[Wikitech-l] Database and upgrade issues: 1.2.x to 1.3

Guido Holz asked how to adapt the database from mediawiki 1.2.6 to phase3, as there are more tables and columns in Phase 3 than in 1.2.x. JeLuF replied: The install script updates the database. Nope. Not always. Despite considerable effort, I was unable to get the install script to work with an existing 1.2.x database. The problem *may* be to do with not having the right permissions. Or it may be something else entirely. The only way that I have found to make the 1.3 install script work is as follows. I'll spell it out in detail in case this is helpful to others. (My hosting service provides all-bells-and-whistles GUI-based control panel, but no shell access. If your arrangements are similar, this may help.) Unzip the 1.3.x into a folder. Rename it to something sensible, such as "wiki" FTP that folder and all subfolders to your server. Leave LocalSettings.php strictly alone. You can fix that stuff later. Now, use your MySQL administration tool to create a new database, and to create a user for that database. Give that user all rights. You *must* create the database before running the install script, or the installation will fail. Now you can run the install script. Leave the root password at the very bottom of the form BLANK. You don't need root access via the WikiMedia install script as you have ALREADY created the new database, and made yourself a user. On completion of the install script, you now have a working wiki with no content. If you are installing a version that uses the same database format as your previous install (e.g., old install and new install are both 1.2.4 - probably OK with any pair of 1.2.x versions), you can simply restore your backup over the top of your brand-new empty database and everything works fine. (You may have to hit SHIFT-RELOAD in your browser to clear the caches before it looks right). If your backup is from 1.2.x and you have installed 1.3.x, then a restore will promptly crash and burn. (Trust me: I've tried it.) You need to transform the database to the new format first! At present, this does not seem to be possible for non-SQL gurus. There is a script at maintenance/archives/convertdb.php but the text of it reads: The README says that they probably need to be run from the command line - so if you don't have shell access, they probably won't work even if they do still work in theory. For my 1.2.4 to 1.3 beta 2 upgrade, I used brute force. I backed up the existing database, installed a second copy of 1.2.4 in a test folder, restored the backup to there and checked that everything still worked. Then I used cut & paste to recreate the articles. That took maybe a couple of hours. Obviously, it wouldn't be practical if you have a larger database. Equally obviously, I lost the page histories (which didn't matter in this case) and the users. I created new users with the previous usernames and temporary passwords, recreated their user page as if I was them, then hacked MediaWiki:Passwordremindertext and hit the "Email me a new password" button in Special:Userlogin to mail them a new password. (Again, not something you could do with a working full-scale wiki, but OK for this test install, where I know all the users and have their email addresses.) Anyway, the long and the short of it is that a script to upgrade the database would be a HUGE improvement. It should be capable of running *either* from the command line *or* from a web interface. I lack the expertise to write it myself, but I'd be happy to help with testing it before general release. Tannin (twilson_a_ncable;net;au) Tannin (Tony Wilson)