The Best Development Environment

[davide101]

I have been updating vBulletin the old fashioned way: backup, download files, copy to server, overwriting existing files, running upgrade script. I do it this way for all of the software. My site is becoming big enough and such an important part of my livelihood, that I want to start doing it the 'right way'.

My first intuition is to install svn or some other versioning package. After that, I'm not sure exactly what the proper flow is. I'm sure there are hundreds of self-taught administrators that are in the same shoes.

Could one of you resident Judo Code Masters share a good process flow for updating vBulletin so that it's easier to move back in case of an emergency?

I'm sick of overwriting something by mistake, digging through old backups and trying to find a way to repair the damage!