With new features and bug fixes being added to Zabbix with each new version, it is suggested, if possible, to keep up with them. We just learned the general steps to perform when upgrading to take advantage of both small incremental updates (change versions) and larger improvements, which are folded into minor version numbers for Zabbix.
It should be reminded once more - back up your database before upgrading, especially when performing a minor (or major) version upgrade. Even with all the testing that goes into database patches, that one time when something unexpected happens will pay for all the backups.
We also discussed the compatibility of various components and how that affects upgrading. With change level upgrades it was very easy - all components including the server, proxy, and agent are compatible with each other. Let's try to visualize the minor upgrade level compatibility matrix:
As mentioned before, so far proxy compatibility has not been preserved between minor versions...