Moving ModX & MySQL

bigdave

bigdave

Well-Known Member
I'm reading through tutorials on ModX and something that's occurred to me is that the server I have available to build the site on, seems to have no access to download the MySQL database when moving the finished site onto the clients server (I have ftp access and the database name, username & password (no cpanel or other management access)). I've had an issue with a wordpress site today where I contacted the company who own the server to ask them to export the database and send me the SQL file but what came back via email, sent the new host server scatty when I tried to import it. This resulted in having to remake the wordpress site from scratch (not a huge issue it's only a small site based on a template). I could really do without this happening on a site I'll have spent a month building and wondered if anyone could advise on the best course of action or a foolproof way of making sure I'm not left in a situation where I've lost 4 weeks worth of work.

Would I be best off using MAMP to build the site offline thus guaranteeing that I have access to everything but restricting the clients access to sitting on my knee checking the progress of the site (he's one of these that NEEDS regular updates). Or is there another way of accessing the database myself once the sites and eliminating the need for the hosting company's involvement?
 
bigdave said:
I'm reading through tutorials on ModX and something that's occurred to me is that the server I have available to build the site on, seems to have no access to download the MySQL database when moving the finished site onto the clients server (I have ftp access and the database name, username & password (no cpanel or other management access)). I've had an issue with a wordpress site today where I contacted the company who own the server to ask them to export the database and send me the SQL file but what came back via email, sent the new host server scatty when I tried to import it. This resulted in having to remake the wordpress site from scratch (not a huge issue it's only a small site based on a template). I could really do without this happening on a site I'll have spent a month building and wondered if anyone could advise on the best course of action or a foolproof way of making sure I'm not left in a situation where I've lost 4 weeks worth of work.

Would I be best off using MAMP to build the site offline thus guaranteeing that I have access to everything but restricting the clients access to sitting on my knee checking the progress of the site (he's one of these that NEEDS regular updates). Or is there another way of accessing the database myself once the sites and eliminating the need for the hosting company's involvement?
Click to expand...

You are correct in that you will need hosting access to get the MySQL to move it to your customer's environment. Not having that level of access seems a bit weird but there we go... This is your 'moving' bible; Moving Your Site to a New Server - MODx Revolution 2.x - MODX Documentation bookmark it! Personally I'd go with MAMP and developing locally and sending the occasional screenshot to the customer. You must though be really aware of your final destination environment. No point in MAMPing your ModX build and then finding the destination server runs Windows.
 
It's a publishing house by trade so the management and design team are fundamentally print focused. The web side of things is a recent addition to 'move with the times'. I think they're expecting me to eventually run the web and online services side of the business which suits me as it's something that really interests me and between now an then, I'm getting paid to learn what I'm doing.

The destination server is hosted by Vision internet (management with Cpanel). how would I find out if thats a windows server and what do I need to do differently to allow for it?
 
If I have the right company then Vision are only running Linux, PHP and MySQL so no need for any changes there. My view is if you offer a CMS then either recommend a suitable environment that you have tested with ModX or (as we have done a couple of times in the past) charge extra to use customer's own hosting for contingency.
 
The usual way of working is that a local computer services businesses hosts the sites we sell. We ask for a space for a site and they setup an ftp and MySQL user account for that site. Once the site is signed off, we buy a domain, change the nameservers and the hosting company do the rest. Occasionally a customer has their own server space from a previous site (that's whats happened in this case) and we are expected to transfer the site from the space allocated for it on our servers. I've only had to do it once (yesterday) and it was a right pain in the bum!! It seems to be a way of working that was developed by people who weren't really sure of what they were doing at the time.
 
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