MySQL^® 5.5 Automatic Update

Automatic updates from MySQL 5.5 to MySQL 5.7

Any server with a local installation of MySQL 5.5 and no databases will automatically update to MySQL 5.7 or newer.

Some customers using Version 78 of cPanel & WHM are blocked from upgrading to newer versions because MySQL 5.5 is installed. To solve this problem, we are automatically upgrading these servers.

We strongly recommend you do not wait for the automatic update and perform the upgrade to the server before February 2020. This automatic update will be triggered when the server tries to update to Version 86 during its maintenance period.

Future automatic updates from MySQL 5.5 to MySQL 5.6

Any server meeting the following requirements may receive a separate update:

• The local MySQL server runs version 5.5.
• There are few databases on the server.
• The databases that exist on the server have a small size.
• There are a small number of users on the server.
• The my.cnf file is a standard configuration and does not contain any customization.
• No database corruption is detected.

This process is currently under consideration, and would upgrade from MySQL 5.5 to MySQL 5.6 for qualifying servers. Get emails and stay-up-to date on product changes like these by subscribing here.

---

Why

The automatic update will result in healthy, updated servers. MySQL 5.5 reached end of life (EOL) in December, 2018 and no longer receives security updates or patches.

Impact

Some issues that might arise during an upgrade to MySQL 5.6 that you should be aware of:

• The automatic update to the servers could cause lengthy downtime if they have a large number of databases or large database size.
• If database corruption exists and is not detected, websites will likely break.
• Third-party software and plugins that rely on database services and are not compatible with MySQL 5.6 or newer will break.
• Servers configured to use old passwords from MySQL 4.1 will need database users to update their passwords after the MySQL version upgrade completes.

Benefits

Updated servers have lower security risks. An exposed flaw or vulnerability can cause a security crisis that needs to be addressed urgently without adequate time to deploy resources, resulting in long waits for technical support while servers are vulnerable to being exploited. Keeping servers up-to-date reduces last-minute panic.

What you can do

You can upgrade your managed servers to MySQL 5.6 or newer before the automatic update. MySQL upgrades can be performed in WHM or via API calls.

Hosting providers with unmanaged servers need to communicate with customers to make them aware of this update and encourage them to upgrade their version of MySQL to 5.6 or newer before 2020.