Joomla 1.5 Tutorial - Joomla 1.5 Migration

Migration from Joomla 1.0.* to 1.5

 

You will need a Joomla! 1.0.12 or 1.0.13 install. It is suggested that if you are using 1.0.13 you install Rob Schley's patch for admin sessions. It can be downloaded from here http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,200725.0.html. As with everything you should take a full backup of everything before you start just in case something goes go wrong. We advise that you do not destroy your 1.0.x install until you have completely finished migrating to 1.5 and are happy that things are working properly. Ideally, you should complete the migration using a testing system first before attempting it on your production system (e.g. either by using sites restored from backups or other replicas) and when deploying separately your 1.0.x install from 1.5 (e.g. different database or at the least different prefix).

 

Step 1: Downloading the Migrator component and installing it into your 1.0 instance.

 

The latest version of the migrator component exists at the Pasamio Project's FRS site http://joomlacode.org/gf/project/pasamioprojects/frs/). At the time of writing the latest release is Migrator RC5. Download the Migrator component to your system and then install it into the 1.0 install. This is done like any normal component install. There will be a Migrator entry in the Component menu option where you can access the Migrator.

 

 

Step 2: Installing Third Party Migrator plugins

 

The Migration system only handles the core system in its migration which means that if you want to include Third Party extension data from other tables you will have to install migrator plugins to handle the migration of this data. There are two types of plugins that are used: an "SQL" plugin which is a plain text SQL file and an "ETL" Plugin which is a bit of PHP that tells the migrator how to handle the data stored in tables (or in configuration files). This is completed by selecting "Add Third Party Migrators", and then locating the plugin you wish to install and uploading the file. The SQL files will be ready to the output automatically and the ETL plugins will be executed automatically. You can view a list of ETL plugins by clicking "List Plugins" in the main screen.

 

 

Step 3: Creating the Migration SQL File

 

Once you have installed any Third Party migrator plugins, you can select the "Create Migration SQL file" to begin the creation process. The system is designed to build an SQL file without causing a timeout on the server, so you may notice that the page automatically refreshes and displays status information. Eventually it will display a notification that the process has been completed and the SQL file will be available for download. Part of the SQL file generation involves the alteration of various fields to make them compatible with changes made in Joomla! 1.5, including the rewriting of mosimage tags.

 

 

Step 4: Installing Joomla! 1.5

 

The last phase of the migration is the installation of a new Joomla! 1.5 site. Complete the initial steps of the installation as per a normal installation. In the final step where you are prompted for the site name you are given the opportunity to initiate the migration process. Migration requires the generated SQL file to complete its operation, which might need to be uploaded to your new 1.5 site. There are two options for doing this:

 

* HTTP Upload
* FTP Upload (How to upload files using FTP client?)

 

The first method, HTTP upload, is best for smaller SQL files that will fit within the upload limits of PHP. The alternative is to upload a file using either FTP or some other method of file transfer that your hosting provider offers. This is useful for larger SQL files that would normally not be permitted by PHP. To use the HTTP method, simply select the file like a normal component installation. To use the alternate upload method, upload the files into the installation/sql/migration folder and rename the file to be called "migrate.sql". If for some reason

the migration fails, you will need to reupload the SQL file for both methods, HTTP and FTP, as the file is altered through the migration process. The prefix for all migration dumps is "jos_". This should be placed into the provided text box. Once migration has been completed, enter in a site name (the site name cannot be migrated for technical reasons) and finish the installation.

 

 

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