Upgrade from version 1.x

Choose the correct edition first

If your 1.x site uses server SSO or custom user fields, install the Pro ZIP directly and activate a Pro or Enterprise license. Free does not contain that feature code. Free keeps the saved values and can show a notice, but it cannot run the missing features.

For LDAP password login without SSO or custom fields, use Free. There is no separate migration package or eligibility flag.

Upgrade steps

1. Make a backup of site files and the database.
2. Test the upgrade on a site copy.
3. Confirm that a separate local administrator password works.
4. Record the directory connection, required groups, and any SSO or custom field settings.
5. Install the selected edition at the existing simple-ldap-login path.
6. Review Connection, Access, Advanced, and the relevant Pro tabs.
7. Re-enter the directory search password if the plugin cannot read the old value.
8. Run both built-in tests, then test real login, group denial, and recovery in another browser.

What migration keeps

The plugin keeps its Simple-LDAP-Login.php entry file and the sll_settings option. It uses the original site or network scope. Migration reads older simpleldap_* options and makes one sll_settings_backup_v1 backup. Old options and unknown settings keys are kept. Saving one tab changes only the submitted fields.

Existing settings without a recovery policy retain legacy recovery mode. If an older installation has no saved default role, migration uses Contributor. A new installation defaults to Subscriber. Review that policy and choose separate recovery accounts where possible.

Credentials and transport

Migration converts the search password from the old hostname-based encryption to AES-256-GCM. If it cannot read the old password, it keeps the stored value. Enter the password again in settings.

Keep WordPress salts stable, or set a long, random SLL_ENCRYPTION_KEY outside the database before you save the password. A key change requires password re-entry.

Existing unencrypted LDAP settings continue to work with a warning. New installations require TLS by default. Install the directory certificate authority on the PHP server.

Backup and package protection

The migration backup can contain weakly encrypted old credentials. Restrict access to database backups. Remove the migration backup only after upgrade and recovery checks pass.

An active Pro installation rejects an incoming ZIP that lacks Pro files. To choose Free, deactivate Pro before installing Free. Existing users and content are kept.

Developers must review legacy hooks. The old adLDAP object and its directory administration methods are no longer available. See developer hooks.