An upgrade from Discus 4.0 to 4.1 is possible using one self-contained script file. The customer uploads this script file to his or her web server and places it in the same directory as the Discus CGI scripts. The customer then accesses this file in a web browser and enters administration login credentials. The script then places all of the needed files in the correct place.

This upgrade method also checks for certain system requirements that are new, or were not strictly enforced in previous versions. Any error condition that will significantly impair the operation of the new version will cause the upgrade script not to allow the installation of the new version. Other less serious error conditions will result in warnings being displayed so that the customer can make an informed choice as to whether to upgrade.

1. Go to either the Discus Freeware or Discus Professional download area, as appropriate. For Discus Freeware, select any options so long as the requested version is Discus 4.10. For Discus Professional, enter your license number and download password to log in.

2. On the resulting download screen, locate the file for "Discus 4.0 to 4.1 Upgrade" (entitled "discus4_10_xx-upgrade-free.zip" or "discus4_10_xx-upgrade-pro.zip"). Click the file and choose to save it to disk. Save the file to a location where you can easily find it later (e.g., your desktop).

3. Using a program such as WinZip, or for certain versions of Windows, the operating system's native utility, open the zip file. It will contain one file called upgrade.cgi - extract this file to a place where you can easily find it later (e.g. your desktop).

4. Use your FTP program to open a connection to your server. Use ASCII mode to upload the upgrade.cgi file to the same directory that contains your Discus scripts (such as discus.cgi, config.cgi, diagnose.cgi, and others).

5. Use your FTP program to set permissions on the uploaded script to 0755 (rwxr-xr-x). More help with this step

6. Most users will not need to do this step. If the extension for your Discus scripts is something other than .cgi (as will be the case on some Windows servers), use your FTP program to rename the upgrade.cgi script accordingly. For example, if your scripts are discus.pl, config.pl, diagnose.pl, etc., then you would rename the script to upgrade.pl.

7. Access the script using your web browser. The easiest way to do this is to go to your discussion board, where the URL (for a normal installation) will be something like http://your.server.com/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi. Replace discus.cgi with upgrade.cgi and hit enter. This should load the upgrade page. Follow the instructions to enter your username and password, and click the button to complete your upgrade.

1. Use your FTP program to delete the upgrade.cgi file from your server. This file is no longer needed, and is a waste of space on your system. (Most web server setups won't allow this script to be deleted from a browser-based process.)

2. If you were running Discus 4.0 freeware and are upgrading to Discus 4.1 professional, log in to your discussion board and go to Version Manager. Click the update tab, enter your newly purchased license number and download password, and complete the remainder of the screens to complete your upgrade. (If you do not do this, you will be running Discus 4.1 freeware.)