Re: Migrating from 8.3 to 8.4 on the same server

How big is your database?

If not very big, a pg_dump/pg_restore will be your best option. 8.3 to 8.4 is not a traumatic upgrade. In fact, it's really easy and probably you won't need to change your database schema.
And pg_restore in 8.4 is really FAST (compared with previous versions).

-----Original Message-----
From: Lewis Kapell <lkapell@setonhome.org>
To: pgsql-admin@postgresql.org
Subject: [ADMIN] Migrating from 8.3 to 8.4 on the same server
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:29:23 -0400

In the documentation under the heading "Migration Between Releases" we 
read:

<<It is also possible to use replication methods, such as Slony, to 
create a slave server with the updated version of PostgreSQL. The slave 
can be on the same computer or a different computer. [...] Such a 
switch-over results in only several seconds of downtime for an upgrade. >>

In the section "Warm Standby Servers for High Availability" it says:

<< For testing purposes, it is possible to run both primary and standby 
servers on the same system. >>

Although this section does not use the term Point-In-Time Recovery, I 
understand this is what it refers to.  Could the WAL/PITR method then be 
used to upgrade from 8.3 to 8.4 on the same server and avoid having the 
significant downtime of dump/restore?

If so, I understand the two servers would have to run on different 
ports.  Are there any other issues/traps to be aware of?

-- 

Thank you,

Lewis Kapell
Computer Operations
Seton Home Study School