Moving Server - Mini How To

Max_Milne_Photography / 2009-10-31 02:27:01   

Hello everyone,

I found i was having major issues in transferring my index exhibit site to a new server. After trawling through forums i eventually found a way that worked. I thought i should share my process in aid of anyone else who wants to transfer their site to a new server with ease.

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Break Down

This mini guide is for some one of intermediate website understanding and whos servers use Cpanel.

The four major components I used to transfer my whole website to a new server are:

0.Changing your nameservers to connect with your new server

1.Backing up: Downloading your websites files and exporting the database from your OLD server to a local machine.

2.Uploading: Importing your database and uploading your website to the NEW server

3.Re-installing Index-Exhibit: Replacing the basic structure of index-exhibit syncing your database

I will only cover steps 1,2 and 3. Step 0 you must know from setting up your website originally.
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Detail

1.Backing Up
Download Site
1. Create a new folder on your local computer to back up to
2. Download your WHOLE web site via FTP to the new folder on your computer. Leave folder until "2.Uploading" section

Export Database
1. Create a new folder on your local computer to export to
2. Open up Cpanel on your OLD server
3. Go to "Database" Panel, click on "phpmyAdmin"
4. Click on the database your index exhibit website uses (the one you originally created). This can be found under the logo "phpMyAdmin"
5. Click on the export tab found just below the top of the page
6. Click the tick box named "Save file as" and hit the "go" button found at the bottom right of the page. Leave everything else as is.
7. Save the export to the original file you created

2.Uploading
Upload Site to New Server
1. Using your choosen FTP program upload your WHOLE website from your local disk. Remember to keep the same folder arrangement as you had on your OLD server. Let this copy over

Import Database to New Server
1. Login to the Cpanel of your NEW server
2. Go to "Database" Panel, click on "phpmyAdmin"
3. Click on the "import" button at the bottom of the main page.
4. Click on browse and find the database file you exported from the OLD server. Click "go" to import this database.

Create a New Data Base User
0. This is the same as when you created the original database for the old server
1. Create a new user and add it to the database, usually can be done in "MySQL Databases" in Cpanel.

3.Re-installing Index-Exhibit
Upload Basic Index-Exhibit Structure
1.Using your FTP program of choice reupload and overwrite all the system files from a fresh index exhibit install. This includes all files and sub-directories.
Don't reupload these directories:
- /files (folder and it's contents)
- /ndxz-studio/config (folder and contents)
- /ndxz-studio/site (folder and contents)
- /ndxz-studio/defaults.php
(quote Vaska)

Follow "How to Install" Instruction
1.Now, you need to change the permissions of three folders using your ftp application. It sounds more complicated that it really is. The folders in question are:

- /files
- /files/gimgs
- /ndxz-studio/config

Change the permission values to 777.
2. Now go to: http://www.yourwebsite.com/ndxz-studio/install.php and follow the prompts.
3. When it comes to putting in your database server details use the server details and user names as per what you created on your new server
4.When you have completed installation delete the 'install.php' file - you must do this.
5. Perfecto! (i hope!)

Thank you for reading, any editing or additions are more than welcome to this guide. Also a thank you to Vaska for providing a solution to the problem and to whom wrote the How to Install, I apologise for plagiarism

arsondpi / 2009-10-31 09:28:27   

Thanks for sharing!

For future reference though, others may have different server setups or/and different server control panels.
But this is a good rough guide. :-)

lemathieu A / 2009-10-31 09:59:00   

Yep, I'm sure people will find it really usefull !
Thank you !

fourcolourblack / 2009-11-09 13:27:11   

This is really useful. I'll try use this when I change providers. One question though. I thought the most complicated bit would be the export/import of my database. I understand how everything else works but don't know the first thing about databases.

In my export tab (in my old host) i can export as CSV

CSV for MS Excel

Microsoft Excel 2000

Microsoft Word 2000

LaTeX

Open Document Spreadsheet

Open Document Text

PDF

SQL

YAML

Which one do I use? I tried SQL but get error messages on my new host when trying a test import. Which end could the problem be at?

aura / 2010-01-18 17:05:14   

I just transferred my site to a new domain using your guidelines and it worked great. Thank you so much for posting these steps.

The only thing that I had to do different was to delete the config.php file because the installation wouldn't proceed otherwise. Also, I had to use the prefix for the database user and name from my current domain, not the previous one, when prompted. I know this may be obvious to most, but thought it might be useful for some out there...

Thanks again. Very, very helpful.

doing_doing_done / 2010-03-01 02:47:39   

Thanks for the mini how to. I went through all the steps as you listed and the site seemed to transfer fine. The front page displays (www.doingdoingdone.com), but then if you click on any of the articles then this comes up:

Not Found

The requested URL /work/nz-wine-japanese-matching/ was not found on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

Any ideas on what went wrong? I've tried re-installing indexhibit a couple of time with no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

doing_doing_done / 2010-03-01 02:52:28   

Ah, ignore that. I simply needed to change htaccess to .htaccess so that it would honour my clean urls. Sorry.

elifflower / 2010-04-02 16:39:30   

Hi there,

I am trying to change server and this guide seems very helpful and clear but as I am with fasthosts, I don't have cPanel so can't follow that step!
Is there an alternative way to back up my database?

