[support] Need To Know How To Move Drupal To Another Hosting Company

[Larry Garfield]

Your host may provide database sql backups compressed with tar.gz for space 
reasons.  That will vary with the host.  You'll want to uncompress it before 
reading it into the new database.

Remember, there are TWO parts to transfer: The database (all SQL data) and the 
scripts (mostly PHP).  The PHP code is just a copy and paste, then edit 
settings.php.  The database you need to export from your old web host and 
then import into the new host's database.  

If your web host lets you have shell access, then you can probably make a 
backup most easily like so:

mysqldump -u yourusername -p -h dbservername databasename > backup.sql

It will prompt you for your password first.  All of that information is in 
your current settings.php file.

If not, then I'm sure your web host has some function on their web control 
panel to let you "make a backup" of the database (not the site, the 
database).  If the file it gives you is compressed, you can uncompress it 
yourself with:

tar xvzf filename.tar.gz

on any *nix system.  WinZip can handle tar.gz files, too, if you prefer that.  

To import the data into the new host, follow the install directions for Drupal 
but instead of database.mysql, use the backup file you just made.  

Does that make more sense?
On Wednesday 21 December 2005 05:28 pm, Rob wrote:
> Would a database dump be the same as saving a backup copy from the old
> hosting company in tar gz form and then reinstalling that?
>
> Rob
>
> On 12/21/05, Larry Garfield <larry at garfieldtech.com> wrote:
> > Hi, Rob.  Here's what I do when moving a 4.6 instal from a devel server
> > to live, so it should be the same process.
> >
> > First, ensure your new host will work with Drupal in the first place. :-)
> > Assuming it does, create a database and database user on the new host,
> > but do NOT put anything in it yet.
> >
> > Go to your current site and, in admin/settings, disable Clean URLs and
> > the Page Cache.
> >
> > Take a database dump of your current database.  If you're on the command
> > line, mysqldump will do this for you.  If your host offers phpMyAdmin,
> > that works, too, or they may have some other backup process.  As long as
> > you get a .sql file out of it at the end, either way will work.
> >
> > Load the database dump into the new database you just created.  Again,
> > the exact process varies with the web host, but the command is the same
> > as if you were following the install instructions, just with a different
> > file. After it's loaded, clear the cache table.  The SQL command would be
> > "DELETE FROM cache;" (no quotes, of course).
> >
> > Now, copy all of the files in your Drupal install from your old host to
> > the new host, verbatim.  Once that's done, check the permissions on the
> > files/ directory (and its contents) to make sure they're set correctly.
> >
> > Now edit your settings.php file on the new server.  Again, it's just like
> > it were a new install.
> >
> > You should now be able to log into your new Drupal install and re-enable
> > Clean URLs and the page cache.  (Those can sometimes cause weirdness if
> > the new server isn't configured correctly, so it's safer to disable them
> > for the move.)
> >
> > Bear in mind that if you're also mving the domain name to a new host,
> > there will be a delay in getting the domain to point to the new server.
> > The details there vary depending on your web hosts.
> >
> > Hope that helps.  Cheers.
> >
> > --Larry Garfield
> >
> > On Wed, December 21, 2005 5:13 pm, Rob said:
> > > I am moving several sites to another hosting company. I wanted to ask
> > > if someone could explain how I should go about moving my existing
> > > Drupal
> >
> > site
> >
> > > files so I will not lose archives etc.The simplest way possible is what
> >
> > I
> >
> > > need to do since I only know how to use Drupal but am not familiar with
> > > some
> > > of the technical things about servers.
> > >
> > > Rob
> > > --
> > > [ Drupal support list | http://lists.drupal.org/ ]
> >
> > --
> > [ Drupal support list | http://lists.drupal.org/ ]

-- 
Larry Garfield			AIM: LOLG42
larry at garfieldtech.com		ICQ: 6817012

"If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of 
exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, 
which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to 
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of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it."  -- Thomas 
Jefferson