The old ways of developing code and content elsewhere and then transferring to a live site don't really work with a modern CMS, which by its very nature is intended to be permanently live and in use.

You can't move a single portal, but if you own the entire DNN instance and have access to the database, you can just duplicate the whole portal and do your testing on that. And don't attempt to migrate the dev site to the live site when you're finished. Instead, you just transfer your changes to the live site. For example, if you were testing a module and found it to be good, you'd then be safe to install it on your live site.

You need to have a host that lets you carry out these procedures easily and quickly. I can have a duplicate portal running in a few minutes and that's what you should also be after.

Rob

Hello again,

In order to duplicate your instance, you would need to either have direct access to the server, or a hosting control panel that lets you carry out the steps required. If you installed and set this up yourself then you'll already know much about what you need to do, but this is it in brief:

• Set up a new domain on your server, point it to a folder. Make sure it's in an ASP.Net 2 application pool. If you don't have spare domains, then you could probably set up a subdomain and use that.
• Switch the domain off in IIS so it's not running.
• Add the new domain as an additional alias in your DNN portal's site settings.
• Zip up your DNN portal - then unzip it to the new folder - or use copy and paste if you have the right access.
• Create a new blank database, then back up your original DNN db and restore it to your new blank db.
• Change the db server details in the web.config in your new folder to match the new db - usually just the name of the db.
• Appl permissions: Give the Network_Service user full control over the new folder and all subfolders (right click the folder in windows explorer and apply permissions there or use your hosting control panel)
• Switch the new domain on and load the site via the new alias that you entered.

From then on all you need to do to repeat it is just duplicate the file system, and then backup and restore the db. Then apply permissions adn make the small web.config edit and away you go. It really only takes a few minutes if you have full access to the server. I used to be able to do it via my hosting panel, but I'm also aware that some panels don't provide all the required functionality. Now I have remote desktop and so it's no trouble at all.

You can change the sequence of these things if you're unable to switch the domain on and off at will. The main thing you want to avoid is that both sites are trying to access the same database.. so the new site should not be able to start until you've changed the web.config.

Hope that makes sense.. your first step will be to see if you have access to the server desktop or all the required tools in your hosting panel.

Rob