Many thanks.

samspratlin / 2010-10-25 23:59:37   

Hello,

I just used this tutorial to get my indexhibit moved over and it worked great. The only problem I'm hung up on is that I can't seem to get the CSS to show up?

And when i try to access the css file I get an error message...

"Internal Server Error

The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request."

I think i've got all the permissions set correctly, but it's not working. Am I missing something?

Vaska A / 2010-10-26 00:11:03   

Can you show us? Link...

bigis / 2010-12-07 13:01:47   

Hi,

First, thanks a lot for this tutorial. I didn't know how to move databse, so it really help !

I just have one last problem if anyone can help.
Everything is done like said. Every files is uploaded, and i can see online and in the indexhibit control panel that all my projects are there.

But if you go to my website http://utopiko.com and you click on a picture, it says
that a link is broken. And if you click on "Work" at the top, and then on a project on
the side, it does the same thing.

I believe i have to update a link somewhere, but no idea what ..

Any suggestions ??

Site

Vaska A / 2010-12-07 13:05:11   

I think you have the clean url's part mixed up. It's not using them but perhaps you have an .htaccess file that is mixing things up?

arsondpi / 2010-12-07 13:06:33   

Maybe you're missing this specific index.php file...

Vaska A / 2010-12-07 13:08:38   

I see some other things...your template is messed up...I see this when I view the source...

  1. <script type='text/javascript' src='<%baseurl%><%basename%>/site/js/jquery.js'></script>

But I should never see system variables this way. So, it's killing your javascript...and perhaps this is messing other things up.

Vaska A / 2010-12-07 13:09:56   

Wait, also, "home.php"? You had a splash page at one time...I guess.

You are missing the index.php file...I'm really confused now. Something isn't right...

bigis / 2010-12-07 14:18:05   

I have a different start page which is index.html (the one you see at startup).
But i have an index.php file in my "site" folder "ben" which is a template i made..

This is the head code in my index.php :

  1. <head>
  2.     <meta http-equiv='Content-Type' content='text/html; charset=utf-8'/>
  3.     <!--Finally we can use our font!. Thanks TypeKit -->
  4.     <script type="text/javascript" src="http://use.typekit.com/zhn1quy.js"></script>
  5.     <script type="text/javascript">try{Typekit.load();}catch(e){}</script>
     :
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    path = '/files/gimgs/';     $(document).ready(function()
    {
        setTimeout('move_up()', 1);
    });
    
    
    

bigis / 2010-12-07 14:19:53   
  1. oups.. some problem with posting code.. 
  2. But i see this your referring too 
  3.     <plug:front_dyn_css />
  4.     <script type='text/javascript' src='<%baseurl%><%basename%>/site/js/jquery.js'></script>
  5.     <script type='text/javascript' src='<%baseurl%><%basename%>/site/js/cookie.js'></script>
  6.     <script type='text/javascript' src='<%baseurl%><%basename%>/site/js/swfobject.js'></script>
  7.     <plug:front_lib_js />
bigis / 2010-12-07 14:24:42   

Ok !
I put back the index.php on my server and it seems to work.
Thanks Vaska ! :D

til / 2011-01-14 19:04:35   

heya,

to all the developers of indexhibit -- thank you so much for this awesome project.

if somebody finds some time, please help:

i wanted to make an english version of our website:

til / 2011-01-14 19:06:01   

....oops

i wanted to make an english version of our website:

http://www.waswirmachen.de

so i followed the instructions and copied the entire directory into a subfolder of our url.

http://www.waswirmachen.de/EN

-- instructions as in these threads:

http://www.indexhibit.org/forum/thread/769/
http://www.indexhibit.org/forum/thread/333/
http://www.indexhibit.org/forum/thread/5912/

i m sure i did it exactly the way described.
1. copying original content
2. creating a new mysql db
3. importing original db's content into the new one
4. replacing the specified folders and files with 'out of the box' - indexhibit files
5. installation
6. deleting the install.php

-- and still, when i log in, the backend is empty.

please, help would be greatly appreciated.
what could i have done wrong?

cheers

leanneamann / 2011-05-30 04:14:39   

If I switched hosting sites before exporting my old database information am I totally screwed?...

- idiot

forgetmeknots / 2013-10-02 15:16:15   

I'm moving from Hostgator to Dreamhost, and moving my database to the new server has been an impossible task to me. I've used Terminal on Mac, but to no luck. I wonder if there is a way to not use the old database, somehow, starting with a new one? Help! My old server will expire in a few days, so I really don't have much time.

forgetmeknots / 2013-10-02 15:16:38   

PS: I do have a backup, what I can't seem to do is uploading the old database...

Benny_Arts / 2013-10-02 22:02:44   

Hi Forgetmeknots,

This video should make clear how to export your database:
youtu.be/…

Here you should find instructions on how to import your database to Dreamhost:
wiki.dreamhost.com/…

rjohnstone / 2014-04-02 16:25:05   

Hello. I did this migration for a site and some of it appears to be working. but I get the following error message when attempting to access the portfolio: [function.getimagesize]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/jborbely/public_html/ndxz-studio/site/plugin/exhibit.thickbox.php on line 41

justinborbely.com/

Vaska A / 2014-04-02 16:57:59   

The error message indicates that the images are missing.

This thread has been closed, thank you.