Complete Disconnected Deployment

Question

Hi All,

I have developed a Internet Publishing Site on MOSS2007 in a sandboxed virtual environment and it works great.  All development is done, the pages are created and everything works fine there.

My next task is deploy the entire Site collection + content to another disconnected server.

My Site collection consists of:

- 1 Top level site and three sub sites
- Sevel custom lists and image libraries
- Several content types and columns
- One custom master page
- Several custom Page Layouts
- A few custom Web parts

I'm just looking at the best options for deploying the whole thing to the new server?

As they are disconnected is my only option to use the Content Migration API?  If it is, will that deploy everything (such as page layouts, lists, content pages as well as the physical content in the respository)?  Or do I need to do more than that. 

I have Andrew Conells excellent book with samples on using the Content Migration API but want to check that there isn't any 3rd party tools or other non API ways to achieve this before I go down that route?

In essence - I want to pick up my entire "application" and place it on another server. 

Many Thanks for any help you can afford,

Kevin

Answer 1

The easiest way is to use the Sharepoint Content deployment wizzard which makes use of the Migration API in disconnected scenarios. Your features must be deployed before (!)

Hope this helps

serge

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Serge Luca; blog: http://www.redwood.be

Answer 2

Hi Serge,

Many thanks for the very quick reply.  I had looked at using this but I am little confused as to how to set up the destination site.  In some documents I read it says to creat a blank site on the destination first.  I have not created any custom features (all my "code behind" is in one DLL which can be moved manually).  Do I create a publsihing site on the destination server first or a blank site?

Thanks again for your help - it's very much appreciated.

Kevin

Answer 3

Hi kevin,

if I remember well you must create an empty site collection (not a blank site), stsadm has an option for this; but I strongly suggest to organize your project in features.

serge

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Serge Luca; blog: http://www.redwood.be

Answer 4

Hi Kevin,

Here is another option using OOTB stsadm.  I have used it for deploying publishing sites.

1. Back up your source site using stsadm: Stsadm -o backup -url http://SharePointDevSite:12345 -filename c:\backups\SharepointSite.bak
2. On the destination server, use Central Admin > Applications to create the destination web application
3. Create the desitnation site collection wiht a blank site template at the root
4. Restore the backup to the destination: Stsadm -o restore -url http://SharePointSite:80 -filename F:\backups\SharePointSite.bak -overwrite

The restore operation includes all site content, content types, list, picture and document library items, web parts, page layouts, custom master page, custom pages, etc.  It does not include any custom code that you put into the GAC or bin directory, nor any features that you installed nor any changes in the 12-hive, nor changes to web.config, which means it should work just fine for you.

Organizing the project into features is good advice if you have the know how and time to do it. 

 

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AndyGett Blog | @AndyGett Twitter

Answer 5

Hi Kevin,

Below is my understanding:
1) You have developed a complete publishing site
2) You want to move it to a new server
3) This is a diconnected environment

Below are the possibilities for the deployment
1) Export / Import
      a) You can use MOSS API
      b) You can use STSADM commands
2) Backup / Restore
      a) You can use MOSS API
      b) You can use the Central Admin --> Operations --> Backup and restore
      c) You can use STSADM commands

Of the above two options you can choose one based on the frequence by which you are going to deploy the content from the current environment to the new server.

If it is one time activity i would recommend going with BackUp / Restore

But for any activity to succeed you need to have the SharePoint version in destination server >= the version in the source server.

Also go through the articles of Stefan Gober : http://blogs.technet.com/stefan_gossner/

Hope this helps

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Raghavan

Answer 6

Hi All - thank you very much for your replies.  I tried several methods, and as this is actually a one off deployment (i.e the content won't need to be deployed like this again), the CDW worked for me.

Thanks again for your answers,

Kevin

Answer 7

Hi Kevin,

Here is another option using OOTB stsadm.  I have used it for deploying publishing sites.

1. Back up your source site using stsadm: Stsadm -o backup -url http://SharePointDevSite:12345 -filename c:\backups\SharepointSite.bak
2. On the destination server, use Central Admin > Applications to create the destination web application
3. Create the desitnation site collection wiht a blank site template at the root
4. Restore the backup to the destination: Stsadm -o restore -url http://SharePointSite:80 -filename F:\backups\SharePointSite.bak -overwrite

The restore operation includes all site content, content types, list, picture and document library items, web parts, page layouts, custom master page, custom pages, etc.  It does not include any custom code that you put into the GAC or bin directory, nor any features that you installed nor any changes in the 12-hive, nor changes to web.config, which means it should work just fine for you.

Organizing the project into features is good advice if you have the know how and time to do it. 

 

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AndyGett Blog | @AndyGett Twitter

Thanks very much Andy.  The CDW worked, which I think pretty much automates what you suggested above.  I want to deploy via features but the urgency of the project did not allow me to learn and use those properly.  I will deffinately impliment Features for the next project.

Thanks again,

Kevin