Migrating to Ingres 2006 FAQ
This document includes a list of the questions, with accompanying answers, typically asked by customers embarking upon an upgrade to a new Ingres release.
We recommend that before embarking on an upgrade that you read the Ingres 2006 Migration Guide.
Upgrade Questions
How do I upgrade my old Ingres release to Ingres 2006?
There are two options for upgrading your Ingres instance:
- upgradedb utility
- unload/reload
both of these approaches are outlined in detail in the Ingres 2006 Migration Guide.
What is the recommended upgrade utility/toolkit?
The upgradedb utility performs an upgrade in place, so it is typically more expeditious and consumes less disk space. However, there are situations where the use of the unload/reload method is preferable e.g. when moving to a new hardware platform.
Please see the Ingres 2006 Migration Guide for further information.
Can I use a mix of upgradedb and unload/reload?
Yes, you can use a mix of upgradedb and unload/reload.
Can I perform the upgrade in-place?
Yes, the upgradedb utility allows you to perform the upgrade in place.
Please see the Ingres 2006 Migration Guide for further information.
Can I move to a new hardware platform during the upgrade?
If moving to a new hardware platform, the data can be unloaded using the original Ingres release on the original platform and reloaded into an Ingres 2006 instance on the new hardware platform.
Please see the Ingres 2006 Migration Guide for further information.
Can I use the upgradedb utility if I want to change from 32-bit deployment to a 64-bit deployment during the upgrade?
Yes, the upgradedb utility will modify the system catalogs to allow you to change from a 32-bit to 64-bit deployment during the upgrade process.
What are the broad steps involved in the upgrade process?
The overall strategy for upgrading is as follows:
- Compile an inventory of databases and applications
- Take a complete backup of your Ingres instance and associated applications and scripts
- Copy the databases to be upgraded into the Ingres 2006 development installation, and make a copy of all associated applications.
- Make any changes needed to the database definition or the application source code so that they function with Ingres 2006.
- Test your critical applications in the Ingres 2006 development environment.
- Practice the upgrade using the test instance.
- Upgrade the production system.
Please see the Ingres 2006 Migration Guide for further information.
Can I use a previous Ingres Client version to connect to Ingres 2006? How about the other way around?
Yes, the Ingres communications architecture allows connectivity from any Ingres version to any Ingres version.
Can I use the Ingres Replicator to replicate between an old Ingres release and Ingres 2006?
Yes, Ingres Replicator uses the Ingres communications architecture which allows connectivity from any Ingres version to any Ingres version.
I have a table which has a large quantity of archive data and data that is added daily. How can I migrate this?
Identify a date and migrate the table data at that time. When the live migration is to take place create an intermediate table with data added since the chosen date. Load this data into the Ingres 2006 production ready database and then insert into the live table. Note: this can be done as many times as required to keep the final migration time to a minimum.
Do I have to wait for the data unload to finish before loading the data into the new database instance?
No, you can load data into the new database as soon as the copy out for a specific table completes. Manual control of Rules and Constraints may be necessary when using this strategy.
Can I unload data across Ingres/Net from the old machine to a new machine?
Yes. Consideration should be given to network performance and bandwidth before choosing this approach.
Product Questions
What new features does Ingres 2006 provide?
Ingres Corporation has made significant investment in the Ingres 2006 product line as evidenced by the noteworthy new functionality provided in this release. Please see the Ingres 2006 Release Summary for further details on the new functionality added in recent Ingres releases.
Please contact Ingres Support for more information.
