I decided to try the WordPress 2.6 Upgrade. I started the nailbiting consideration a couple of months ago.  Last week I finally actually did something about it.  If you follow me on twitter, you may have seen threats, promises and innuendo about me upgrading for the past couple of months.

Before: http://whall.org/blog, WordPress 2.3.3.  The blog has been upgraded through many iterations, including pre-2.0.  I’ve been blogging for more than three years now.

During: http://whall.org/test26, Installed WordPress 2.3.3, imported posts from previous blog, put in all the same plugins and as much as the same config as I could.  Upgraded the test install to 2.6.  Got bored.  Procrastinated.  Went crazy once.

After: http://whall.org/blog, WordPress 2.6.1.  Imagine the hotness!

The complete log of my attempt is in the extended entry.  It’s long and boring, like some contracts you might sign, or 90% of an RNC acceptance speech.  So I hired a comedian speech writer to put in a bunch of one-line zingers here and there.  I’m fully expecting the left-wing blogosphere to launch an all-out attack on my family any day now.

Log:

1. Made a subdomain test26.whall.org but then decided I didn’t want to wait for DNS to propogate so I’m just using /test26 on the domain.  I do this via the Admin console provided by my ISP.
2. Created /test26 folder in my home directory at my ISP.  I do this via an ssh session.  I’m very quiet about ssh.
3. Created a MySql 5.0 database (this is different than my existing blog database, which is MySql 4.0 – unsure if it will be an issue).  I do this from the MySQLAdmin console through my ISP.  This may prove to be a mistake, and it might make me sob.  It’s MySql and I’ll cry if I want to.
4. Unzipped wordpress 2.3.3 installation files (I kept it around) into /test26 directory.  zzzzzzzip!
5. Followed typical wp-config-sample.php editing and copy to point to new MySql database, then followed typical installation by going to wp-admin/install blahblah.  There really should be a blahblah unix command.
6. Changed some general options through the wordpress admin interface.  To be specific, I changed the “general” options.
7. Copied all the plugins for my main blog over to the test blog – first I cd into the main blog wp-content/plugins directory, then run this command
   tar cvf – . | (cd ~/test26/wp-content/plugins/; tar xfBp -)
   I’m so glad(e) my plugins worked!  (plug it in, plug it in) 
8. One by one started activating the plugins on test26 blog.  I noticed that Akismet and WordPress Video Plugin have updated versions, so to be fair, I should upgrade those before continuing.  But I don’t think “being fair” was listed as a requirement for upgrade.
9. That reminds me – I should give a list of plugins I have activated on my blog.  Here ’tis
   1. Add Meta Tags, v1.6
   2. Akismet, v2.1.5 (2.1.6 is available)
   3. Browser Sniff, v1.10
   4. Commentluv, v1.92
   5. FeedBurner FeedSmith, v2.3.1
   6. Flash Tag Cloud, v0.3.2
   7. Get Recent Comments, v2.0.2
   8. Gravatars2, v2.7.0
   9. Headline Images, v2.7
   10. Kimili Flash Embed, v1.4.2
   11. Maintenance Mode, v3.2
   12. My Top Commentators, v1.0
   13. SpotMilk, v2.2.1
   14. Subscribe To Comments, v2.1.2
   15. Twitter Tools, v1.1b1
   16. WordPress.com Stats, v1.2.2
   17. WordPress Database Backup, v2.1.5
   18. WordPress Video Plugin, v0.66, upgraded to 0.67
   19. WP-Cats, v0.2
   20. WP-Polls, v2.21
   21. WP-Polls Widget, v2.21
   22. WP-Syntax, v0.8
10. Upgraded Akismet from 2.1.5 to 2.1.6.  And there was much rejoicing.
11. Added API keys to Akismet and WordPress.com Stats plugins.  And there was 50% as much rejoicing.
12. Realized this would be better if I had some screenshots.  And the rejoicing thrusters are now at 10% power.
13. Attempted an export of old blog via Manage -> Export. 
    
14. Hmm, I’m getting a Error 500 – Internal server error, an internal server error has occured! Please try again later
    
    This, I don’t like.  When as trying again ever helped someone?
15. So I start to troubleshoot this error.  Looking at my access.log.current, I notice some forum on Miley Cyrus is using my LOL-YOU-SUCK image.
    
    Clearly, these people suck.
16. I see in the logs where I requested the export, but I don’t see any errors.  Maybe this server’s Apache puts errors in another log.  This is like reading a Tarot spread, I swear.
17. Can’t find another log.
18. I look closer into the access log for the export errors. 
    1. I see my browser doing
       GET /blog/wp-admin/export.php
    2. Then one second later, my browser (IP) but the export page itself is doing
       GET /blog/wp-content/plugins/polls/polls-admin-js.php?ver=2.20
    3. Then same second, doing
       GET /blog/index.php?ak_action=aktt_css_admin
    4. Then same second, doing
       GET /blog/index.php?ak_action=aktt_js_admin
    5. Then 5 seconds later, doing
       GET /blog/wp-admin/export.php?author=all&submit=Download+Export+Fil
       e+%C2%BB&download=true
    6. and I believe that’s the one that dies.  Belief is what separates humans from the animals.  That, and deoderant.
    7. The second attempt has similar logs from above but just has the original export.php, then polls-admin-js, then the export.php?author=all line, so perhaps the Akismet upgrade is different?
       
    8. I’m about done with this crap.  Seriously.
19. To rule out the server code and what not, I try an export of the NEW test26 site and it gives me an .xml file.
    
    Have you heard the word “whatnot” today?  There’s a funny line in Rushmore with it.  Google it.
20. I try to go directly to the “5 seconds later” URL and take out the %C2%BB parts but still an error.  Everything’s better without the %C2%BB parts, doncha think?
21. I try to restrict author to just one author, and it still craps out.  Offending URL is still the same but it says author=1 instead of author=all.
22. I google
    wordpress export.php error 500 internal server
23. I’m not encouraged by the results.
24. Ugh, got interrupted.
25. I posted my export issue on a wordpress forum.
26. Taking a look at the WordPress to WordPress import plugin
27. Realizing after a while that I think this is what got put into WordPress 2.3.3 as a default feature. So much for that.
28. Time passes (approximately one month).
29. WordPress 2.6.1 gets released.  Ugh.  Might as well start over!
30. I decide to just do a SQL backup, a WordPress database backup and a file backup and just follow the directions in the upgrade instead of testing anything.
    1. Backup
    2. Deactivate all plugins
    3. Overwrite the files
    4. Run the upgrade URL
    5. Check out my theme (make minor tweaks, like for gravatars)
    6. Re-activate the plugins one by one.
    7. Oh, my, gosh the auto-upgrade is FANTASTIC!
31. Now I’m all and upgraded.  Woohoo!
32. I download “gears” to make things “faster”.  All it ends up “doing” is putting unnecessary “quotes” around the things I “type”.
33. I notice I still can’t export.  I still get error 500.  Sheesh!  It must be something in my specific database because the export of a barebones 2.6 install worked fine.  Should I get some expectorant or laxative for my blog?
34. As I finish typing this up, WordPress alerts me that 2.6.2 is available
    
35. WILL THE INSANITY NEVER END?