[TYPO3] Upgrading platform - Apache 2, PHP 5, MySQL 5 - advice please

[Mike Jones]

Hello all

I run a number of web applications and a couple of quite robust typo3 sites
on a Windows 2000 Server box - using Apache 1.3, php 4 and mysql 4 - all
works fine. The typo3 installations are 3.6.2 and 3.7.1 respectively.

The server is delivering the apps and sites to a school community on an
intranet.

I now need to develop some new applications which will take advantage of
php5 and the new features of mysql 5 such as views and stored procedures. I
would want to move to Apache 2 as well.

The obvious question is how do I go about bringing the platform up to date
so that I can develop new apps and still be able to deliver my existing
typo3 sites. What would be the best approach to this? Should I use another
box with the new platform on and install typo3 4 - and migrate the old typo3
sites to this and then move them back again once they are tweaked to be
stable? How have others on the list moved older typo3 sites to newer
platforms?

Any help gratefully received

Thank you

Mike Jones
YORK
United Kingdom