdate: true
AntiCheat/config.yml:    Auto update: true
AntiGrief/config.yml:    Auto-Updater-Enabled: true
BananaRegion/config.yml:  AutoUpdate: true
BarAPI/config.yml:  autoUpdate: true
BattleArena/config.yml:  autoUpdate: true
BeSuperman/config.yml:  use-autoupdater: true
ChestProtect/config.yml:  AutoUpdate: true
ClearLag/config.yml:    auto-update: true
ColoredTexts/config.yml:  AutoUpdate: true
ColorGuide/config.yml:  Auto-Update: true
CommandPortals/config.yml:  Auto update: true
CompassNavigation/config.yml:    autoUpdate: true
DarkHorse/config.yml:  auto-update: true
Enjin Minecraft Plugin/config.yml:   autoupdate: true
FarmProtect/config.yml:  AutoUpdate: true
floAuction/config.yml:  auto-update: true
FoundBoxx/config.yml:  Auto_Update_On_Plugin_Enable: true
Ghost Player/config.yml:  AutoUpdateOnLoad: true
HeadDrops/config.yml:  auto-download-update: true
HeavySpleef/config.yml:  auto-update: true
KingKits/config.yml:  automatic-updates: true
KitMaster/config.yml:    autoInstallUpdate: true
NeXTQuarry/config.yml:  auto-update: true
NPCWarehouse/config.yml:  auto-update: true
PlayerHeads/config.yml:  autoupdate: true
PlotMe/config.yml:  auto-update: true
PotionProtection/config.yml:  Automatic Updates: true
PVPPack/config.yml:    auto-update: true
Ranks/config.yml:  auto-update: true
RateOfXray/config.yml:  autoUpdate: true
RPG Items/config.yml:  autoupdate: true
ScoreboardStats/config.yml:  enable-auto-update: true
ScrollingSigns/config.yml:  autoUpdate: true
SecurityVillagers/config.yml:  mainAutoUpdate: true
Shop/config.yml:  AUTO-UPDATE: true
SilkSpawners/config.yml:  autoUpdater: true
SimpleAutoMessage/config.yml:  auto-update: true
SimpleSpleef/config.yml:  autoUpdate: true
SurvivalGamesMultiverse/config.yml:  auto-update: true
TTT/config.yml:  enable-auto-update: true
TuxTwoLib/config.yml:  AutoDownloadUpdates: true
WarpSigns/config.yml:  auto-update: true
ZeldaHearts/config.yml:    auto-update: true




There are many others. The only way to be sure is to check the configuration file of every plugin after the server starts.




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