upgrading MySQL version?

[john_b]

First posting by yet another refugee from Inetpub, so greetings - one and all - from an unusually sunny Scotland...;-)

Following recommendations in Inetpub some years ago I installed the Apache/PHP/MySQL bundle from Firepages onto a Win2K machine and it has done a fine job ever since. Win2K is now, alas, XP but more significantly my hosting company have upgraded their MySQL to v4.1.19 and something that used to work fine on both my copy and theirs now doesn't.

I can get round it using search/replace but it's a bit of a pita so the upshot is that really need to consider upgrading my MySQL (probably v3.? but I don't even know how to check!) to v4.1.19 or above.

This app is crucial to me and I really don't want to risk fruitless and frustrating hours trying to solve endless problems - I suppose Firepages was a dream in that it took all that pain away...

Could anyone here point me to a bombproof dummies step-by-step guide on how to upgrade? I'm happy to leave Apache/PHP as they are if possible 'cos they work fine. On the other hand, maybe it makes sense to rip the lot out and start again?

(I should say that I have looked throught the 'official' upgrade instructions, but I'm not a guru and found them all a bit too daunting :confused: )

I'm sure I can't be the first to face this problem; nor will I be the last, so any clues will be more than welcome - many thanks!

John

[Kelvyn]

The Firepages package is looking very outdated now, and is not so easy to upgrade as Apache, PHP and MySQL have moved on a lot. For Windows there is a good list of WAMP setups on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WAMPs). Probably the most popular is XAMP (http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html)
which is easy to set up and has a good help file on the website.

Personally I use JSAS (http://jsas.joomlasolutions.com/)for my local test server - it is mainly for developing Joomla! sites, but can easily be used for developing other php applications or php/MySQL pages. Installation is very simple.

[dthomsen8]

"WAMP is an acronym (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym) for the combination Microsoft Windows (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows), Apache (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_HTTP_Server), MySQL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySQL) and one or more of Perl (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perl), PHP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHP) and Python (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_programming_language). It is modelled after the more well-known LAMP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAMP_%28software_bundle%29), referring to the all-open source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source)/free software (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software) approach which uses Linux (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux) instead of Windows."

Acronyms that I don't know annoy me. Here, for the benefit of lurkers, is a definition from Wikipedia for WAMP.

I will take advantage of this thread to ask a MySQL question. I have been using FOXPRO for DOS to do database manipulation of lists and other data, but it runs on my old Win98SE computer, which is giving me troubles.

The thought comes to me that I could use a WAMP installer to get MySQL running on my Windows XP Pro computer, and then use MySQL to import, massage and export text lists and other data. MySQL certainly doesn't have to be associated with a web site, and using it that way would be a learning tool for me for PHP and MySQL. I did a web site involving them for a client some years ago, and found it challenging, but my FOXPRO and earlier mainframe database experience was helpful in learning MySQL.

So, Kelvyn, is this a wild idea, or something that could work, given enough effort?

My bookshelf has 5 books on PHP and two books on PHP and MySQL.

[john_b]

The Firepages package is looking very outdated now, and is not so easy to upgrade as Apache, PHP and MySQL have moved on a lot. For Windows there is a good list of WAMP setups on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WAMPs). Probably the most popular is XAMP (http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html) which is easy to set up and has a good help file on the website.

Hi Kelvyn and many thanks for that. I looked at XAMP and it seems as if it can be installed as a separate bundle without affecting the bits from Firepages? I'll read it through again just to make sure that I haven't missed anything and that it isn't too good to be true!

Might pluck up courage to install it tomorrow and if all goes well then we'll need to reward you with a virtual pint of your choice...;-)

Thanks again and I'll report back on progress.

John

www.bikeroutes.org.uk

[Kelvyn]

So, Kelvyn, is this a wild idea, or something that could work, given enough effort?
My bookshelf has 5 books on PHP and two books on PHP and MySQL.You can certainly transfer a FoxPro .dbf to MySQL. There is even a converter already available (http://ae.inc.ru/dbf2mysql.php).

