my journey converting mysql4 to mysql5 & upgrading to 2.6… & how it was fixed.

or more accurately (and not so briefly) titled:

my journey converting my wordpress MySQL4 database to MySQL5 while simultaneously upgrading to wordpress 2.6.3… and how it was fixed.

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summary: i converted my database from mysql4 to mysql5 using an online control panel conversion tool provided by my host. i also upgraded from wordpress 2.1 to 2.6 at the same time, thinking it might be good to just do it all in one fell swoop. overall, it worked out fine, but here are the bugs i encountered along the way and the fixes that resolved the problem.
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i recently received a notice from my server host, ICDsoft, that strongly encouraged me to convert my database to mysql5:

Following the end-of-life announcement by MySQL AB (the company that develops and supports MySQL), we would like to remind you that MySQL4 is discontinued since September 30, 2006. The extended support for MySQL4 will end on December 31, 2008. Any security vulnerabilities that are discovered in the latest version of MySQL4 will not be fixed by the vendor.

This means that we may be forced to completely stop supporting MySQL4, without a prior notification, at any time after January 1st, 2009.

We detected that the following MySQL4 databases on your account for okcancel.org have been modified lately:
1wp

We urge you to migrate your MySQL4 databases to MySQL5 as soon as possible, using the automated tool we have provided in the Control Panel (MySQL section). You can find more information about the database conversion in this article of our FAQ:
https://suresupport.com/faq.php/8/39

i am not the type to make upgrades if i don’t feel it’s necessary, but this seemed like an important upgrade. they were making it easier by creating a conversion tool in the domain’s control panel, so i went for it. the tool converted everything smoothly. i had to change one line in my wp_config.php file: the fourth line down, the one that has a note stating, “99% chance you won’t need to change this,” needed to be changed:

define('DB_HOST', 'localhost'); // 99% chance you won't need to change this

i changed the line to:

define('DB_HOST', 'localhost:/tmp/mysql5.sock');

i checked my website and the blog worked fine with the new database. i also checked my version of wordpress (2.1) and compared it to the latest (2.6.3), noticing it was out of date. time for an upgrade. i backed up my wordpress files and uploaded the new WP files, version 2.6.3. i pointed my browser to the upgrade page, https://okcancel.org/un/wp-admin/upgrade.php , and i was immediatly re-directed to the login page, https://okcancel.org/un/wp-login.php . i knew something was up. i tried logging in, and was cycled back–every time–to the login page without any error messages, notifications, no $200 or passing go. no dashboard. so i contacted my customer support for my host and they helped me thorough it, discovering what i could not have figured out.

here’s our communications, for you to decipher if you are having trouble with a similar issue:

Nov 15 2008 01:49
Q: okcancel

i followed icdsoft’s instructions in converting my mysql4 database to mysql5. the database seemed to xfer fine, but i am having trouble logging in to my wordpress account (which uses the new database).

here’s the trouble:
when i go to https://okcancel.org/un/wp-login.php , i log in with my correct username and password, but the page just reloads as if nothing happened and without an error message. it seems there is some kind of database problem loading my wordpress username and password.

if this is a common problem you get from other users and there is a known fix, please let me know. i have been researching the www.ads-software.com support site for answers, but have not been able to identify the problem.

Nov 15 2008 01:52
A: Support64

Hello,

This could indicate a problem with cookies. Please check your cookies settings: you need to have the browser accept third party cookies. Please be advised that some security software on your computer may also be denying access to the WordPress cookie.

You might also wish to restart your computer and try again.

If the problem persists, please provide us with the needed login credentials, so that we can test the issue on our side. Thank you.

Best Regards,
Support

Nov 15 2008 02:09
Q: okcancel

i tried the deleting the cookies and allowing 3rd party cookies. i also tried re-installing the wordpress software on my server. the wordpress blog itself (https://okcancel.org/un/) is working fine, indicating that the new mysql5 database xfered correctly from the old mysql4 database (at lease partially). the only hangup is the admin login for wordpress.

my login for the admin is:
https://okcancel.org/un/wp-login.php
username: ***
password: ***

the username for the mysql database is “*** and the password is “***”

Nov 15 2008 04:14
A: Support45

Hello,

We checked the code of your WordPress installation, and here is what happens when you submit the correct login credentials at https://okcancel.org/un/wp-login.php:
1. The wp-login.php scripts confirms that the username and password are correct, and redirects you to /un/wp-admin/index.php
2. The index.php script loads the file /wp-admin/admin.php
3. The admin.php scripts checks whether the hardcoded WordPress version number matches the version number stored in the database. This check fails, and the admin.php script redirects you to /un/wp-admin/upgrade.php
4. The upgrade.php script redirects you back to the login page (wp-login.php) as it apparently assumes that the WordPress blog was not installed.

In short, it appears that you have copied over the files of a newer WordPress version (while using a database structure corresponding to an older WordPress version), which lead to the current problems. Because of the newer version of WordPress that you uploaded you could not log to the administrative panel, and because of the corrupted installation you could not upgrade the WordPress database structures either.

We have now commented out the following line in the /un/wp-admin/upgrade.php file:
//define(‘WP_INSTALLING’, true);

Now, when you try to log to https://okcancel.org/un/wp-login.php you actually get to load the Database Upgrade page. Please try updating your WordPress database structure, so it matches the WordPress version currently uploaded on your site. Thank you!

P.S. Note that debugging third-party web applications is generally out of the scope of our support service. We have only done this as an exception for you.

Best Regards,
Support