Re: version upgrade

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004, Josh Berkus wrote:

> Andrew,
>
>> If I were loony enough to want to make an attempt at a version updater
>> (i.e. migrate a
>> 7.4 database to 8.0 without an initdb), any suggestions on where to
>> poke first? Does a
>> catalog/list of system catalog changes exist anywhere? Any really gross
>> problems immediately
>> present themselves? Is dusting off pg_upgrade a good place to start, or
>> is that a dead end?
>
> Join the Slony project?    Seriously, this is one of the uses of slony.  All
> you'd need would be a script that would:
>
> 1) Install PG 8.0 to an alternate directory;
> 2) Start 8.0;
> 3) install Slony on both instances (the 7.4 and the 8.0);
> 4) make 7.4 the "master" and start replicating
> 5) when 8.0 is caught up, stop 7.4 and promote it to Master
> 6) turn off Slony.

Slony is not an upgrade utility, and falls short in one big case .. 
literally .. a very large database with limited cash resources to 
duplicate it (as far as hardware is concerned).  In small shops, or those 
with 'free budget', Slony is perfect ... but if you are in an organization 
where getting money is like pulling teeth, picking up a new server "just 
to do an upgrade" can prove to be difficult ...

----
Marc G. Fournier           Hub.Org Networking Services (http://www.hub.org)
Email: scrappy@hub.org           Yahoo!: yscrappy              ICQ: 7615664