This is the procedure/notes i used to upgrade my home from OpenELEC Dharma to Eden. I have not included any false steps i.e. its my direct path after making mistakes
This is a work in progress, not definitive and posted only as an example of how I did it with my perhaps unique setup. It is not a guide and at best interesting reading but more likely a complete bore
I have multiple ION64 and generic OpenELEC (OE) installs. I also have a windows install which i use to update my library conveniently from a desktop and for messing about with REGEX.
At the start all machines shared access to a single central Dharma MySQL (V42) database running on the same windows desktop (again for convenience and experimentation).
I can expand on most points if needed and requested
Stage 1: Migration of MYSQL
I wanted to move from a terrible windows install of MySQL to a Linux one.
I downloaded Turnkey Mysql
Loaded it on my vmware appliance
Changed the Linux password
Created an XBMC user in MySQL
Turned of all XBMC
Exported XBMC MySQL data
Imported MySQL data into Linux
Edited all advancedsettings.xml to point to the new MySQL server
Booted and XBMC devices.
Zero issues all working as expected.
Interestingly the virtual Linux MySQL was 2-4 times faster than the windows one (not hardware related has to be the defaults) but that was a pleasant surprise
Stage 2: Creation of a Eden install to play with
For convenience I downloaded a nightly Eden build for windows.
Installed it to a different path
Created a shortcut with the -d portable mode switch
Started Eden
All good we have a blank new Eden install
Stage 3: Connect Eden to MySQL
Now comes the start of the slightly risky stuff. Currently if you connect Eden to a shared Dharma database it will upgrade it from v42 to v54 which is not backwards compatible.
So we backup MySQL
Create two new database xbmc_eden_video and xbmc_eden_music
Import the v42 into these new databases
At this point it is vital you install any missing plugins in Eden. For instance Eden doesn't ship with the IMDB scraper. If you don't do this expect lots of very very odd things to happen.
Once you have this, shut down Eden, edit the as.xml file to point to the new database and start
Eden to convert the database. This could take seconds to minutes. Don't kill the process let it take as long as it needs. If in doubt tail the xbmc.log to see whats happening. I done it in debug mode to keep a closer track.
We now have Eden talking to a v54 dbase and all looks good. Simple so far
Stage 4: Fanart
At the start I synchronized fanart using rsync or the like. This was slow and a pain but simple and reliable.
Eden allows you to set an arbitrary location for the special thumbnail folder. This can be shared so I copied all my thumbnails (13GB) to a SMB share I have. Edited as.xml to point to this share and restarted.
Seamless, Eden now uses a central art cache and without any tweaking the performance is way better than expected.
FYI this is cross platform and seems to work flawlessly. It was possible in Dharma but was platform specific and a tad trickier.
Stage 5: Lets start upgrading OE i.e. the interesting bit
So lets backup Dharma just in case
cp -r .xbmc/ .xbmc_dharma
Now we backup mysql just in case of a typo (so we don’t oerwrite the wrong one)
We edit as.xml and point it at the new database and change to using central fanart.
Something like:
<pathsubstitution>
<substitute>
<from>special://Thumbnails</from>
<to>smb://FILESERVER/cache/.xbmc/Thumbnails/</to>
</substitute>
</pathsubstitution>
<videodatabase>
<type>mysql</type>
<host>MYSQLSERVER</host>
<name>xbmc_eden_video</name>
<user>xbmc</user>
<pass>xbmc</pass>
</videodatabase>
<musicdatabase>
<type>mysql</type>
<host>MYSQLSERVER</host>
<name>xbmc_eden_music</name>
<user>xbmc</user>
<pass>xbmc</pass>
</musicdatabase>
</musicdatabase>
Now we have made tha chnages lets upload the new version and reboot.
OK a few seg faults but it works.
We are no using Eden with central art and mysql.
This is a work in progress, not definitive and posted only as an example of how I did it with my perhaps unique setup. It is not a guide and at best interesting reading but more likely a complete bore

I have multiple ION64 and generic OpenELEC (OE) installs. I also have a windows install which i use to update my library conveniently from a desktop and for messing about with REGEX.
At the start all machines shared access to a single central Dharma MySQL (V42) database running on the same windows desktop (again for convenience and experimentation).
I can expand on most points if needed and requested
Stage 1: Migration of MYSQL
I wanted to move from a terrible windows install of MySQL to a Linux one.
I downloaded Turnkey Mysql
Loaded it on my vmware appliance
Changed the Linux password
Created an XBMC user in MySQL
Turned of all XBMC
Exported XBMC MySQL data
Imported MySQL data into Linux
Edited all advancedsettings.xml to point to the new MySQL server
Booted and XBMC devices.
Zero issues all working as expected.
Interestingly the virtual Linux MySQL was 2-4 times faster than the windows one (not hardware related has to be the defaults) but that was a pleasant surprise
Stage 2: Creation of a Eden install to play with
For convenience I downloaded a nightly Eden build for windows.
Installed it to a different path
Created a shortcut with the -d portable mode switch
Started Eden
All good we have a blank new Eden install
Stage 3: Connect Eden to MySQL
Now comes the start of the slightly risky stuff. Currently if you connect Eden to a shared Dharma database it will upgrade it from v42 to v54 which is not backwards compatible.
So we backup MySQL
Create two new database xbmc_eden_video and xbmc_eden_music
Import the v42 into these new databases
At this point it is vital you install any missing plugins in Eden. For instance Eden doesn't ship with the IMDB scraper. If you don't do this expect lots of very very odd things to happen.
Once you have this, shut down Eden, edit the as.xml file to point to the new database and start
Eden to convert the database. This could take seconds to minutes. Don't kill the process let it take as long as it needs. If in doubt tail the xbmc.log to see whats happening. I done it in debug mode to keep a closer track.
We now have Eden talking to a v54 dbase and all looks good. Simple so far
Stage 4: Fanart
At the start I synchronized fanart using rsync or the like. This was slow and a pain but simple and reliable.
Eden allows you to set an arbitrary location for the special thumbnail folder. This can be shared so I copied all my thumbnails (13GB) to a SMB share I have. Edited as.xml to point to this share and restarted.
Seamless, Eden now uses a central art cache and without any tweaking the performance is way better than expected.
FYI this is cross platform and seems to work flawlessly. It was possible in Dharma but was platform specific and a tad trickier.
Stage 5: Lets start upgrading OE i.e. the interesting bit
So lets backup Dharma just in case
cp -r .xbmc/ .xbmc_dharma
Now we backup mysql just in case of a typo (so we don’t oerwrite the wrong one)
We edit as.xml and point it at the new database and change to using central fanart.
Something like:
<pathsubstitution>
<substitute>
<from>special://Thumbnails</from>
<to>smb://FILESERVER/cache/.xbmc/Thumbnails/</to>
</substitute>
</pathsubstitution>
<videodatabase>
<type>mysql</type>
<host>MYSQLSERVER</host>
<name>xbmc_eden_video</name>
<user>xbmc</user>
<pass>xbmc</pass>
</videodatabase>
<musicdatabase>
<type>mysql</type>
<host>MYSQLSERVER</host>
<name>xbmc_eden_music</name>
<user>xbmc</user>
<pass>xbmc</pass>
</musicdatabase>
</musicdatabase>
Now we have made tha chnages lets upload the new version and reboot.
OK a few seg faults but it works.
We are no using Eden with central art and mysql.