I am needing to upgrade MySQL on Ubuntu, it is a production server and naturally cautious.
My many googles look to be essentially saying that I need to :
Backup my current mysql database and tables/data
Uninstall current mysql
Install new MYSQL 5+
Restore Databases/ tables and data
Hope and Pray I got it right ??
Something doesn't seem right, sounds like a lot of down time and risk
Am I missing something, or any simple solutions?
Upgrading from MySQL 4 to 5 on Ubuntu 10
Many Thanks,
Rob
The upgrade process depends on how you installed your mysql distribution.
If you installed the ubuntu mysql distribution you don't need to upgrade that way (but always create the backup copy of all your dbs!). You need to upgrade that way only if you installed the mysql.com mysql distribution (ex. tar.gz).
If you installed mysql packages distributed by ubuntu (you can check it running dpkg -l | grep -i mysql-server) you may just need to use the ubuntu package manager to upgrade mysql.
The upgrade of the server itself should be a piece of cake, even for the casual admin.
However...
There are many, many changes between 4.x and 5.x. I would not expect to be able to import a v4-dump into a v5-server straight out-of-the-box.
Be prepared for a strong head ache during data migration. Also, prepare your devs for significant (I'm tempted to write "massive") reworks on their applications. Some features have gone. Some features have changed.
Be sure to read the Changelog carefully before engaging the procedure ! Read ALL pages related to ALL versions between your current and your actual target version. Also, follow the link "Upgrading from MySQL 4.1 to 5.0", found at the bottom of the Changelog page (sorry, not enough rep' to post more than two hyperlinks :( )
Tip : it is possible to run multiple instances/versions of MySQL on the same system, in case you don't have a spare server at hand to play with.
