Advice on server software upgrades (MySQL, Apache, PHP etc)

[zackw]

I've got a CentOS 5.9 server.
WHM: 11.36.1 (build 9). Update settings set to LTS 11.36.

Currently MySQL is still on version 5, with both version 5.1 and 5.5 available in the upgrade section.
PHP is on version 5.2.14.
Apache is 2.2.16 and EasyApache is 3.2.0 rev5193

I'm not sure what are all the best versions to work together but I want to get as modern as possible. I know PHP 5.2 is not bad but 5.4 would be nice. MySQL should probably be on 5.5 as 5.0 is not even in support cycle any more. 5.1 expires this year.


My question is, what "should" I be running as far as the web stack and versions? And secondly, what concerns are there for the upgrade? My primary website is a vBulletin forum with over 1.4 million posts and between 800-1000 users on at any given time. I want to make sure upgrades don't break websites and the forum!
There is also a Wordpress site, and some other less trafficked sites.

What do I need to do, to check, to gather, to backup, to test etc etc etc and prepare for upgrades? Which versions work best together? Are there known issues? Do I need to shut off websites first or close all the databases or what? I'm kind of flying blind here with what to expect.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[cPanelMichael]

Hello

The upgrade wizard in "WHM Home » Software » MySQL Upgrade" will walk you through the actual upgrade and list potential issues. The first step is to check the versions of your software applications and verify with the developers or documentation that they work with MySQL 5.5. Although in place upgrades of MySQL are generally safe, it is always recommended that you perform a full database backup for all of your databases before beginning the upgrade process. You will not have to disable MySQL during the update. Please note that downgrades to previous versions of MySQL are unsupported. Once your system has been upgraded to a newer version of MySQL it may be impossible to switch back.

Here are the latest versions of MySQL/Apache/PHP available with cPanel that are not experimental:

MySQL 5.5
Apache 2.2
PHP 5.4

Thank you.

 

[nadlerz]

Hello

The upgrade wizard in "WHM Home » Software » MySQL Upgrade" will walk you through the actual upgrade and list potential issues. The first step is to check the versions of your software applications and verify with the developers or documentation that they work with MySQL 5.5. Although in place upgrades of MySQL are generally safe, it is always recommended that you perform a full database backup for all of your databases before beginning the upgrade process. You will not have to disable MySQL during the update. Please note that downgrades to previous versions of MySQL are unsupported. Once your system has been upgraded to a newer version of MySQL it may be impossible to switch back.

Here are the latest versions of MySQL/Apache/PHP available with cPanel that are not experimental:

MySQL 5.5
Apache 2.2
PHP 5.4

Thank you.

What about Apache 2.4, php 5.5.1 and mysql 5.6 ?

 

[cPanelMichael]

What about Apache 2.4, php 5.5.1 and mysql 5.6 ?

The response you quoted was from a few weeks ago. Apache 2.4 is no longer marked experimental. PHP 5.5 is still marked experimental, and MySQL 5.6 is not yet available with cPanel. A feature request for MySQL 5.6 is available at:

MySQL 5.6 Support

Thank you.