[Abandoned]Make an Exact Copy of Joomla 1.5

[Chanty12]

I am running Joomla 1.5

I duplicated the entire Joomla directory from the command line via "cp" I duplicated the entire MySQL database from within phpMyAdmin

When I run the dup'd site I don't get my selected template, I get the out-of-the-box default template. So I went into Template Manager and made my template the default.

Next the menus are whacky.

The menus from my current site did not make it to the dup'd site. Are they not stored in the DB?

So before I proceed to set everything manually, one-by-one, if there something I am missing here as to why when I make an exact copy of everything the new Joomla site does not look exactly like the current one?

Thanks for helping me.

[ws_machine]

Did you also modify the Joomla configuration file to point to the new duplicate?

[Chanty12]

yes I did -- both lines 23 and 39 in configuration.php

But I have been reading many google search results and they state to export/import the MySQL tables. All I did was a copy from LIVE to DEV through phpMyAdmin on the Operations tab.

They also talk about FTP download and upload. All I did there was a cp ../live/* ../dev/* from the command line through SSH

So now I am looking into module WorkingCopy for subversioning. Don't really want to go that extreme -- just wondering if I have a choice. Can you actually make a working copy of Joomla? When I look at the raw data in the MySQL tables they match specifically the _menu table. Yet when I look at the /administrator UI my menus in Menu Manager are nowhere near the same.

[ws_machine]

Thats ok, those tutorials usually are for sites that are not being duplicated on the same server. What you have done works the same.
Could you post the content of your configuration file, blocking out your database and site info.

[Chanty12]

Here is my LIVE configuration.php:

Code: Select all

<?php
class JConfig {
	var $offline = '0';
	var $editor = 'jce';
	var $list_limit = '20';
	var $helpurl = 'http://help.joomla.org';
	var $debug = '0';
	var $debug_lang = '0';
	var $loginid = '************';
	var $transkey = '****************';
	var $amount = '25';
	var $sef = '1';
	var $sef_rewrite = '1';
	var $sef_suffix = '0';
	var $feed_limit = '10';
	var $feed_email = 'author';
	var $secret = '****************';
	var $gzip = '0';
	var $error_reporting = '-1';
	var $xmlrpc_server = '0';
	var $log_path = '/home/userid/public_html/logs';
	var $tmp_path = '/home/userid/public_html/tmp';
	var $live_site = 'http://mydomain.com';
	var $force_ssl = '0';
	var $offset = '-5';
	var $caching = '0';
	var $cachetime = '15';
	var $cache_handler = 'file';
	var $memcache_settings = array();
	var $ftp_enable = '0';
	var $ftp_host = 'anotherdomain.com';
	var $ftp_port = '21';
	var $ftp_user = 'anotherdomain.com';
	var $ftp_pass = '*********';
	var $ftp_root = '/httpdocs/userid';
	var $dbtype = 'mysql';
	var $host = 'localhost';
	var $user = 'userid_name';
	var $db = 'userid_name';
	var $dbprefix = 'abcd_';
	var $mailer = 'mail';
	var $mailfrom = '[email protected]';
	var $fromname = 'My Name';
	var $sendmail = '/usr/sbin/sendmail';
	var $smtpauth = '0';
	var $smtpsecure = 'none';
	var $smtpport = '25';
	var $smtpuser = '';
	var $smtppass = '';
	var $smtphost = 'localhost';
	var $MetaAuthor = '1';
	var $MetaTitle = '1';
	var $lifetime = '15';
	var $session_handler = 'database';
	var $password = '*******';
	var $sitename = 'Site Name';
	var $MetaDesc = 'Joomla! - the dynamic portal engine and content management system';
	var $MetaKeys = 'joomla,joomla';
	var $offline_message = 'This site is down for maintenance. Please check back again soon.';
}
?>

Here is the configuration.php file from the copied site:

