Unload/Reload Procedure for Upgrading from 6.4

The unload/reload upgrade avoids the upgradedb program (except for iidbdb), in favor of unloading the Ingres 6.4 databases to flat files, recreating the databases under Ingres, and then reloading the databases. This approach has the advantage of starting with clean databases, but requires more time and disk space than does the upgradedb method.

Note: Databases using the system-maintained logical key feature are best upgraded using upgradedb. Tables that contain SYSTEM_MAINTAINED table_key or object_key columns cannot be safely unloaded and reloaded without additional work. The reload step generates all new logical key values. If other tables reference the logical key columns, the new values must be manually propagated to those tables.

Unload/Reload Upgrade Types

You must choose one of the following variations of the unload/reload procedure:

• In-place upgrade, which replaces the 6.4 installation with the new Ingres installation. The master database (iidbdb) is upgraded with upgradedb, even though other databases are unloaded and reloaded. Because the iidbdb remains, all your locations, users, groups, and roles still exist in the new installation.
• Clean install upgrade, which leaves the 6.4 installation alone. Ingres is installed into a completely new installation. (The new installation may even be on a different machine.) When performing a clean install upgrade, you must take extra steps to recreate locations and move users, groups, and roles from the 6.4 installation to the new one.

Front-end Catalogs and the Upgradefe Program

The hardest part of the unload/reload upgrade is dealing with the front-end catalogs. These catalogs are unloaded in Ingres 6.4 format, and cannot be loaded into an Ingres database. To circumvent this problem, the Ingres database is created without front-end catalogs. The catalogs are then loaded in the Ingres 6.4 format and upgraded using the upgradefe program.