Transferring files from one server to another one!

[ivgeo]

In this tutorial I’ll try to cover all the steps necessary for successful host/server change.
This tutorial presumes you have Cpanel on both servers and that your domain name is already transferred to a new server!

Before starting you need to find your access data for both servers (old and new one).
Under access data I mean:

• Cpanel usernames and passwords (from both hosting accounts new and old),
• Ftp usernames and passwords, port number and ftp url if required (from both hosting accounts new and old).

a) Backup all data including MySQL database from the old server/host

1. Go to Cpanel and login (when you do that you’ll see Cpanel interface).
   
   
   
2. Click on “Backups” link!
   
   
   
3. Find “Download a Home Directory Backup”, click on “Home Directory” button and save the zip file to your PC (remember where you saved it, you’ll need it later).
4. Find “Download a MySQL Database Backup”, Click on “your database name” button and save the zip file to your PC (remember where you saved it, you’ll need it later).
   
   
   

b) Restore backed up data to your new server/host

1. Remember that zipped Home Directory you downloaded before?
   Decompress it with WinRAR (or any other zip utility you may have).
   You’ll see a lots of directories/folders, but you need only one named “public_html”.
   Go inside the public_html folder and zip everything inside in to one big zip file.
   ( remember do not zip public_html directly, just files and folders inside the public_html folder)
2. Now we can go to Cpanel on the new server/host.
3. Click on “File Manager” link!
   
   
   
4. Navigate to public_html folder on your server, go inside the public_html folder
   Uupload previously created zip file of your public_html folder.
   When uploaded right click on that file and choose “Extract”.
   All you need to do now is set correct permissions on required folders/files (see the manual for your php scripts).
5. Now you need to restore database, but to do that you first need to create database and assign a user that database.
6. Click on “MySQL Databses” link!
   
   
   
7. Create the database with the same name as it was on the old server.
   Create user with the same name and password as it was on the old server, and assign it to previously created database with full privileges rights.
   
   
   
8. Now go to phpMyAdmin.
   
   
   
   From the dropdown menu choose your newly created database.
   On the right side of the screen select “Import tab”, click on browse and search for the database backup zip file we did on the beginning of this tutorial.
   Click Go and you are all done!
   
   
   

That is all folks, I hope you learned something.

PS.
Can someone who knows English better than me fix all my grammatical mistakes? PLEASE!!

[murad12s]

Thanks for this usefull tutorial Very soon i will give a try to it . But if i forget my old database password then how can i remember it ? And don't we need backup the database from old server through phpmyadmin ?

[ivgeo]

If you forget your old database password, you are senile!
You can go to your script (in your case forum) and find config.php and there you can find your password.
Or you could always delete current database user, and create a new one with new password. Than you need to change those details in your script configuration file offcourse.

Yes, you can backup your database directly from phpMyAdmin too. Go to export and select all tables, click zip compression and click go. That's it.
If everything is working correctly it should be all the same.

[murad12s]

But when i tried to download a database through Backups then it was only 20kb !! But from phpmyadmin i got 1mb !! What was the problem ?

[ivgeo]

Ah yes, indeed that is a configuration problem on your old server.
I created backup through phpMyAdmin.

But both methods should give the same result. On my hosting I use Cpanel link to backup my database. It is few clicks shorter, and you know how lazy I am!!

[murad12s]

Lol i got it... Now everything is clear to me...

[ourlordschat]

What if i am using a different domain?

[ivgeo]

ourlordschat Wrote:What if i am using a different domain?

everything is the same, you just need to change DNS servers to your new host
and edit mybb/inc/settings.php
find and edit "olddomain.com" with the new one

Code:

$settings['bburl'] = "http://olddomain.com";
$settings['homeurl'] = "http://olddomain.com/";

[ourlordschat]

Thanks, i have done that, the problem i am having is that is use direct admin and not cpanel. I have also been going by the guide on mybb.

I have downloaded a back up from the forums acp.
I downloaded the forum folder and uploaded it my new site.
I have created a new db, placed the new detials in config.php and altered the domain in settings.php.
But when i go to import database in phpmyadmin, it says it is done but no folders appear.

What am i doing wrong?

Thanks

Steve

[ivgeo]

hmm, tell me your MySQL version,

MySQL version (OLD HOST) =
MySQL version (NEW HOST) =

are these two different? eg. 4.x and/or 5.x