Code: Select all

<?php
class JConfig {
	var $offline = '0';
	var $editor = 'jce';
	var $list_limit = '20';
	var $helpurl = 'http://help.joomla.org';
	var $debug = '0';
	var $debug_lang = '0';
	var $loginid = '************';
	var $transkey = '****************';
	var $amount = '25';
	var $sef = '1';
	var $sef_rewrite = '1';
	var $sef_suffix = '0';
	var $feed_limit = '10';
	var $feed_email = 'author';
	var $secret = '****************';
	var $gzip = '0';
	var $error_reporting = '-1';
	var $xmlrpc_server = '0';
	var $log_path = '/home/userid/public_html/staging/logs';
	var $tmp_path = '/home/userid/public_html/staging/tmp';
	var $live_site = 'http://staging.mydomain.com';
	var $force_ssl = '0';
	var $offset = '-5';
	var $caching = '0';
	var $cachetime = '15';
	var $cache_handler = 'file';
	var $memcache_settings = array();
	var $ftp_enable = '0';
	var $ftp_host = 'anotherdomain.com';
	var $ftp_port = '21';
	var $ftp_user = 'anotherdomain.com';
	var $ftp_pass = '*********';
	var $ftp_root = '/httpdocs/userid';
	var $dbtype = 'mysql';
	var $host = 'localhost';
	var $user = 'userid_name';
	var $db = 'userid_name_staging';
	var $dbprefix = 'abcd_';
	var $mailer = 'mail';
	var $mailfrom = '[email protected]';
	var $fromname = 'My Name';
	var $sendmail = '/usr/sbin/sendmail';
	var $smtpauth = '0';
	var $smtpsecure = 'none';
	var $smtpport = '25';
	var $smtpuser = '';
	var $smtppass = '';
	var $smtphost = 'localhost';
	var $MetaAuthor = '1';
	var $MetaTitle = '1';
	var $lifetime = '15';
	var $session_handler = 'database';
	var $password = '*******';
	var $sitename = 'Site Name';
	var $MetaDesc = 'Joomla! - the dynamic portal engine and content management system';
	var $MetaKeys = 'joomla,joomla';
	var $offline_message = 'This site is down for maintenance. Please check back again soon.';
}
?>

[ws_machine]

So far it seems you have done everything right in duplicating the site. From the admin go to Tools and Purge Cache and also Expired Cache.

[Markstein]

You can use Akeeba Backup for this to make it super simple:

http://extensions.joomla.org/extensions ... ackup/1606

[*]Install Akeeba Backup and take a back up of your site. It backs up both the site files and the database.

[*]Download the backup file via FTP

[*]Upload the backup file to your desired location. You'll also need to upload the kickstart file from Akeeba as well.

[*]Create a new database/new user.

[*]Go to "yoursite.com/kickstart.php" and you'll be presented with an installer very similar to Joomla. Enter in all the details (database, etc.) that it asks for. It automatically updates the configuration file in your back up.

That's it! You have an exact copy of a site using a different database/location.

Also see: http://docs.joomla.org/Copying_a_Joomla_website

Mark

[Chanty12]

So far it seems you have done everything right in duplicating the site. From the admin go to Tools and Purge Cache and also Expired Cache.

Thanks @ws_machine. I will give that a try. Do I do it on the new site or do I do it on the old site and then do my copying all over again?

[Chanty12]

You can use Akeeba Backup for this to make it super simple

@Markstein - I did a lot of Googling on my dilemma and my recollection from what I was seeing was not to use Akeeba. It didn't do good things to your site.

[ws_machine]

This should be done on the duplicate site. If that doesn't work, let me know.
I am duplicating a site now on my test server to see if the same error happens then I can better debug.

[Chanty12]

This should be done on the duplicate site. If that doesn't work, let me know.
I am duplicating a site now on my test server to see if the same error happens then I can better debug.

@ws_machine - that did not do it for me. But thanks for suggesting

The problem is that my menus in the /administrator UI on the DEV (staging) site do not look like they do on the LIVE site. It's really weird.

[humvee]

Have you actually created and then configured the server either through the Host control panel or the use of .htacces to redirect the http://subdomain.domain.xx to the required subdirectory of the web root?

Otherwise your subdomain pathway is actually just http://domain.xx/subdomain

[Chanty12]

Have you actually created and then configured the server either through the Host control panel or the use of .htacces to redirect the http://subdomain.domain.xx to the required subdirectory of the web root?

Otherwise your subdomain pathway is actually just http://domain.xx/subdomain

Yes I have.

Actually, once I log into /administrator (on the dev or what I call "staging" site -- aka cname or subdomain) I get the copied Joomla instance.

5/4/2012 @ 10:00am -- I just proved the document root is correct and working on both instances via

Code: Select all

<?php echo $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT']; ?>

[Chanty12]

What is so peculiar to me is that I run a couple Joomla sites and recently I followed the same exact process for one of my other Joomla's (on an entirely different server) and it worked just fine. It's almost as if my LIVE Joomla instance on the site I am having problems with doesn't have it's template and menus defined in a proper fashion. It renders what it needs to just fine to the general public when hitting the LIVE site -- yet when I take a dup copy and try and run it, it does not work.

