Moving legacy WP sites into a MultiSite

  • kkradel

    (@kkradel)


    12 years, 9 months ago

    I am trying to move an established set of multiple single WP installations that are on subdomains into a WP Subdomain Multisite.

    I have my main domain fully hosted.
    I have WP installed.
    I have my wp-config.php file edited for multisite true.
    I have the domain-mapping plugin installed.
    I have buddypress installed and configured as well as a number of other plugins.

    When domain-mapping is turned off, my main site works beautifully.

    When I network activate the domain-mapping plugin and add my first subdomain, which is an already existing subdomain name that I have removed from my list in cPanel, I lose the main site due to redirecting problems and then, after parking the old subdomain URL, I lose that as well and get “Firefox has detected that the server is redirecting the request for this address in a way that will never complete.”

    I have tried three or four different times to solve this … I’m finding pieces of documentation all over the place (using the codex, dreamhost wiki, and individual blogs) but I’m thinking that frankensteining information might be causing more problems … For instance, I didn’t see that there was a whole bit about subdomains to add to the .htaccess file until I was well into the process …

    So, I have a few questions that may be stupid, but having the definite answers will at least eliminate them from the equation.

    1. My main site is fully hosted. It occurred to me that I might be getting redirect errors after I turn on domain-mapping because perhaps the main site should be parked? I found no reference to this in any documentation, and assumed that the main site should be fully hosted.

    It’s only the subdomains that need to be parked, correct?

    2. I was intending on using the same legacy subdomain names for my multisite subdomains. Removing them first from my domain list on cPanel and then parking them after I add it in the WP admin area. I do still have files in the real subdomain.

    Do I have to use new subdomain names?

    If not, to keep the old subdomain names, do I have to empty the files out of the old subdomain first?

    I know these are generic questions. Right now I have domain-mapping turned off and my .htaccess file is barebones.

Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
  • Andrea Rennick

    (@andrea_r)

    12 years, 9 months ago

    add my first subdomain, which is an already existing subdomain name that I have removed from my list in cPanel, I lose the main site due to redirecting problems and then, after parking the old subdomain URL, I lose that as well and get “Firefox has detected that the server is redirecting the request for this address in a way that will never complete.”

    bcause you;re adding an exisiting site. You can’t. you have to tear down the old site first, remove it from cpanel and then built it in the multisite install.

    BACKUP the sub site first. Export your posts as well. now you have two copies of everything.

    You do not park subdomains You use wildcard subdomains.

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    🏳️‍🌈 Advisor and Activist

    12 years, 9 months ago

    Save your media, too! It’s in wp-content/uploads

    You MAY need to edit your export file to point to the blogs.dir location as well, since you’ll be importing the posts with the originating site gone.

    Thread Starter kkradel

    (@kkradel)

    12 years, 9 months ago

    OK! Thanks Andrea_r 🙂

    I’ve got three or four copies of the first “old” subdomain. I’m planning on destroying and rebuilding each of them one by one, so that my whole site is not down for days on end. Each subdomain is image heavy and the theme has changed a bit, so I will have to go in and edit each post.

    But the important thing is: you are saying that once I blow everything everything away, remove the original subdomain in cPanel, add the subdomain into the multisite with the domain-mapping plugin, I don’t have to go back to cPanel and park the subdomain?

    Thread Starter kkradel

    (@kkradel)

    12 years, 9 months ago

    Thanks Ipstenu 🙂

    I have both exported the database in a couple of different flavors, and also made a copy of the entire contents of the subdomain (files, images, etc, whatever is available via ftp).

    Andrea Rennick

    (@andrea_r)

    12 years, 9 months ago

    you are saying that once I blow everything everything away, remove the original subdomain in cPanel, add the subdomain into the multisite with the domain-mapping plugin, I don’t have to go back to cPanel and park the subdomain?

    why are you domain mapping the subdomains??? Set up wildcard subdomains on your host. that’s it.

    Thread Starter kkradel

    (@kkradel)

    12 years, 9 months ago

    Maybe this is what’s confusing me! I for the life of me couldn’t figure out why the instructions were telling me to map domains!

    I’ll get back to work and check back in here after I accomplish something!

    Andrea Rennick

    (@andrea_r)

    12 years, 9 months ago

    probably because they were importing sites that were on separate domains. ;P

    Thread Starter kkradel

    (@kkradel)

    12 years, 9 months ago

    Ahhhh! That bit wasn’t making sense to me either 🙂 OK – I’m off plugging away at this!

    Thread Starter kkradel

    (@kkradel)

    12 years, 9 months ago

    I think I have it working now!

    Now on to solve other problems!

    Thanks!

Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
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