diff --git a/playbooks/manual/upgrade/pdc.yml b/playbooks/manual/upgrade/pdc.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d9ae5844e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playbooks/manual/upgrade/pdc.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+- name: push packages out
+  hosts: pdc-backend;pdc-backend-stg;pdc-web;pdc-web-stg
+  user: root
+  vars_files: 
+   - /srv/web/infra/ansible/vars/global.yml
+   - "/srv/private/ansible/vars.yml"
+   - /srv/web/infra/ansible/vars/{{ ansible_distribution }}.yml
+
+  tasks:
+  - name: clean all metadata
+    command: yum clean all
+    always_run: yes
+  - name: yum update PDC packages
+    yum: name="pdc-*" state=latest
+
+- name: verify the backend, and stop it
+  hosts: pdc-backend;pdc-backend-stg
+  user: root
+  vars_files: 
+   - /srv/web/infra/ansible/vars/global.yml
+   - "/srv/private/ansible/vars.yml"
+   - /srv/web/infra/ansible/vars/{{ ansible_distribution }}.yml
+  handlers:
+  - include: "{{ handlers }}/restart_services.yml"
+
+  roles:
+  - pdc/backend
+
+  post_tasks:
+  - name: tell nagios to shush w.r.t. the backend
+    nagios: action=downtime minutes=15 service=host host={{ inventory_hostname_short }}{{ env_suffix }}
+    delegate_to: noc01.phx2.fedoraproject.org
+    ignore_errors: true
+  - name: Stop the pdc-updater backend
+    service: name="fedmsg-hub" state=stopped
+
+- name: verify the frontend, stop it, upgrade the db, and restart it
+  hosts: pdc-web;pdc-web-stg
+  user: root
+  vars_files: 
+   - /srv/web/infra/ansible/vars/global.yml
+   - "/srv/private/ansible/vars.yml"
+   - /srv/web/infra/ansible/vars/{{ ansible_distribution }}.yml
+  handlers:
+  - include: "{{ handlers }}/restart_services.yml"
+
+  roles:
+  - pdc/frontend
+
+  post_tasks:
+  - name: tell nagios to shush w.r.t. the frontend
+    nagios: action=downtime minutes=15 service=host host={{ inventory_hostname_short }}{{ env_suffix }}
+    delegate_to: noc01.phx2.fedoraproject.org
+    ignore_errors: true
+  - service: name="httpd" state=stopped
+  - name: Upgrade the database, only on the primary web node.
+    command: python /usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pdc/manage.py syncdb --noinput
+    args:
+        chdir: /usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pdc/
+    when: inventory_shortname == 'pdc-web01'
+  - service: name="httpd" state=started
+  - name: tell nagios to unshush w.r.t. the frontend
+    nagios: action=unsilence service=host host={{ inventory_hostname_short }}{{ env_suffix }}
+    delegate_to: noc01.phx2.fedoraproject.org
+    ignore_errors: true
+
+- name: restart the backend
+  hosts: pdc-backend;pdc-backend-stg
+  user: root
+  vars_files: 
+   - /srv/web/infra/ansible/vars/global.yml
+   - "/srv/private/ansible/vars.yml"
+   - /srv/web/infra/ansible/vars/{{ ansible_distribution }}.yml
+  handlers:
+  - include: "{{ handlers }}/restart_services.yml"
+
+  tasks:
+  - name: And... start the backend again
+    service: name="fedmsg-hub" state=started
+  - name: tell nagios to unshush w.r.t. the backend
+    nagios: action=unsilence service=host host={{ inventory_hostname_short }}{{ env_suffix }}
+    delegate_to: noc01.phx2.fedoraproject.org
+    ignore_errors: true