we’re about to leave our own specification of using LTS versions only and so we plan to upgrade from 8.9 LTS to 9.6.1. We’re not going to go directly to closest edge (9.7), we rather plan to be one minor version behind.
I’ve searched the release notes and upgrade notes for any impact on going from a previous 8.9 LTS version to 9.6.1. Is this really the case or is it recommended to go to 9.0 first and then hop to 9.6.1 or can it be done in only one step?
There’s no reason to upgrade through intermediate minor versions. Since there are no intervening LTS versions, you can go straight to 9.7.1 (or 9.6.1).
You do realize that by choosing to land on an old version, you’ll be missing bug fixes and security patches in addition to not having the latest, juciest features? I understand your decision probably comes from a place of caution, but you need to be aware that we don’t backport fixes - including security patches - to non-LTS/non-Latest versions. You’re really not dodging the bleeding edge by not adopting Latest. You’re just putting yourself at risk.