On the old server you are
moving FROM, go to cPanel. From there, you should have options for Back
Up, phpMyAdmin and MySQL Databases.
Back Up is just what it sounds like, from there you can back up both
files and databases. You cannot use this copy most of the time, slightly
different versions of cPanel and whatever is used in the restoration
process can cause compatibility conflicts. THIS IS NOT THE ONE WE ARE
WORKING WITH!
MySQL Databases is where you created your database and users.
Again, THIS IS NOT THE ONE WE ARE WORKING WITH!
phpMyAdmin is a link to a separate program on the server called
"phpMyAdmin" that lets you mange and manipulate your database(s)
manually. THIS IS THE ONE WE ARE GOING TO USE!
Once you click the link
for phpMySQL, it will probably open a new window. There are two frames
that make up this page, a skinny one on the left and a larger frame on
the right. On the left is a drop down box labeled "Database". No matter
how many you have, use the drop down box to select the data base. It
should flicker and eventually open a list of what tables are in the
database. When the list of tables appears on the left another window
will open on the right, if the window on the right doesn't also reload
and show a list of the tables, you'll need to click on the name of the
database above the list of tables on the left to load the list on the
right. Sounds confusing, I know, but do it just like that and it works.
Next, above the table
on the top right, there are tabs labeled Structure, SQL, etc...
Choose the one labeled "Export". When the next window loads, it should
have a list of your tables in a scrolling box. In my version of
phpMyAdmin it's in the top left corner of the right side frame. It has a
link labeled "Select All", click it, it should highlight the list or
show you it has selected them somehow. Generally speaking, doing this
creates an SQL file by default so all the other settings are for
advanced users. Find the "Go" button. Click that.
The page that loads make
take a minute or two depending on how big your database is or how fast
the host is. What comes out is the database in text format, SQL format.
In the text box, right click and select all, copy the text and open a
text editor. A simple one is best. WordPad does good because it doesn't
alter the test and has a "Replace All" feature. Paste The Data text into
the editor.
TIP:
When you move to the new server, create a database as closely to the
configuration to the original as possible so you don't have to change
any configuration files in your website programs, forums or CMS using
the SQL database.
Modifying SQL Database To
New Server
Find the
location of an old server path in the text, using the find feature for
your username is usually the easiest and most common way web hosts
create hosting accounts. Once you locate the old server path, do what
ever your text editor requires to replace this text. In WordPad, you
highlight the text to be replaced, go to the "Edit" tab and select
"Replace All". It automatically has the text to be replaced and you only
need to enter the new server path in the lower window. Once there, click
"Replace All" and that's about it. Save the file as a plain text (.txt)
file but name it with the .sql extension, type the whole thing in as the
filename and it will make it that type of file.
If you
are moving to or using a copy for a new domain name, you may need to
replace those in the data file also.
I always like to double
check my paths and use the find feature to hunt out any instances of an
old path, but usually they are all knocked out the first time you
replace it.
Lastly, the easy part,
uploading the new version of the database to the new host...and you have
two options.
YOU SHOULD HAVE ALREADY CREATED A NEW DATABASE TO FILL.
The First method, the one I use most is to go into the phpMyAdmin
like before, select the tab "SQL" on the top, then it opens a window
with a large text area. I paste a copy of the new version into this then
hit "GO". This runs the commands and loads the information from the
file. It takes a while to load sometimes so be patient. Once it's done,
it will confirm or show errors. Also, the frame on the left should
reload with all the tables you just added. If it doesn't, click the drop
down box and choose the database again and see if it loads up then.
The second way is to select "Import". From this screen, there
should be a "Browse" button next to a text box. It looks like a search
box, but it let's you look into your files and select the SQL database
text file you created. Select it, Click "Open", then find the nearest
"Go" button. This method will take just as long as the other, but can
time out on some hosts if it is too large. As in the first example, once
the information is loaded, the new tables should be showing on the left
and maybe on the right. |
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If you get an error after
trying to load your data from the SQL database, go back to the main
screens like you are starting over. Some servers show a time out error
for no reason when the information transfer was actually successful. If
you see the tables and the new site works, then you got it.
If your server times out
or get errors because the text file or data you pasted at the new server
is too large, you'll need to use the first method from above. Go into
the new text file and grab sections of the database information to load
at a time. Usually, splitting it in half, or close to it, should solve
the problem. It's obvious how you should grab the information to paste,
it's clearly marked where the table information begins and ends, just
select text up to a break between tables and copy that, then the other
half.
If the versions of
phpMyAdmin are too different, you may need to go back to the first step
of getting a copy of the data base and finind a selection that makes a
copy compatible to your version. |