Message-ID: <aaf9a36b-cfd0-8ab4-3bc7-b14aa8d5f60b@denninger.net>
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2022 17:07:58 -0400
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Subject: Re: Postgres open source upgrades
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To: pgsql-admin@lists.postgresql.org
References: <6E89EC2B-D3EF-456A-A020-5A17D44F3103@gmail.com>
 <YrtgFX7Zu04ctk3e@momjian.us>
From: Karl Denninger <karl@denninger.net>
In-Reply-To: <YrtgFX7Zu04ctk3e@momjian.us>
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On 6/28/2022 16:09, Bruce Momjian wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 28, 2022 at 12:13:11PM -0700, Teja Jakkidi wrote:
>> Hello pgsql-admin,
>>
>> I am very new to Postgres and trying to learn how upgrades work in Postgres.
>> We have open source installation and I am wondering if anyone can help me with correct documentation or steps on performing minor and major version upgrades.
> Please look here:
>
> 	https://www.postgresql.org/support/versioning/
>
> There are links to the documentation there.

To add to this from real-world experience over a /long /period of time 
(I've been using this code since the 1990s!) with Postgres:

I've never had a minor version upgrade blow up in my face.  Major 
version upgrades require some care because if the "upgrade in place" 
procedure is used and something goes wrong with it you can be in serious 
trouble.  It's supposed to check that but if it goes bad on you then I 
hope you have a valid and recent backup as you can be in extremely 
serious trouble if not/.  Theoretically /the in-place process should 
check first and refuse to proceed if there's a problem but if you 
haven't met Mrs. Murphy I recommend thinking a long time before 
proceeding with that in the absence of a mitigation strategy with data 
you care about.

Exactly how you mitigate that risk requires some thought and much 
depends on prior planning (the obvious is to not upgrade in-place and 
thus the "pre-upgrade" copy, and the binaries, are still there in case 
something goes wrong -- but that requires both the processing time and 
disk storage for the second copy.)

-- 
Karl Denninger
karl@denninger.net
/The Market Ticker/
/[S/MIME encrypted email preferred]/
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    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 6/28/2022 16:09, Bruce Momjian
      wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote type="cite" cite="mid:YrtgFX7Zu04ctk3e@momjian.us">
      <pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap="">On Tue, Jun 28, 2022 at 12:13:11PM -0700, Teja Jakkidi wrote:
</pre>
      <blockquote type="cite">
        <pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap="">Hello pgsql-admin,

I am very new to Postgres and trying to learn how upgrades work in Postgres. 
We have open source installation and I am wondering if anyone can help me with correct documentation or steps on performing minor and major version upgrades.
</pre>
      </blockquote>
      <pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap="">
Please look here:

	<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.postgresql.org/support/versioning/">https://www.postgresql.org/support/versioning/</a>

There are links to the documentation there.
</pre>
    </blockquote>
    <p>To add to this from real-world experience over a <i>long </i>period
      of time (I've been using this code since the 1990s!) with
      Postgres:</p>
    <p>I've never had a minor version upgrade blow up in my face.  Major
      version upgrades require some care because if the "upgrade in
      place" procedure is used and something goes wrong with it you can
      be in serious trouble.  It's supposed to check that but if it goes
      bad on you then I hope you have a valid and recent backup as you
      can be in extremely serious trouble if not<i>.  Theoretically </i>the
      in-place process should check first and refuse to proceed if
      there's a problem but if you haven't met Mrs. Murphy I recommend
      thinking a long time before proceeding with that in the absence of
      a mitigation strategy with data you care about.<br>
    </p>
    <p>Exactly how you mitigate that risk requires some thought and much
      depends on prior planning (the obvious is to not upgrade in-place
      and thus the "pre-upgrade" copy, and the binaries, are still there
      in case something goes wrong -- but that requires both the
      processing time and disk storage for the second copy.)<br>
    </p>
    <p>
    </p>
    <div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
      Karl Denninger<br>
      <a href="mailto:karl@denninger.net" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">karl@denninger.net</a><br>
      <i>The Market Ticker</i><br>
      <font size="-2"><i>[S/MIME encrypted email preferred]</i></font></div>
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