CiviCRM Community Forums (archive)

Hi,

I have tried to move an existing civicrm site to a local site. I have read extensively in this forum, in the documentation wiki etcetera. All for nothing: core errors, field constraints, etcetera are what I get after trying for the umpteenth time. After days of work I have nil result.
I am using the joomla 2.5.1 and civicrm 4.06. Wit all the needed php and mysql and memory and etc. settings.

Why has this to be so impossibly difficult?

Best regards,
Paul

Thank you for your response.

The link you gave in your post links to a text on updating civi inside drupal. I amn trying to create a working copy of civi inside joomla. So I needed a different recipe.
I tried this one, using the akeeba component as a way to easily make a backup and install the backup on a different server: http://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRMDOC41/Moving+an+Existing+Installation+to+a+New+Server+or+Location

All goes okay, till the end. I get all sorts of error messages. I tried several times and get new kinds of error messages every time.
To troubleshoot the issue I worked with a local install (MAMP on an imac), used civicrm 4.1 (vanilla: no content at all). Backed up with Akeeba, installed, got no menu so reset the menu building and got error messages about the database: see attachment.

Any advice on how to move a civicrm site successfully: much obliged.

Thanks,
Paul

Spot on: no record whatsoever; see attachment.

(In the wiki-recipe it reads, that I have to add this domain table, but not its content. So I presume this is because of that?)

Thanks,
Paul

I checked the table out. As it did not have any record it was not possible to browse it.
I looked at another install of civicrm that worked and from which I made the backup. I more or less copied the data I saw there; but not a long range of backend configuration details.

I could insert data in a new record. So I inserted a new record, with only the id number:1, a description of the site, and the version number. (See attachment)

After that I saw for the first time the civicrm backend inside the backend of my website. The layout however was not there.
I read in one of the forum post on this subject that it was okay to de-activate in the joomla management of components menu, the civicrm component, and then again to activate it.
After doing this the layout was there.
As you can see in the attachment now the config data were all filled in 'automatically'!

So with your help I have succeeded now to move a vanilla joomla/civicrm site!! Pfoo.

Thank you very much for your advice.
I will now try to realise a working copy of my active joomla/civicrm site with lots of userdata inside.

Best regards,
Paul

I posted something on how to do this in another topic - but I can't find it now. The search only seems to allow me to find topics I started rather than those I've posted in. I'll keep looking

yes, civi definitely needs to continue to improve in migrating sites from test <-> dev <-> prod etc

If you can help with a detailed and specific error report that might give us a few ideas on what/how/where to fix things

lobo

I've been able to succesfully move a civic install a few times (after much hairtearing) and reproduce my steps below in case it helps anyone
This works with joomla 2.5.2 and civi 4.1.0 (and I have used with earlier versions)

1. Install joomla and civi on new server
2. Export existing civic dbase via phpmyadmin
On choosing export you'll be presented with a choice of export method : quick and custom.
I believe some hosts disable the custom - in which case I think this may not work.
3.So choose custom
4. Select all civicrm tables (not joomla)
5. Deselect the following 5 tables acl_cache, acl_contact_cache, cache, domain and group_contact_cache
( I don't know if the caches are that crucial but domain definitely is)
6. Save output to a file with compression gz
7. Check the following boxes: Disable foreign key checks, structure and data, Add DROP TABLE / VIEW / PROCEDURE / FUNCTION / EVENT statement
8. Under create table options Uncheck IF NOT EXISTS
9. In Function to use when dumping data: select REPLACE
10. Go

11. Import file into new install via phpmyadmin.
12. Log into admin backend of new install (civi should be there but administrator urls will still point to urls of old install)
13. Uninstall civi
14 . reinstall civi (via "install fom directory") I'm assuming civi zip has been uploaded to server and extracted to com_civicrm folder
15. If install is successful you will be prompted to run the dbase upgrade> Do so. Civi will report you are already upgraded but this seems to fix the menus
16. Hopefully all is well at this point

At this point I have to redo » Joomla Access Control   Grant access to CiviCRM components and other CiviCRM permissions.
which means a lot of box ticking. Anyone know how to transfer these - they dont appear to be in dbase?

Also recreate any joomla users (you could probably export/import these but I only have 3 so do it manually.

Hope this helps
 

I've been able to succesfully move a civic install a few times (after much hairtearing) and reproduce my steps below in case it helps anyone
This works with joomla 2.5.2 and civi 4.1.0 (and I have used with earlier versions)

I've been able to successfully move a civic install a few times (after much hairtearing) and reproduce my steps below in case it helps anyone
This works with joomla 2.5.2 and civi 4.1.0 (and I have used with earlier versions)

Hi Lesley,

Took longer than expected, but today I used your recipe tot make a local backup of a live joomla civicrm site: and all went well!

I followed the list of steps as you wrote them down, and after that I had a working backup.
I did not have any problems with resetting acl permissions: they were not set in the original site and the local site had no settings so that was to be expected.
I did have to set the directory paths to Temporary Files, Images and Custom Files: these were not set in the original either, so that is perhaps to be expected.

All in all: using your recipe I now have a controlled and swift way to make active backups of a site. That was until now for me a major blockage for serious work with civicrm.
Thank you for that. Really helps me out!

Best regards,
Paul