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From: Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us>
Message-Id: <200605231524.k4NFOKN26580@candle.pha.pa.us>
Subject: Mention of minor upgrades
To: PostgreSQL-documentation <pgsql-docs@postgresql.org>
Date: Tue, 23 May 2006 11:24:20 -0400 (EDT)
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In discussion with Jim Nasby, I have updated the FAQ to strongly
encourage minor upgrading:

    <H3 id="item3.6">3.6) Why do I need to do a dump and restore
    to upgrade between major PostgreSQL releases?</H3>

    <P>The PostgreSQL team makes only bug fixes in minor releases,
    so, for example, upgrading from 7.4.8 to 7.4.9 does not require
    a dump and restore;  merely stop the database server, install
    the updated binaries, and restart the server.</P>

    <P>All users should upgrade to the most recent minor release as
    soon as it is available.  While every upgrade has some risk,
    PostgreSQL minor releases are designed to fix only common bugs
    with the least risk.  The community considers <i>not</i> upgrading
    more risky that upgrading.</P>

    <P>Major releases (e.g. from 7.3 to 7.4) often change the internal
    format of system tables and data files. These changes are often complex,
    so we don't maintain backward compatibility for data files. A dump/reload
    of the database is required for major upgrades.</P>


-- 
  Bruce Momjian   http://candle.pha.pa.us
  EnterpriseDB    http://www.enterprisedb.com

  + If your life is a hard drive, Christ can be your backup. +