I use phpMyAdmin to manipulate MySQL data, but yes, you could write your own - but why re-invent the wheel?

[Kelvyn]

Hi Kelvyn and many thanks for that. I looked at XAMP and it seems as if it can be installed as a separate bundle without affecting the bits from Firepages?

Just install it in its own directory. I have two versions of JSAS running on my laptop with no problems.

[gary]

The thought comes to me that I could use a WAMP installer to get MySQL running on my Windows XP Pro computer, and then use MySQL to import, massage and export text lists and other data. MySQL certainly doesn't have to be associated with a web site, and using it that way would be a learning tool for me for PHP and MySQL. I did a web site involving them for a client some years ago, and found it challenging, but my FOXPRO and earlier mainframe database experience was helpful in learning MySQL.You certainly don't need to install the whole bundle if all you want is MySQL. In fact there is a MySQL installer for windows (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/5.0.html) as well as a MySQL control panel (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/administrator/1.1.html) which will let you manage the server. You may also wish to install MyODBC (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/odbc/3.51.html)which provides and ODBC driver so that you can use the MySQL databases from Visual Basic, MS Word, etc...

[gary]

upgraded their MySQL to v4.1.19 and something that used to work fine on both my copy and theirs now doesn't.The default password encryption changed in MySQL 4.0.

Once a user is created you can revert to using the old password format withset password for username = OLD_PASSWORD('password');or set a new format password withset password for username = PASSWORD('password');

[dthomsen8]

You certainly don't need to install the whole bundle if all you want is MySQL. In fact there is a MySQL installer for windows (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/5.0.html) as well as a MySQL control panel (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/administrator/1.1.html) which will let you manage the server. You may also wish to install MyODBC (http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/odbc/3.51.html)which provides and ODBC driver so that you can use the MySQL databases from Visual Basic, MS Word, etc...

Interesting. I would want PHP and MySQL, but not PERL.

[gary]

Interesting. I would want PHP and MySQL, but not PERL.Both are separately installable under Windows - although it *is* uncommon to use PHP sans web server.

http://www.php.net/downloads.php

[dthomsen8]

Interesting. I would want PHP and MySQL, but not PERL.

WAMP for me would mean installing in Windows XP, Apache, MySQL, and PHP.


Sorry if I wasn't very clear in my previous message. While I might work entirely from my hard drive with these four pieces of software, one objective would be to better learn how to do them on a web host. I did a PHP/MySQL web site some years ago, but I need a refresher before attempting one again.

[gary]

While I might work entirely from my hard drive with these four pieces of software, one objective would be to better learn how to do them on a web host. It's much easier to run on a web server (whether Apache or IIS) for web server app development. You can start and stop the web server on your development system -- "localhost" (127.0.0.1) -- for a better understanding of how the app operates.

FWIW, I run Apache web server on several systems at home so that I can break things locally (rather than globally). I also run IIS/PWS on a home Win2K when I have occasion to work in that context. There is an ISAPI you can install in IIS/PWS in order to support use of PHP in that context.

[john_b]

Just install it in its own directory....

Did that and I'm delighted to say that it was a skoosh and went without a hitch...;-)

This has saved me a whole heap of grief and - touch wood - I'd be more than happy to recommend it to others.

Thanks for your help and don't foget to nip down to the virtual pub where there's a pint waiting in the taps!

John

www.bikeroutes.org.uk (http://www.bikeroutes.org.uk)

[john_b]

The default password encryption changed in MySQL 4.0.I think it was a statement like
TYPE=MyISAM;
used when creating a table (from a dump) and which had changed to
ENGINE=MyISAM;
in the new version, which caused me problems...

...easy enough to search/replace, but a pain if you have to do it regularly.

Thanks for the comments though and I'll file them in the snippets folder...

John

www.bikeroutes.org.uk (http://www.bikeroutes.org.uk)