Very strange behavior.

[humvee]

Have you created a completely separate Dbase and are you certain the links in the configuration.php and all the associated paths are correct?
Make sure that any other configuration files for extensions that may exist are also amended.
Run the Forum post Assistant to provide the information to help us resolve the issue.

[Webdongle]

If you have created a subdomain and the folder for the subdomain is in the public_html folder then the paths in the configuration.php file will need to (as already stated) include the folder in the path. But some Hosts create the folder for the subdirectory level with the public_html in which case the path will be different.

But in both cases the RewriteBase in the .htaccess will be / (root) because the folder is the root of the subdomain.

Also giving the live_site var a value can cause problems
try
var $live_site = '';
(that is two single marks not one double quote).

Other problems can be hard coded absolute paths in the Template instead of variables. Also Some components like VM have the site hard coded.

Other problems could be non www to www url in the .htaccess.

[Chanty12]

Have you created a completely separate Dbase and are you certain the links in the configuration.php and all the associated paths are correct?
Make sure that any other configuration files for extensions that may exist are also amended.
Run the Forum post Assistant to provide the information to help us resolve the issue.

@humvee:
Yes, as I stated in the opening thread, I have completely duplicated the DB as a "completely separate Dbase"

Yes, I am certain the links in the configuration.php and all the associated paths are correct.

Not sure what you mean by "Make sure that any other configuration files for extensions that may exist are also amended".

When I ran the Forum Post Assistant, it just displayed a message "Hang on in there while we run some tests...". It never terminated or returned anything. Plus the unzipped script name is not that same as the developers instructions indicate it to be.

[Chanty12]

If you have created a subdomain and the folder for the subdomain is in the public_html folder then the paths in the configuration.php file will need to (as already stated) include the folder in the path. But some Hosts create the folder for the subdirectory level with the public_html in which case the path will be different.

But in both cases the RewriteBase in the .htaccess will be / (root) because the folder is the root of the subdomain.

Also giving the live_site var a value can cause problems
try
var $live_site = '';
(that is two single marks not one double quote).

Other problems can be hard coded absolute paths in the Template instead of variables. Also Some components like VM have the site hard coded.

Other problems could be non www to www url in the .htaccess.

@Webdongle:

Not really sure what you mean in your first 2 paragraphs.

But I can tell you this, my "live" site works fine. It is the "staging" site that does not do exactly what the "live" sites does after making an exact duplicate of the files and directories and databases, plus changing the configuration file appropriately.

[Webdongle]

Not really sure what you mean in your first 2 paragraphs

Where is the folder for your subdomain ?

Is it
/public_html/staging/
or
/public_html/
/staging/

In other words is the folder for the subdomain below public_html or level with it ?

[Chanty12]

Not really sure what you mean in your first 2 paragraphs

Where is the folder for your subdomain ?

@Webdongle,

It is ../public_html/staging/

Also note, the document root directive in the httpd.conf file is ../public_html/staging/

And (FYI), I have a third copy as http://dev.mydomain.com/ where the document root is ../public_html/dev/ -- oddly enough that one works.

[Webdongle]

....

Also note, the document root directive in the httpd.conf file is ../public_html/staging/
...

"The DocumentRoot should be specified without a trailing slash."
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.1/mod/core.html

But if 'staging' is a subdomain then DocumentRoot should be ../public_html
At least if you go to http://www.yoursite.com with the DocumentRoot /public_html/staging
Then the Browser is sent to the files in /public_html/staging instead of public_html

Therefore http://staging.site.com will be looking for a subdirectory /public_html/staging/staging

[Chanty12]

Trailing slash or no trailing slash, I was merely drawing perspective. I did not actually copy & paste the directive from my httpd.conf. I merely was showing what they would generally look like if I went into the conf file.

Bottom-line:

• www.mydomain.com site works

• dev.mydomain.com site works

• staging.mydomain.com site partially works -- I just need to log into Joomla and tag my template as default and my menus as default. Then the Live and Staging sites look alike and work as they are supposed too

No biggie. Moved on. Decided to make my changes to the live site as I can't afford to spin my wheels here and waste anymore time.

Thanks for your help.

[humvee]

No biggie. Moved on. Decided to make my changes to the live site as I can't afford to spin my wheels here and waste anymore time.

But you have in fact chosen to waste our time instead! Good luck with what you do. Marked as resolved so no one else wastes their time