Moving a Site to Another Directory or Server

Use this procedure to move an Ektron CMS400.NET Web site to a new folder or even a different server. For example, you complete work on a site that resides on a development server and want to move it to a production server.

Within this documentation, the original site’s folder is referred to as the source directory, and the new site’s folder is called the destination directory. The directories can reside on the same server or different ones.

Moving the site consists of the following major steps. Each step is described below.

Step 1: Set up an IIS Site on the Destination Server

Step 2: Copy Files to Destination Directory

Step 3: Set Permissions on the New CMS Web Site

Step 4: Make the New Directory an IIS Application

Step 5: Back up the Database

Step 6: Create a New Database

Step 7: Restore the Database

Step 8: Set Security on the Copied Database

Step 9: Update web.config on the Destination Site

Moving a Site vs. Using the eSync Feature

In addition to the Site Move procedure described below, Ektron CMS400.NET offers an eSync feature. That feature automatically pushes new and updated site files to a production server. eSync is especially useful when your site contains sensitive information (for example, pricing) that needs to be carefully reviewed for quality assurance before it goes live. For more information, see Synchronizing Servers Using eSync.

When You Would Use the eSync feature

You'd use the eSync feature in these cases.

Moving a site from staging to production

Distributing a site among load-balanced servers

When You Would Use the Move Site Procedure

You'd use the Move Site procedure in cases listed below. Additional information that may help you move your site manually can be found at http://dev.ektron.com/kb_article.aspx?id=16408

You do not have the eSync feature.

The initial move of a site up to a shared server (or any other server on which you cannot run the .exe installer). Subsequently, you could use eSync if you have it.

Moving a site to a new server. For example, you purchase a new server to replace your existing one.

Moving a site between two servers that are not connected by a network.

Step 1: Set up an IIS Site on the Destination Server

Note: This procedure assumes your Web server runs Windows 2003 server.

1. On the destination server, go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Internet Information Services.

2. Click the plus sign (+) next to the computer’s name so that you can see the Web Sites folder.

3. Right click the Web Sites folder and choose New Web Site.

4. The Web Site Creation wizard walks you through the steps of creating a new Web site.

5. At the TCP Port field, make sure the IP address/host header/ port combination does not conflict with an existing Web site. For example, if the destination server already publishes a Web site on IP address 172.23.23.231 with host header dev.example.com on port 80, your new site could use the same settings on port 81. The new site is accessible through http://dev.example.com:81/.

6. When prompted for the path to the new site, create a new folder for the site in the destination server's file system.

7. When prompted to assign permissions to the new folder, assign read and run scripts permissions.

Step 2: Copy Files to Destination Directory

1. In the Web root of the destination directory, create a folder with the same name as the folder in the source directory.

Note: You do this in order to set the destination site on the same URL path as the source site on the source server. For example, if you the source site’s login page is http://localhost/MySite/login.aspx and you're moving it to dev.example.com port 81, place the destination site at http://dev.example.com:81/MySite/login.aspx.

Note: It is important for both sites to use the same URL path because Ektron CMS400.NET uses root relative pathing in links to pages and images. This means that any managed content item can be displayed on any page in the Web site. Since the path may be embedded in hyperlinks and image paths, changing the URL path on the destination server may cause problems.

2. Copy all files in the source directory to the destination directory.

Step 3: Set Permissions on the New CMS Web Site

1. Open Windows Explorer.

2. Navigate to new Web site’s folder.

3. Right click the uploadedfiles directory, and choose Properties.

4. On the General tab of the properties dialog, ensure the Read-Only attribute is not checked.

5. On the Security tab of the properties dialog, ensure that the IIS anonymous user (usually named “IUSR_COMPUTERNAME”) has Write permission.

6. Right click the uploadedimages directory, and choose Properties.

7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the uploadedimages directory.

Step 4: Make the New Directory an IIS Application

1. Within IIS manager, right click the folder created in Step 2: Copy Files to Destination Directory.

2. Select Properties.

3. In the Application Settings area, click Create.

4. Click OK.

Step 5: Back up the Database

Warning! Do not use SQL Server Data Transformation Services to move the database. This feature is not compatible with Ektron CMS400.NET.

Ektron recommends backing up the database in the source folder then restoring the database backup to the destination folder. This procedure is described below.

1. In the Ektron CMS400.NET source folder, open the web.config file and verify the name of the database. The database name appears after key="ek_dbCatalog" value= .

2. On the source server, open SQL Enterprise Manager and navigate to the database you identified in Step 1.

3. Right click the database then choose All tasks > Backup database.

4. Select a destination file name by clicking Add in the Destination area of the SQL Server Backup screen.

Step 6: Create a New Database

1. On the Destination server, open SQL Enterprise Manager.

2. Expand the display until you see the Databases folder.

3. Right click the Databases folder.

4. Choose New Database....

5. Assign a name to the database.

6. The remaining options can remain as defaults, or you can be edit them as needed.

Step 7: Restore the Database

Restore the database to the new destination folder. To do this, follow these steps.

1. Right click the database you created in Step 6: Create a New Database.

2. Select All Tasks > Restore database.

3. In the Restore as database field, verify that the database you created in Step 6 appears.

4. In the Restore section, click From device (circled above).

5. Click Select Devices (circled above).

6. The Choose Restore Devices screen appears. Click Add (circled below).

7. On the Choose Restore Destination screen (below), select File name and navigate to the backup file you copied to the destination folder.

8. Click OK three times. SQL copies the data to the database you created in Step 6: Create a New Database.

Step 8: Set Security on the Copied Database

1. This procedure is described in Set Up a User for the Ektron CMS400.NET Database. Do this for the following users.

IUSER

ASPNET User

Step 9: Update web.config on the Destination Site

1. Within the destination site folder, open the web.config file.

2. Update your connection string values (see example below).

</connectionStrings>

3. Modify the following values as needed.

Web.config element	How to modify
ek_sitePath	The path to the new folder, relative to the server’s webroot folder.
WSPath	The full path to the folder that stores the Web Service URL for Server Controls at design time.