Documentation on upgrading Qserv to MariaDB 11.4.4

doc/admin/admin-upgrade.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+.. _admin-upgrade:
+
+Instructins for upgrading Qserv to newer releases
+=================================================
+
+.. _admin-upgrade-mariadb-11-4-4:
+
+Upgrading Qserv to MariaDB 11.4.4
+---------------------------------
+
+MariaDB 11.4.4 is a major release that introduces a number of new features and
+improvements. If your instance of Qserv is still based on MariaDB 10.6.8, you
+need to upgrade your data to the new version.
+
+To upgrade your Qserv installation to MariaDB 11.4.4, follow these steps:
+
+- Read the `MariaDB 11.4.4 release notes <https://mariadb.com/kb/en/mariadb-11-4-4-release-notes>`_ to learn about the new features and improvements.
+- Read the guide `Upgrading from MariaDB 10.6 to MariaDB 10.11 <https://mariadb.com/kb/en/upgrading-from-mariadb-10-6-to-mariadb-10-11>`_ to learn how to upgrade your databases.
+- Turn Qserv into the database-only mode by ensuring that all but the MariaDB services are being run.
+- Log into the MariaDB containers and run the database upgrade command as shown below:
+
+  .. code-block:: bash
+
+    mariadb-upgrade -P3306 -h127.0.0.1 --protocol=tcp -uroot -p******
+
+  Where ``-P`` specifies the port number, ``-h`` specifies the host, ``-u`` specifies the user, and ``-p`` specifies the password.
+  Note that the port number may be different in your installation.
+
+Experiments with the production databases at USDF (SLAC) have shown that the upgrade process is safe and reliable.
+However, it is still recommended to make a backup of your data before proceeding with the upgrade.

doc/admin/index.rst

@@ -5,10 +5,18 @@
 Administrator's Guide
 #####################
 
+.. warning::
+
+   This version of Qserv uses MariaDB version 11.4.4. If you still have an older release based on
+   MariaDB 10.6.8 then you should upgrade your databases as described in the following section:
+
+   - :ref:`admin-upgrade-mariadb-11-4-4`
+
 .. toctree::
    :maxdepth: 4
 
    k8s
    row-counters
    data-table-indexes
    director-index
+   admin-upgrade