I just installed the latest update to WordPress and thought I’d take a minute to document the process I use for anyone who’s in the same boat as I am (and also to have these notes saved somewhere when I invariably forget what I did).
The official upgrade instructions are here. The important bits are:
- Back up your database. I now use a cool WP plugin for this and mail a copy of the backup to my Gmail account.
- Back up your current WP install. I log in to my server and create a .tgz archive of the /wordpress directory in my Web server and then copy it over to my backup drive.
- You should also deactivate your plugins before you upgrade.
- Finally, delete the current WP files on your server except for
wp-config.php,wp-contentfolder,wp-imagesfolder, and any.htaccessfile you may have. On my server, I’ve color coded those files and directories with labels (this is OS X Tiger) so I know not to delete them when it comes time to upgrade.
I haven’t noticed any major improvements with this latest update (yet), but it’s nice to be current.