Plug-in updates:

• Asgaros Forum 2.9.0 –> 3.0.0
• Better Messages 2.5.16 –> 2.6.7
• CoBlocks 3.1.12 –> 3.1.13
• Contact Form 7 5.9.6 –> 6.0.1
• Easy Footnotes 1.1.6 –> 1.1.12
• Front End PM 11.4.3 –> 11.4.4
• HootKit 2.0.14 –> 2.0.15
• TablePress 2.3.2 –> 3.0.1
• Testimonial Slider and Showcase 2.3.11 –> 2.3.14
• Total Upkeep 1.16.3 –> 1.16.7
• User Registration 3.2.1.3 –> 3.3.5.2
• W3 Total Cache 2.7.3 –> 2.8.1
• WordPress Importer 0.8.2 –> 0.8.3
• WP Crontrol 1.16.3 –> 1.17.1
• WP Mail SMTP 4.0.1 –> 4.3.0
• WP Recipe Maker 9.5.3 –> 9.7.2
• Zotpress 7.3.10 –> 7.3.14

Theme updates:

• Blossom Recipe 1.3.0 –> 1.3.2
• Catch Sketch 2.1.1 –> 2.1.2.
• Fotografie 2.4.2 –> 2.4.3
• Twenty Twenty-Four 1.1 –> 1.3.
• Twenty Twenty-Three 1.4 –> 1.6.
• Unos Publisher 1.0.16 –> 1.0.18

Upgraded this theme:

• Catch Sketch 2.1 –> 2.1.1

Upgraded the following plug-ins:

• Better Messages 2.5.12 –> 2.5.16
• CoBlocks 3.1.10 –> 3.1.12
• Contact Form 7 5.9.5 –> 5.9.6
• Testimonial Slider and Showcase 2.3.10 –> 2.3.11
• Total Upkeep 1.16.2 –> 1.16.3
• User Registration 3.2.1.1 –> 3.2.1.3
• W3 Total Cache 2.7.2 –> 2.7.3
• WP Recipe Maker 9.5.0 –> 9.5.3

Plug-ins:

• User Registration 3.2.1 –> 3.2.1.1
• WP Recipe Maker 9.4.3 –> 9.5

• Asgaros Forum 2.8.0 –> 2.9.0
• Better Messages 2.4.36 –> 2.5.11
• CoBlocks 3.1.8 –> 3.1.9
• Contact Form 7 5.9.3 –> 5.9.5
• HootKit 2.0.13 –> 2.0.14
• Postie 1.9.68 –> 1.9.69
• TablePress 2.3 –> 2.3.1
• Testimonial Slider 1.3.2 –> 1.3.3
• Testimonial Slider and Showcase 2.3.9 –> 2.3.10
• Total Upkeep 1.16.0 –> 1.16.2
• User Registration 3.1.5 –> 3.2.0.1
• W3 Total Cache 2.7.1 –> 2.7.2
• WP Crontrol 1.16.2 –> 1.16.3
• WP Recipe Maker 9.3.1 –> 9.4.3
• Zotpress 7.3.8 –> 7.3.10

Themes:

• Blossom Recipe 1.2.8 –> 1.2.9
• Unos 2.9.25 –> 2.10.0

WordPress upgraded to 6.5.3.

A full back-up was performed from cPanel.

WordPress

WordPress was updated from 6.3.2 to 6.4 (EN-GB British English).

Plug-ins

Updates

The following plug-ins were updated:

• Coblocks 3.1.4 -> 3.1.5
• Postie 1.9.65 -> 1.9.66.

Installations

The W3 Total Cache Total Upkeep back-up plug-in was installed, but not yet activated pending further research.

Themes

Twenty Twenty-Three was updated from 1.2 to 1.3.

Network

The network was updated to propagate database changes across sites.

Various things were suggested; so far, I have implemented the recommendations listed below.

Clean up themes

The following unused themes were deleted from the system: Astra, Book Publisher, Culinary, Digital Books, Dulcet, Fotografie Blog, Full Page, Hestia, Keenshot, Leftside, Minimalist Blogger, Minimalist Writer, Music, Music Lite, OceanWP, Publish, Publishers, Restaurant Zone, Totomo, Twenty Fifteen, Twenty Fourteen, Twenty Nineteen, Twenty Seventeen, Twenty Sixteen, Twenty Twenty, Twenty Twenty-one, Twenty Twenty-two, Verlex, Vilva, Writ, Yummy Recipes.

The following were then updated: Bloom Recipe, Unos.

Clean up plug-ins

The following unused plug-ins were deleted from the system: Akismet, bbp Style Pack, bbp Press, GD bbpress Tools, Image Upload for bbPress, KaTeX, weForms.

The following were then updated: Asgaros Forum, Coblocks, Contact Form 7, Front End PM, HootKit, TablePress, Testimonial Slider, Testimonial Slider Showcase, Updraft Plus, Word Press Importer, WP Recipe Maker, ZotPress.

The following was added, network activated, and auto-configured to improve performance: W3 Total Cache.

WordPress core

WordPress core (British English version) was updated to 6.3.

UpdraftPlus maintenance

Back-up frequency was checked to ensure it was running weekly.

All back-ups prior to the most recent six (6) were deleted to save space.

To be continued

More suggested configuration changes will be made soon.

WordPress was upgraded to 6.1.1.

Plug-ins and themes

All plug-ins were brought up-t0-date. Co-blocks was updated at the end of the process as a new PHP version was required.

All themes were brought up-to-date.

PHP

For security reasons, PHP was upgraded to 7.4. This update had been delayed since the ZotPress plug-in, which is used extensively on several sites here, was not upgraded for compatibility until recently.

This update made it possible to update the Co-Blocks plug-in as well.

The PHP update was required in order to keep certain plug-ins updated as well as for security reasons.

Site identity

Since at least one of the sites now hosts users who are not part of the actual family—and given the amused reaction I got from one new user when he received the welcome message asking for registration confirmation—it seemed best to change the title of this master website to something more meaningful!¹

Site theme

Finally, in the interest of improved aesthetics, the site theme was changed from TwentyNineteen to CatchySketch.