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Upgrading to WordPress 3.2

This article walks you through the process of upgrading to WordPress® 3.2.

The length of this process can vary depending on the versions of PHP and MySQL your account is currently using. If you need to update versions of PHP or MySQL, you might consider setting your Website to maintenance mode so your users don't get an error message when they visit your Website.

To get started you need to log in to your Control Panel in your hosting account.

To Log in to Your Control Panel in your hosting account

  1. Log in to your Account Manager.
  2. Click Web Hosting.
  3. Next to the hosting account you want to use, click Manage.

WordPress 3.2 requires the following:

  • PHP 5.2 or greater
  • MySQL 5.0 or greater

Step 1: Viewing and Upgrading Your PHP Version

In the Control Panel in your hosting account, you can view your current PHP version and change it to PHP 5.2 if you need to. Your current PHP version displays in the Server section.

To Upgrade Your PHP Version

  1. From the Settings menu, select Programming Languages.
  2. Select the PHP version you want to use, and then click Continue.
  3. Click Update.

NOTE: These changes usually take 20 minutes. However, it might take up to 45 minutes for these changes to take effect. These time frames are estimates and not guaranteed.

Step 2: Viewing and Upgrading Your MySQL Version

Before upgrading to WordPress 3.2, check your MySQL database's version. From the Databases tab, click MySQL. The current version displays next to the name of your WordPress database.

  • If you use version 5.0 or greater you're all set! Log in to your WordPress admin control panel and upgrade to WordPress 3.2.
  • If you use any version less than 5.0, you need to move to a MySQL 5.0 database and modify your wp-config.php file before you complete the upgrade.

To Move to a MySQL 5 Database

The process of moving to a MySQL 5 database includes backing up your existing database, creating a new database, restoring your previous contents, and then updating your wp-config.php file.

Backing Up a MySQL Database

You can back up MySQL databases from the Database section of the Control Panel in your hosting account. This process creates and stores your backups in a folder titled _db_backups.

To Backup a MySQL Database

  1. In the Databases menu of the Control Panel in your hosting account, click MySQL.
  2. From your list of databases, click Actions next to the database you want to use, and then click Back Up.
  3. Click OK to back up your database.

    NOTE: When you create a backup file in the Control Panel in your hosting account, our system names the file based on the name of the existing database. While you cannot define a file name during the backup process, you can rename a file once the process is complete.

You can check on the status of your backup from the Database Information screen.

Setting Up a MySQL 5 Database

Next, you need to create a new database using MySQL version 5. It can take up to one hour to create a database.

To Set up a MySQL 5 Database

  1. From the Databases menu of the Control Panel in your hosting account, click MySQL.
  2. Click Add.
  3. Complete the fields.
  4. Verify the settings, and then click OK.

Restoring Your WordPress MySQL Database

Now, you can restore your previous data to the MySQL 5 database.

To Restore Your WordPress MySQL Database

  1. From the Databases menu of the Control Panel in your hosting account, click MySQL.
  2. From your list of databases, click Actions next to the database you want to use, and then click Restore.
  3. Select the backup file you want to restore.
  4. Click Restore.

You can check the progress of your restore from the Database Information screen.

Updating Your wp.config.php File

Finally, find the host name for your new MySQL database, and then modify your wp-config.php file to connect to your new database.

To Find the Host Name for Your MySQL Database

  1. From the Databases menu of the Control Panel in your hosting account, click MySQL.
  2. From your list of databases, click Actions next to the database you want to use, and then click Details.
  3. Note the following items:
    • Host Name
    • Database Name and User Name

To Modify Your wp-config.php File

  1. From the Tools section, click FTP File Manager.
  2. Locate and select the wp-config.php file for your WordPress Website, and then click Edit.
  3. In wp-config.php, locate the section that looks like this example:

    /** The name of the database for WordPress */
    define('DB_NAME', 'putyourdbnamehere');

    /** MySQL database username */
    define('DB_USER', 'usernamehere');

    /** MySQL database password */
    define('DB_PASSWORD', 'yourpasswordhere');

    /** MySQL hostname */
    define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

    NOTE: The wp-config.php file displays your old database name, location, and password, rather than this default information.

  4. Replace the following with the information for your database:
    • putyourdbnamehere — Your MySQL database name.
    • usernamehere — Your MySQL user name.
    • yourpasswordhere — Your MySQL password.
    • localhost — Your MySQL host name.
  5. Click the disk icon to save your updates.

You can now log in to your WordPress admin control panel and upgrade to WordPress 3.2. Be sure to take your Website out of maintenance mode, if you previously enabled it.

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