How to upgrade MySQL/MariaDB with Governor over multiple versions

Issue

How to upgrade MySQL/MariaDB managed by the Governor through several versions?

Solution

1. Before the operation, please create a full database backup (including system tables). This action will prevent data loss in case something goes wrong.

2. To change the MySQL version, you should run the following commands:

   # /usr/share/lve/dbgovernor/mysqlgovernor.py --mysql-version=MYSQL_VERSION
   # /usr/share/lve/dbgovernor/mysqlgovernor.py --install

   where MYSQL_VERSION is the target database server version that should be replaced with the value from the table below.

   Note: The upgrade should proceed in series, for example, for MariaDB 10.1 to 10.3:

   10.1 → 10.2;

   10.2 → 10.3.

   mysql51	MySQL v5.1
   mysql55	MySQL v5.5
   mysql56	MySQL v5.6
   mysql57	MySQL v5.7
   mysql80	MySQL v8.0 [requires MySQL Governor 1.2-37+]
   mariadb55	MariaDB v5.5
   mariadb100	MariaDB v10.0
   mariadb101	MariaDB v10.1
   mariadb102	MariaDB v 10.2
   mariadb103	MariaDB v 10.3 [requires MySQL Governor 1.2-36+; for cPanel - MySQL Governor 1.2-41+]
   mariadb104	MariaDB v 10.4 [requires MySQL Governor 1.2-53+]
   mariadb105	MariaDB v 10.5 [requires MySQL Governor 1.2-62+]
   mariadb106	MariaDB v 10.6 [requires MySQL Governor 1.2-76+]
   mariadb1011	MariaDB v 10.11 [requires MySQL Governor 1.2-103+]
   mariadb1104	MariaDB v 11.4 [requires MySQL Governor 1.2-122+]
   percona56	Percona Server v 5.6

Also, consider what MySQL/MariaDB versions are supported by your control panel if you use any. For example, WHM/cPanel does not support MariaDB 10.4, so if you have WHM/cPanel and need to upgrade from MariaDB 10.3 to MariaDB 10.6, upgrade from 10.3 to 10.5 first, and then to 10.6.

Additionally, MariaDB upstream indicates that you should be able to trivially upgrade from ANY earlier MariaDB version to the latest one - please check out this article below and consider your own risks on how to proceed further:

https://mariadb.com/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/upgrading/platform-specific-upgrade-guides/upgrading-on-linux/upgrading-between-major-mariadb-versions

IMPORTANT

Please make a full database backup (including system tables) before you upgrade MySQL or switch to MariaDB. This action will prevent data loss in case something goes wrong.

Useful links

MySQL Governor - Upgrading database server

https://mariadb.com/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/upgrading/platform-specific-upgrade-guides/upgrading-on-linux/upgrading-between-major-mariadb-versions