Hi,

 

I have created a site on local server, and it's running on DNN 4.3.5 with MS SQL Server Express. I want to learn how to backup and restore the site, so I did the following steps:

 

1.       Copied everything on my web site (every folders and files, including \App_Data folder with my database file in it) from local computer A.

 

2.       Created a new Virtual Directory on local computer B (that computer also has DNN 4.3.5 and SQL SERver Express installed).

 

3.       Pasted every files that I have copied from computer A into this new virtual directory folder on computer B.

 

When I browse to the new site that I have created, I got the following error message:

 

Error Installing DotNetNuke

Current Assembly Version: 04.03.05

ERROR: Could not connect to database specified in connectionString for SqlDataProvider

 

 

I am sure the connectionString is correct:

 

=======================================================================

<!-- Connection String for SQL Server 2005 Express -->
    <add name="SiteSqlServer" connectionString="Data Source=.\SQLExpress;Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True;AttachDBFilename=|DataDirectory|Database.mdf;" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />

 

<add key="SiteSqlServer" value="Data Source=.\SQLExpress;Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True;AttachDBFilename=|DataDirectory|Database.mdf;"/>

=======================================================================

 

I know backup and restore the DNN site can't be just copy and past this easy, otherwise people won't sell Backup Module on Snowcovered.

 

I don't have much knowledge in database and SQL Server, and I know it's something wrong in database connection that caused the error. But I have no idea how and where to fix it.

 

Can someone please tell me why I can't simply backup and restore the DNN site to another computer? Is there anything else that I should do before I restore the site?

 

Thanks a lot!

Ting-Wei

I don't think its possible to do a simple copy of the database file to backup the database. Things like the user account that has premission to the access the database tables are not stored in the DNN database itself. Also you would need to configure the database system to manage the DNN database. You should have a read of the SQL help files on how to backup a database. I think the minimum thats needed to backup a DNN site is

• the files in the website folder
• the database that forms the back end of DNN
• the master database running on the database system

Hopefully people with more knowledge then me will be able to extend this list and expand the details.