# Database files are incompatible with server (updating inside Linode)

**URL:** <https://meta.discourse.org/t/database-files-are-incompatible-with-server-updating-inside-linode/350727>\
**Category:** Product Support\
**Created:** [February 5, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/database-files-are-incompatible-with-server-updating-inside-linode/350727 "2025-02-05T21:22:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 15

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**Author:** ![pfaffman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/pfaffman/32/120154_2.png) [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/database-files-are-incompatible-with-server-updating-inside-linode/350727/15 "2025-02-06T15:59:31Z")

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It’ll be much easier if you create a new VM with an up-to-date OS. 18.04 is beyond end of life and 20.04 runs out in April.

If you have an up-to-date backup, create a new server, and restore that backup, completely avoiding the postgres upgrade issues.

> [@kgreed](#):
>
> I went through steps to update Ubuntu and finally pressed on this [postgres update]

Discourse doesn’t need postgres installed on the OS. This is another reason to start with a fresh OS.

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