listvj wrote: > I'm interested in upgrading from 4.11 to 5.x. I currently track 4.x > stable using cvsup, but I've never done a major version upgrade. > > First, should I bother? My hardware has dual pentium 1.13 processors > with 1G ram (I'm considering maxing it out at 4). I host email and web > sites for a few domains on this machine and I have four jails configured > on it which will have to be upgraded too. I have users counting > particularly on mail service not being down for too long. > > Other than the obvious advice to start with a good backup, can anyone > tell me: > > 1) Will I gain a major benefit from upgrading > 2) Where should I look for instructions / advice on upgrading > 3) Also any general advice from personal experience. > 4) Just how risky is this?
Uh -- why upgrade to a branch (5.x) that has already had it's last release and is worse performing than both 4.x and 6.x? You should really be looking at upgrading to 6.2-RELEASE just as soon as it comes out (Real Soon Now). As for risk -- for various reasons you will be better off doing a clean install of 6.x and rebuilding your server from the ground up. It's no more risky than installing any other server -- unless you have some legacy binary-only application that you absolutely have to run, it is virtually certain to succeed. You biggest problem would seem to be the downtime required to do the update -- if you can manage it, probably the least consumer impact method is building the upgraded system on fresh disks on a scratch box, and then finishing the upgrade by a disk-swap. Which also has the added benefit that you have a ready-made back out path. Cheers, Matthew -- Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil. 7 Priory Courtyard Flat 3 PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey Ramsgate Kent, CT11 9PW
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