Update WordPress to 3.1.3

I've built a template in WordPress for a client and it is my first WordPress experience. Now, I can see in the WP dashboard that it needs an update to version 3.1.3, so how about doing that today...

Being a Joomla junkie since 2005, I can do Joomla-site updates with my eyes closed, but with WordPress I don't have that comfy feeling yet. Did two updates for this client before and didn't make notes, so thought it was time to do just that.

First step, backup your site, is easy, if you can find the way this webhost leads you to the actual database and files.

This time, I just downloaded the site's files and found my way to the phpmyadmin panel and did a database export. Oh you, only a few tables compared to Joomla.

So now what?

When logged in into your admin-panel, there's this not-to-miss message telling you you should upgrade, it tells you to which version you should update and gives you a choice, download the newest WP version, or update automatically.

So... reading through some instructions provided by the developpers won't hurt, and they've got a nice page to read about updating.

What does it say?

Check requirements

Uhm. Yup. With Joomla, i kinda know what it needs, which client has what kind of host and all that. With WordPress being kind of new.... let's see what it says.

To run WordPress your host just needs a couple of things:

PHP version 5.2.4 or greater
MySQL version 5.0 or greater

The requirements have changed as of WordPress 3.2. The minimum requirements for WordPress 3.1 are PHP 4.3 and MySQL 4.1.2.

Good thing I looked then. The dashboard tells me to update to 3.1.3 but apparently there is a version 3.2 as well.

So what do we have? PHP version 5.2.17 and mySQL version 4.1.22. Guess that answers the question why the dashboard doesn't suggest 3.2.Oh, and on the WordPress download site, it says version 3.1.3 is the most recent stable version, so 3.2 is probably still a beta or something.

So update to version 3.1.3 it is then.

Take a backup

Been there, done that already, figuring it was my first step.

Disable plugins

So good that I checked, I would never have thought about this. Disabling stuff in Joomla while upgradng? Never done that.... Why disabling? Apparently to prevent trouble if plugins having trouble with the newest WP version.

So deactivating plugins just in case...

It givves me a fair warning that the current Rockettheme template we've got needs the gantry-plugin. Yeah, yeah, I know, I will give it back to you shortly...

Ready to update

Yeah sure. Reading through the automatic and manual update instructions first. So automatic update should be okay, since we are running php5, and I am going to assume we got all the rights set up like it should be, 'cause the manual update process looks like a pain-in-the-mikta.

Went to the admin dashboard, hit the Dutch automatic update button and went to grab me a cup of coffee.