It was time. Noozhawk had been running on ExpressionEngine version 1.x for too long a time, and the new version 2.x beckoned.
We peeled away several layers of dead or outmoded v 1.x add-ons, set up a test site and ran a practice upgrade. It didn’t go smoothly. Templates used PHP code that needed redoing. Certain small custom plugins needed to be re-written. Fields needed to be converted from old-style nGen file fields to new styles. And Matrix fields needed special care.
In the midst of all this, the server was creaking under growing traffic load, so we handled a server migration in the midst of this as well.
Finally, the bugs were resolved, the upgrade path was paved, and late at night during the site’s quietest time, we re-ran the upgrade… Success! Rejoicing!
The staff was trained on the new system, and already the site is faster for the administrators, more reliable for site visitors, and benefiting from the addition of some new add-ons that are EE 2.x only. Though the process was rough at first, the final result is beautiful, and the operation was a complete success.
Comments