I was directed to this forum by my webhosting firm called dreamhost.

my website is www.seiboldbaker.com

They are upgrading to php 5.6 in january and will no longer support 5.3 or 5.4. As a result my web site will no longer be able to be viewed on the web. I have tested it with php 5.6 and it did not work.

What I have learned from local developers in my area is that getting my existing site upgraded to work with PHP 5.6 (with no real changes to layout and functionality) is basically the same as creating a whole new website. I am seeking advice from this forum to see if that seems like a true statement, or is there a much easier and more straightforward solution that the other guys are overlooking? And further, if there is a more straightforward path, can you point me towards someone that can do that?

Hi Jimbo,

2.3.1 is quite old... No, I can't think of a straightforward way to do this. The problem is that since that version there have been a series of new versions, all with their own more or less extensive API changes (2.4.x, 3.0.x, 3.1.x and now 3.2). There have been people who have written migration scripts form one version to the next, but in this case it would probably be quicker to do it manually...

So unless you are an experienced SilverStripe developer, upgrading won't be easy. It also depends on the complexity of your site, the amount of custom code, the use of modules that may or may not be upgradable. Your site doesn't seem to be very complex, but still...

OK thank you, that is a very helpful reply. Is this forum the right place to try to find a developer that could help migrate this site to compatibility with PHP 5.6?

Well you can definitely try. Or you can look for a company near you in the developers section:

http://www.silverstripe.org/community/developer-and-partner-directory/