How to Upgrade MySQL Database to Percona

Introduction

From version 11, Easy8 supports only the Percona Server for MySQL. Percona offers performance improvements and better management tools, making it the preferred choice for production environments. This guide walks you through the full upgrade process from MySQL (or MariaDB) to Percona.

Target Audience

Administrator

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

Root or sudo access on the server
A full backup of your current MySQL or MariaDB data
Easy8 version 11 or newer
Debian-based system (e.g., Debian 10 or 11)

Always back up your data before removing MySQL or MariaDB.

How to Upgrade to Percona

Step 1: Check Your Current MySQL Version

Percona is drop-in compatible with the same version of MySQL. Use matching versions only.

mysql -u root -p
mysql --version

MySQL / MariaDB Version	Replace With
MySQL 5.5	Percona Server 5.5
MySQL 5.6	Percona Server 5.6
MariaDB 10.0	Percona Server 5.6

Note: If you have MySQL older than 5.5, upgrade MySQL first.

Step 2: Remove MySQL or MariaDB

sudo service mysql stop
sudo apt-get remove mysql-server mysql-client mysql-common
sudo apt-get autoremove

Step 3: Install Percona Server

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keys.gnupg.net --recv-keys 1C4CBDCDCD2EFD2A
lsb_release -c

Edit /etc/apt/sources.list and add:

deb http://repo.percona.com/apt DIST main
deb-src http://repo.percona.com/apt DIST main

Create and edit /etc/apt/preferences.d/00percona.pref with:

Package: *
Pin: release o=Percona Development Team
Pin-Priority: 1001

Update and install:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install percona-server-server-5.6

Step 4: Configure Percona

Create or edit /etc/mysql/my.cnf with sample config:

[mysqld]
user = mysql
pid-file = /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid
socket = /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
port = 3306
basedir = /usr
datadir = /home/mysql
tmpdir = /tmp
log-error = /var/log/mysql/mysqld.err
bind-address = 0.0.0.0
key_buffer_size = 64M
max_allowed_packet = 64M
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 4096M
innodb_file_per_table = 1
default_authentication_plugin = mysql_native_password
character_set_server = utf8mb4
collation_server = utf8mb4_unicode_ci
skip-character-set-client-handshake

Restart the database:

sudo service mysql restart

Step 5: Verify the Installation

mysql -u root -p
SHOW VARIABLES LIKE "version%";
SHOW STORAGE ENGINES\G

Look for Percona-XtraDB in the output for InnoDB engine support.

Conclusion

You have now successfully upgraded your database server from MySQL or MariaDB to Percona Server. This change is required starting with Easy8 version 11 and brings enhanced performance and scalability. Always double-check compatibility and backup before beginning.