Rebuild Existing Site w/ CMSMS keeping existing site live?

[Scosie]

Need some expertise, please...

I have an existing live FrontPage website (no database) and I would like to leave it live while I rebuild it with CMSMS and host it with a different host (Arvixe).

I have spoken with Arvixe and was told CMSMS would not run properly (previews, links, etc.) on their test server if the DNS was not pointing to it. I thought I might be able to use a different domain name while I rebuild my site with CMSMS and later change the domain name, DNS etc back to my original site name after I completed the rebuild. I was told this probably would not work because of some coding (?) with CMSMS and would not function properly after the rebuild.

Is there a way to do this and have CMSMS function properly during the rebuild and after completion or is it easier to stay with the server host I have now and do a rebuild with CMSMS while keeping my existing site live??? (I would think I would face the same issues)

I love the CMSMS system and want to transform my site to it, but I really don't want to lose customers and $$$$ while doing it.

Am I making any sense ... there must be away to do this

Any assistance and ideas would be so greatly appreciated. Thank You .... Scosie

[calguy1000]

if you alrerady own mydomain.com

I would create a subdomain of 'dev.mydomain.com' (or something) and point it to your new host.

Then develop your site under dev.mydomain.com. CMSMS will work fine. Be sure to NOT create hardcoded absolute links. This is where smarty is uber useful.

Now when you're ready to rollout you need to:
a: change the DNS settings, and host settings so that mydomain.com points to the new host.
b: Modify your config.php file in CMSMS to point to mydomain.com instead of dev.mydomain.com (you should only need to modify the root_url, and other _url settings... not the path settings as you are NOT physically moving the files or the database.
c: Clear any and all CMSMS caches (all the files from tmp/cache and tmp/templates_c should do it).
Note it can take up to 72 hours for DNS changes to propogate world wide.

[Wishbone]

I'm not sure what they mean by "CMSMS not running properly" on the server if the domain isn't pointing to it... I have transferred several clients' websites to Arvixe and have extensively tested them long before moving the domain.

You can access your site by entering: http://<server>.arvixe.com/~<username>

Example: http://weasel.arvixe.com/~miescuel

Right before switching the nameservers, I change the URL to the real one in config.php. As Calguy mentioned, this only works if your links are relative, but this is common practice.

I'm curious to know what they mean by that statement.

[avesta]

Hi,

I think what Arvixe staff members were referring to is that if you include any images using full URLs or depend on your .htaccess file(.htaccess files only work on the real domain and not the temporary URL), then your site might not look the same as it would if you used your domain. You can test this out yourself, simply login to your control panel and follow these steps:
http://blog.arvixe.com/how-to-install-c ... ftaculous/

Then, view your temporary URL provided in your welcome email(its similar to what wishbone provided). If it looks good, continue to build the site until your happy. Then, once happy with the site you've made, point the DNS of your domain over and you should be set.

Best Regards,
Avesta
Arvixe Representative

[Scosie]

All of you certainly make a "Rookie" feel very welcome here. Your kindness and eagerness to help others speaks for itself. I now realize that I made the correct choice in selecting CMSMS.

The dedication you all have shown represents the quality of the software and the people in this community surpasses all others.

Believe me when I tell you I am a Rookie. I welcome the challenge of learning CMSMS and belonging to a great community.

I am so excited to get started, I signed up with Arvixe and I am just waiting for them to pre-load and configure CMSMS on the server for me.

Does anyone know how long this usually takes them, they told me they have a different company do this for them?

Again, Thank you all for your help!

Scosie

[Scosie]

Thank you Arvand, I completed the install and it was easy.

Thanks