Re: Database upgrading: upgrade server first or client first?

On 04/30/2012 11:34 AM, roy hills wrote:
> I'm running a postgresql 8.1 database on a single server which is
> queried from a number of client systems.
> Both server and clients are running Debian Linux.
>
> I need to upgrade from 8.1 to 8.3, but it's difficult for me to
> upgrade everything at once. Is it possible to
> run different versions of the client and server, and if so is it
> better to upgrade the client first or the server first?

Yes it is.

The advice I've received upon asking this question in the past is
clients first then server. We are currently running many 9.1 clients
against some servers awaiting upgrade - the most ancient of which is
7.4. The only problem (annoyance, really) is that in interactive psql
sessions, a few of the "\" commands don't work with the old servers due
to differences in the system tables and similar internal changes between
versions.

As always, test your setup.

Also, if putting in the effort to upgrade, consider moving to 9.1 to get
all the current feature and performance benefits.

Cheers,
Steve