upgrade 1.3.8a to 1.3.9h

I have been repeatedly advised to upgrade from 1.3.8a to 1.3.9,
and I understand appreciate the reasons for doing so. I am,
however, reluctant to undertake the task for several reasons. The
first is that I am somewhat chicken. No, really. it scares me half
to death when I read the instructions for upgrading and some of
the problems people have encountered when trying to upgrade.
Also, I did some things, in my ignorance, that I probably should not
have done (ie modified some core files) and I am not sure
that I can replicate those mods. I KNOW! SHAME ON ME !

One of the issues that is most disconcerting is that I installed
the current site in the root directory and changing over could be
not only time consuming but a bit sticky.

So I have a question about a possible solution. If I were to
install 1.3.9h in a directory, call it mystore, and get it working in
that directory could I then modify the "index.php" file in the root
so that it directed the requests to "mystore" ? If so, I would feel a
lot better about upgrading. Doing a redirect to another
directory would give me the ability to revert back to the original
store if there were issues with the new installation.

Go ahead and chew me out if need be, but a response to my
questions would be preferable.

Many people find the idea of upgrading daunting ...mostly because they've never done it before. After you've done it once it's no longer such a "scary" concept.

You raised several concerns:

1. Modified core files.
   The upgrade instructions recommend using a tool like WinMerge to identify all the changes you've made to core files so that you can easily recreate those changes in the new version.

2. Live site is in the root directory.
   GOOD! And it should be.
   And, the smarter way to upgrade is to do all your upgrade-testing in a subfolder, and then when you've done all your testing and confirmed that the tests in the subfolder are working properly, you re-do the upgrade in the live folder (root). No need to swap or rename folders, etc.

3. Reverting
   Your store is driven by two major components: PHP files and MySQL database. Upgrading involves making changes to both. While it's possible, in principle, to revert to a different set of PHP files, you DO NOT want to revert your database, for various technical reasons, including safe preservation of data.
   So, planning a "back door" to downgrade with isn't a particularly good approach. Better is to do thorough testing of all your important steps in the test store before upgrading the live store. Go thru checkouts, choose various shipping/payment choices, create some new accounts, fulfill/ship some orders and update their status, use some coupons if you normally do that, etc. Once all those work as expected, go live, by re-doing the upgrade to the live store. Then delete the test store since it's no longer needed.

Hopefully that helps clarify some things.

DrByte,

Thanks for the encouraging words but it still sounds rather daunting.
The final decision to upgrade will probably have to be made by the
site owner, but he is usually receptive if I give a good enough
argument. Again, thanks.

JohnBoyCr

Sometimes I tell people to look at it from another angle:

You're basically rebuilding the site from scratch. (No, that's NOT supposed to be a scary thought!) BUT, you've got a lot less work to do than you did the first time 'round, because you already have all your customizations sitting there in front of you. You just need to migrate them over to the new version. In many cases that's as easy as copying a file. In many cases it's as easy as comparing the differences between files and copying the change into the new version.

The first time you move into your own apartment and have to cook for yourself, it's daunting and even quite challenging since you don't have a large assortment of pots and pans and ingredients and cooking knowledge. But after you've built up your kitchen, moving to another apartment and cooking there is much less complicated other than maybe getting used to a new layout and maybe learning to cook with a gas stove instead of an electric one, and is a good opportunity to get rid of some old stuff that's no longer needed and buy a new frying pan instead of keeping the old scuffed one that's lost its non-stick capability.
Similar concepts apply to upgrading your site. You've already got the working stuff right there in front of you. Replicating it into the new code is just a matter of doing.

In the case of you and your client, why don't you just DO the upgrade for your client, on your own time, test it, and get to the point of being ready to go live. Then talk about the "when". By then you'll know how much time you spent on it and will have confidence that it's ready for him to do his own testing. You'll remove his barriers of fear, and have an upgrade under your belt.

Having been strongly advised to upgrade from 1.3.8a to 1.3.9h, I have been looking at the server requirements for running 1.3.9h. I noticed that the server meets the requirements but it is running an older version of PHP ( 5.2.16 ) . Even though this higher than the minimum requirement (4.3.2) I just wonder if there are any potential "gotchas" with this configuration.

Apache 2.2.17
PHP 5.2.16
MySql 5.0.92 - ccommunity

Thanks for the feedback.

JohnBoyCr

Don't be afraid JohnBoy. Be very afraid. Giggle

NOT!

Here's what you do:

Create a new directory and name it 'sandbox'
Create a new database and call it 'zen_sandbox'
Import data to the new sandbox database
upload folders and files to new directory
Edit config files so it works in new directory.
Play

The first time I had to upgrade I just dived in. But I made a sandbox. Everything went fine-- but I did have to trace back where I overwrote core files. It wasn't that bad.

So don't be afraid, just do it in a sandbox, and when you are successful, you can wear the "I can upgrade" badge proudly on your cap.

From the versions mentioned and shown, should not be any problems. As always though, backup everything first or at least your Database. :wink:

JohnBoyCR:

I have been looking at the server requirements for running 1.3.9h. I noticed that the server meets the requirements but it is running an older version of PHP ( 5.2.16 ) . Even though this higher than the minimum requirement (4.3.2) I just wonder if there are any potential "gotchas" with this configuration.

Apache 2.2.17
PHP 5.2.16
MySql 5.0.92 - ccommunity

Thanks for the feedback.

JohnBoyCr

Yes, as Website Rob says, those are fine.
ref: http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.php/Installation_-_Requirements

JohnBoyCR:

The final decision to upgrade will probably have to be made by the site owner, but he is usually receptive if I give a good enough
argument. Again, thanks.

You'll have no problems with this.

To do the upgrade will take maybe a couple of hours, or double this if you've never done it before.

To recover from a hacked site could take a day or two, and then to ensure he'll not be hacked again via the same exploit he'll need to upgrade, this will take a couple of hours, give or take.

The difference in total cost is clear to see.

The real question is when does he want the upgrade done.

All script kiddies know about the zen138 exploits, and they are actively looking for targets. Even as we speak it could be too late. :(

Cheers
Rod

ps. Most people don't have any problems upgrading. The horror stories you read here are in the minority, and have many different reasons, so forget about all the problems you've read or heard about and only worry about the in the rare occasion you may have the same problem.