Upgrading then moving to another domain name

Hello,

I am using 1.3.8a. I would like to upgrade and also change my domain name.

What do you recommend?
1- First upgrading to 1.3.9h then moving to my new domain name
or
2- Installing 1.3.9h on my new domain name, then copying my database tables from my old domain name to the new one?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Note: I don't have a clear vision of what each solution would require me to do.

It is better to upgrade FIRST.

The process can be quite detailed - especially if you have a lot of ADD-ON modules, and/or if you have a number of CUSTOMIZED files.

If you have ADD-ONs, or customized files, you first need to bring these customizations up to 1.3.9h levels.

The only way to do this is manually. You need to COMPARE each custom file, with its corresponding CORE (or DEFAULT) file. Then, you need to bring in any important modifications to the php, from the CORE file, to your CUSTOM file.

A LOT of files do not change when the program is upgraded by the zencart developer team. And a FRESH download of the software will have a CHANGE-LOG - recording all the files that are affected in the upgrade.

You should UPGRADE copies your custom files on your hard-drive - not directly on the server. When you have completed the modifications, you must BACK-UP all files, then apply the new ones.

Then, all CORE files that need replacing (upgrading) should be sent to the server.

Then, using the upgrade procedure, you do the full upgrade.

When your existing site is upgraded, you can move it.

Not wishing to argue with Schoolboy, but personally I would be inclined to install the latest version on the new server/domain first and configure it to your hearts content (and to ensure all your addons, etc are compatible) and then consider migrating your old data to the new installation.

This way you won't be messing with your live/working store while setting things up.

This process does make it a bit harder to perform the actual data migration than Schoolboys suggestion, but it also allows you to do things in a more leisurely timeframe.

One other consideration would be the number of products and customers you have. If you have a lot of data then Schoolboys recommendation is probably the way to go (just ensure you keep good backups of everything).

A 'trick' that I've found handy is after installing the latest version on the new server, is to delete the new database tables, and replace it with a backup copy of your existing database, then run the SQL upgrade scripts to bring the database back inline with the latest install. If this goes without a hitch, then you're 'home and hosed', because then you only need to deal with upgrading your templates, etc. (All the while, your existng store will still be fully operational).

Having said that, since the whole world now knows that you are running V1.3.8 it may be more prudent to take the store offline until after your upgrade, in which case, Schoolboys suggested method will be the quickest and easiest. Sad to say, but your store could be getting hacked even as I write this.

In case you didn't note, Schoolboys recommendation is more suited to more situations than my suggestion. My suggestion only comes out in front if there is no urgency for the migration and having the store offline for more than a few hours/minutes is unacceptable.

Cheers
Rod

Thank you both!
I am still hesitant...
I think I am goung to try Rod's solution first, as I don't need all my existing addons. It will allow me to start with a fresh install.

I think either method has its merits, and your chosen route depends largely on how your current site is configured and how soon you want to get the whole things done.

The one area you need to consider is add-on modules that make changes to the database. Many don't make any d-base changes, but a lot of them do.

If you have such modules installed, then the structure of your database needs to be retained, in order for those modules to continue functioning.

I never upgrade a live site. I always create a full clone first (both files and database) and I upgrade the clone. Most often I put this clone in a sub-directory off the root.

But RodG has an even more important point... 1.3.8 is like swiss cheese these days (full of holes), so you are taking great risks running it.