How to transfer your Joomla site

The steps you will have to get through in order to move your site are the following:

1. Files Backup
2. MySQL Backup
3. Installing Windows http/php/mysql Server
4. Restore site files
5. Edit site files
6. Restore MySQL database
7. Final Apache Configuration

1. Files Backup

First we have to back up all the files from our site.

• Using ssh

tar -czf backup.tar.gz site/

rm -f backup.tar.gz

• Using CPanel

If you have CPanel installed log in and click on the Backups icon shown below.



Next click on the "Home Directory" button under Download a Home Directory Backup. Wait a little and you will be prompted to download the backup.

2. MySQL Backup

Now, it's time to back up the database of your site. Log in to your phpMyAdmin account. Take a look at the MySQL version your server uses. Note it down since you will need it later for the import proccess in case it is differnet from version 5. Here I have version 5.0.16.



To export the whole database click on the Export link.

3. Installing Windows http/php/mysql Server

4. Restore site files

5. Edit site files

• configuration.php

This file should be located at C:\wamp\www\site\configuration.php Here find the following lines:

$mosConfig_absolute_path = '/home/site';
$mosConfig_cachepath = '/home/.user/site/cache';
$mosConfig_host = 'mysql.site.net';
$mosConfig_live_site = 'http://www.site.com';
$mosConfig_password = 'your_database_password';
$mosConfig_user = 'your_database_username';

and change them like that:

$mosConfig_absolute_path = 'C:/wamp/www/site';
$mosConfig_cachepath = 'C:/wamp/www/site/cache';
$mosConfig_host = 'localhost';
$mosConfig_live_site = 'http://localhost/site';
$mosConfig_password = '';
$mosConfig_user = 'root';

Save and exit.

• .htaccess

This file should be located at C:\wamp\www\site\.htaccess Open it with wordpad or notepad and change the following line:

# RewriteBase /

to

RewriteBase /site

Save and exit.

6. Restore MySQL database

Now let's see how you can restore your MySQL Database. Run Wampserver from the start menu. If it loads ok a white icon should appear in your tray. Click on it and then click phpMyAdmin. phpMyAdmin should load in your browser. Click import.



Here click the browse button (1) and find the mysql.site.sql.gz file you created before. Wampserver has MySQL version 5, therefore if you previously had noted another version such as 4 you must change the 'SQL compatibility mode' (2). Finally click "Go" (3). Wait for a few minutes and the database will be imported.



However a few problems might occur at this step.


To solve those problems open the file C:\wamp\bin\apache\apache2.2.6\bin\php.ini and change the following lines:

post_max_size = 8M
upload_max_filesize = 2M
memory_limit = 8M

to

post_max_size = 20M
upload_max_filesize = 20M
memory_limit = 20M

$cfg['UploadDir'] = '';

to

$cfg['UploadDir'] = '../../upload';

You might also face the following error in case your database is too big "Script timeout passed, if you want to finish import, please resubmit same file and import will resume." In that case you must edit C:\wamp\apps\phpmyadmin2.10.1\config.inc.php Change the line:

$cfg['ExecTimeLimit']           = 300;

to

$cfg['ExecTimeLimit']           = 0;

Save, exit and restart all services from wamp tray icon. Then try again to import your database.

When the upload completes successfully you will see a message "Import has been successfully finished, #### queries executed."

7. Final Apache Configuration

All services should restart automatically. When they restart open your favorite browser and type in the address bar:

http://localhost/site

That's it! Enjoy!

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