Getting started: Choosing your method and preparing the site

Before you begin the actual upgrade, determine which interface methods are available for you to use to update your site. The server you use to host your site may limit you to one of the following options:

• Command line. Via SSH terminal access, you can connect to the server, enter commands directly, and complete all the steps in the upgrade.
• GUI. You can use phpMyAdmin, a browser-based MySql interface, to do anything you need on your database. And you can use any FTP client, such as SmartFTP, to transfer the files for your Drupal site from your desktop to the server.

Once you have determined whether you will use the GUI or command-line version (or a bit of both), you're ready to prepare to upgrade by following the instructions given in the links below.