[wp-testers] I botched the WP3 Beta2 upgrade

[Brian Layman]

On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 1:47 PM, Daniel Cameron <jaffasoft at gmail.com> wrote:
> I made a botched install up from 2.9.2 

Just to close this out on the list, Daniel's site is now back up and
running. 

He still had most of the files from his wp-content directory and putting
2.9.2 back into place resolved his issues.

This is a good reminder for all newer testers:
1. Don't test on a production site unless you are ready to deal with a down
site. Pre-release testing usually goes smoothly, but problems can occur on
both the computer and the human sides of the keyboard.
2. Know how to and be prepared to roll back an update. I often hear "You
can't roll back from this version". What it really means is " You can't roll
back from this version, if you weren't prepared to do so in the first
place." Recovering from the worst failed update can be a 5 minute or less
process for most sites, when you are prepared.
3. This one is implied with #2 but you should always have current backups of
database AND files. If you have one and not the other, you are in a much
more difficult position. 

With your backups in place, the knowledge of how to restore them and having
gone through the update process beginning to end in your mind so that you
understand the WHYs of each step, you will have a much less stressful
experience.

-Brian Layman