Quick followup to this.

If I install a new word press application through the control panel, and then point my existing database and domain at it will that work as well?

dmc68 wrote:

Anyone aware of how to do the migration on webfaction without losing my current data?

Thanx,

Dave

It's really pretty easy.

1. Make a backup of your wordpress database and your blog's installation folder.
2. Ftp the new version - overwriting the old files - to that same installation folder.
3. Type: http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/upgrade.php into your web browser.

When using an ftp program, your blogs installation folder should be something like: "home/webapps/myblog/". Good ftp software is WinSCP, smartftp, filezilla. Your ftp login is the same as your control panel login.

Here's a rundown on how to backup the database: http://www.tamba2.org.uk/wordpress/backup/ Phpmyadmin is accessible through the control panel(databases->phpmyadmin). To login, you must use the username and password for the database, not wordpress and not your webfaction control panel login. Open config.php in your wordpress installation folder for the username as password if you do not know it.

And just a note, I've upgraded many, many times and never made a backup and have never had a problem. But, in the world of IT, it's best to make a backup and I would suggest you do so since you sound a little unsure of the process.

We now have a KB article with instructions for setting up automatic upgrades in WordPress: https://help.webfaction.com/157