Wordpress Migration: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Over the last 24 hours I’ve migrated all my domain names and the Project Cake Wordpress blog to a new server based in Australia.  On a scale of 1 to 10 for my technical skills and knowledge I’d probably but myself around a 7 – I’m not too bad and do have experience, but sometimes things will crop up and just completely stump me.

Here is a quick breakdown of the experience I had…

The Good

• Export function was flawless and practically instant
• As usual the Wordpress setup worked a treat
• Import function was exactly the same
• All previous comments were successfully transferred

The Bad

• All the widgets turned themselves off and did not “remember” their previous settings
• I had to re-import all my old wp-content files and folders from the last backup as some of the files seemed to be corrupt (this was a weird one)
• It took me ages to work out why I couldn’t connect to my database (turned out this one was down to the MySQL DB hostname)
• All theme info (even when I had re-imported all previous data) was messed up and I had to reset all the settings (another strange one)

The Ugly

• All “permalink” info was not migrated and hence any previous links that I advertised anywhere will now be null and void
• The “About the Auther” info randomly disappeared and I can’t remember what witty and interesting comment I put ;o)

Conclusion

There may be valid reasons why some of these things happened, and I didn’t really investigate them too much due to wanting to spend the time as productively as possible trying to get the site back up and running, but you need to be aware of these potential problems prior to starting a migration process…

• Common sense but always make a backup prior to serious work like this
• Maybe take a few screenshots as well just in case the layout / copy is changed for whatever reason
• Wordpress has some solid instructions – follow them!
• It may take you a bit of time and be frustrating but it pays to go slow, concentrate and focus on the task at hand

Thanks,
Tony

Data Backup & Disaster Recovery: Part 3 – Disaster Recovery Planning

Overview

The process of creating, setting up, testing, deploying and then managing a good Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is daunting – no doubt about it.  I’ve read lots of articles and white papers on the subject, some are based at a higher level and some are broken down into the specifics to get everything moving.  This final part is not all-inclusive, it is intended to provide a clear insight and set a framework in place that you can work with and integrate, hopefully providing you with success and a head start.

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Data Backup & Disaster Recover: Part 2 – Implementing and Managing a Data Backup Routine

Overview

When it comes to backups, the risk-benefit analysis is clear. Data loss can be devastating, while preventing data loss is quick and easy if you get it right at the start. Start backing up today, because tomorrow could be too late.

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Data Backup & Disaster Recovery: Part 1 – Options & Services

For years I drilled into my clients that data backup was one of the most important business processes they should get set up and running regularly.

Which is why it was no surprise to me that when my hardware became unreadable and I had not backed up properly in a few months I felt like slapping myself about the head!

When you lose data it is such a frustration and annoyance, especially when the data is very important to you.  Some things take you years to accumulate and potentially recover from, while other files, such as photos or videos of family,  friends or special moments can be lost forever.

I had 4 big things happening in my life to distract me, and although the reminders on my monthly schedules were ringing with warning, I simply didn’t dedicate the time needed to make the necessary backups.

Data Backup and Data Recovery are important for everyone, not just businesses.  If you spend the time early on to get a good system and process in place, then it will save you heartache and frustration further on down the line when you need to get something back.

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