Trac Migration: Version difference -> problem with database?

Question

I need to migrate trac from an old server to a new Ubuntu 10.04 LTS server.

The old server has version Trac 0.11.1 and the installation is pretty messy and runs on an outdated unsupported debian server (thats the reason to migrate).

The tracmigration guide looks pretty straight forward and easy. My onle concern is the version difference. Will I run into problems if i import a database from an older trac versions, or is the system intelligent enough to handle database upgrades itself?

Answer 1

I'd have a go at migrating, but it may be easier if the old and new sites are on the same version of Trac. I'd probably go about it this way:

Consult the software site for upgrade info - especially about database versions - and see if this gives any clues. Based on what I discover:

Option 1:

Do a migration from old to new version.

Option 2:

Install the older software (if available) on the new box, copy over the database, check everything's working and then try the upgrade on the copy.

Option 3:

1. Clone the current server to a spare box
2. Upgrade the software on the spare box to the latest version and see how the database fares
3. Decide whether it looks likely that the database can be taken over onto the new server

As a last resort, I'd backup all files and data from the old server before trying an upgrade on it - but I'd really have to rule out the other two procedures first.

Hopefully, one way or another, you'll either end up with a working, upgraded install where you want it or you will have a working install that can be copied/migrated.

Answer 2

Short answer exactly at your question:

If you chose SQLite as the db backend, then upgrading to any later version should be fairly painless (just trac-admin upgrade).

This migration support with SQLite is excellent, nothing to worry about. The process will even generate backup copies on every upgrade step, but as always, you should keep a copy of your old as a backup anyway. Other backends might do equally good, but will not generate the backup(s) for you.