Migration and upgrade simultaneously

[mryerse]

Hi,
My ISP just offered me a new server for the same $$$, with an upgraded OS/PHP/Apache/etc.
I want to move my entire site, including Coppermine Gallery, to the new site.  I'm looking for some recomendations or suggestions on methods to the migration to save me some headaches.

Right now I have as follows:
Redhat 7.3 with php4.3.6 and Apache 1.3.27 (don't recal the mysql version) and Coppermine 1.2.1.
The goal is to get the gallery working on a different newer server:
Fedora Core 2 with php4.3.8 and Apache 2.x and Coppermine 1.3.latest-version.

Right now both servers are online with different domain names.  I'm planning on moving my databases and files to the new server, and then just changing the DNS info so the domain name on the old system directs to the new system.  Then once I got the 1.2.1 gallery working on the new server, I'd upgrade it to 1.3.latest version.

Also, does anyone have any recomendations or suggestions on how to migrate the files and databases (plural because I have two gallerys)?  I was going to export the database to a .sql file, and then tar up the entire website, and untar the file to the new server and import the .sql file to the new server.  But I'm wondering if file permissions will remain the same when I use tar, or if I'm going to need to chmod like crazy, and if there are any settings in the database that are domain or server specific that might cause problems.

I've read that you can get Coppermine working on php5 by modifying a few lines of code on a thread somewhere on this site.

[mryerse]

I just checked the the version of SQL is the same on both servers.

[mryerse]

I was able to move the database over fine with an sql dump and import.  Also, tar'ing the files and un-tar'ing them on the new server preserved the permissions to dir's etc.  I tested it out and it seems to be working fine on the new server w/o any issues.  I was able to browse around and all settings are intact, and can batch add pictures fine.
Now for the upgrade to the latest version of coppermine, and migration of email accounts to the new server