user95678: The release notes of bitcoin-core suggest to just copy the bitcoind file, which appears on my system (Raspbian Butch) in /usr/local/bin.
Since I built from source using ./configure I wonder how this will influence my node. Is bitcoind really the only thing that gets changed with a new release?

user7272: Although certain releases perform database upgrades, the upgrade is handled by the bitcoind binary - updating a node only requires changing the binary, regardless of whether you downloaded a prebuilt one or compiled it from source.
If any additional changes to the bitcoin data are required, the updated bitcoind will perform them when it starts.
If you are downloading a prebuilt binary, make sure you get it from a reliable source (such as bitcoin.org) and verify the signatures to make sure it has not been tampered with.

95678: <p>The release notes of <code>bitcoin-core</code> suggest to just copy the <code>bitcoind</code> file, which appears on my system (Raspbian Butch) in <code>/usr/local/bin</code>.</p>

<p>Since I built from source using <code>./configure</code> I wonder how this will influence my node. Is <code>bitcoind</code> really the only thing that gets changed with a new release?</p>
 7272: <p>Although certain releases perform database upgrades, the upgrade is handled by the bitcoind binary - updating a node only requires changing the binary, regardless of whether you downloaded a prebuilt one or compiled it from source.</p>

<p>If any additional changes to the bitcoin data are required, the updated bitcoind will perform them when it starts.</p>

<p>If you are downloading a prebuilt binary, make sure you get it from a reliable source (such as bitcoin.org) and verify the signatures to make sure it has not been tampered with.</p>
