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W3TC CDN – Updating Plugin Or Theme

If you’re using W3 Total Cache with an origin push CDN like RackSpace Cloud Files, then you may encounter problems when updating plugins or themes. After the new files are synced to the CDN there is a propagation delay before all nodes receive the new files. During this time the site may be broken for some users. Here’s a procedure to deal with this situation:

1. Install and activate the new plugin or theme.

2. In W3TC, syncronize the Custom files to CDN. (Performance -> CDN -> Upload Custom Files)

3. Add plugin or theme folder to the CDN exclusion list:

Performance -> CDN -> Rejected Files

Add this line:

{plugins_dir}/plugin_folder

or

{wp_content_dir}/themes/theme_folder

4. Save and clear the page cache.

Now the site will pull the plugin or theme from the server instead of the CDN. But the new files will be propagating through the CDN.

5. In 24 hours or whatever the TTL for your CDN container, after the files have had a chance to propagate, remove the plugin or theme folder from the Rejected Files list and clear the page cache.

Now the site will pull the plugin or theme from the CDN.