There are several ways of moving to a new server. My preferred one is using the Export/Import functionality found under Tools in WordPress admin. However, before moving, make sure your WordPress install is up to date. Then, go to Tools and choose to export the content. You’ll get a file containing the data.
Next, install WordPress on your new server. Any decent Web host will have alternate URLs to access your content on the server online, without actually having to have your domain pointing to it. When you’ve got a running WordPress install, delete the automatic pages and posts since these won’t be overwritten. You want the install to be clean. Now, download the wp-content folder from your old server, and upload it to your new one. Now you’ve got all your images, plugins, themes, and so forth in place. There is a built-in option in the post importer that will try to download the images from your posts to your new server, but it fails more often than not, so it is better to manage the static files in wp-content manually using your favorite FTP program.
Finally, you’re ready to import the exported file from your old server. Just go to Tools and go through the import wizard (see Figure 1-4), taking care that your exported file from the old server is up to date. Import it, let the script chew through the content, and then you’re all done! Verify that everything is working properly, give yourself a pat on the back, and then redirect your domain to your new server. You may have to edit your new weblog’s settings, since it may have taken URLs from the Web host’s internal system, so change them to correspond with your weblog’s domain name. While waiting for the domain to be pointed to your new server the weblog will break of course, but then again your old one is still working. You may want to close comments on it, though, since those will be “lost” when the visitor is suddenly pointed to the new server with your new WordPress install, which is based on the content of your old one at the point when you exported the file.
Unfortunately, there are times when the Export/Import way won’t work usually because there is just too much content for PHP to parse in the import. This is only an issue if you have a big weblog, and possibly due to your host’s server settings as well.
If this is the case, you’ll have to do things a little bit differently. Ideally, you can recreate your environment identically on your new server, with the same database name, and the same username and password to manage it. If you can do this, moving will be a breeze. All you have to do is get a dump from the MySQL database using your favorite MySQL admin tool, and then import it into the new one. This probably means using PhpMyAdmin and the backup instructions from the WordPress Codex (found at codex.wordpress.org/Backing_Up_Your_Database). Here’s how you do it:
Import the dump to the new database by logging in with your favorite MySQL manager. If this is PhpMyAdmin, just select the database and choose the Import tab (sits next to the Export tab) at the top. Use the importer to find your downloaded dump, and import it.
Then download your full WordPress install from your old server, and upload it in an identical manner to your new one. Again, give it a spin using your Web host’s temporary addresses and make sure that everything seems to be working. Point the domain to the new server, and when it resolves everything should be running smoothly.
However, you may not be able to recreate the environment in exactly the same way. If this is the case, just alter wp-config.php accordingly; most likely it is the database name, username and password, as well as possibly the need for an external database server, that you’ll have to edit. Moving WordPress from one server to another may seem scary at first, but it isn’t as bad as it once was. Sure, if you’ve got a big weblog and aren’t comfortable doing stuffin database admin interfaces like PhpMyAdmin, then this may be a bit much. Get help, or give it a go yourself. Just make sure that you have all the backups you could possibly need, and don’t mess things up on your old (current) server, but rather on the new one. After all, you can always just create a new database and WordPress install there and give it another go.
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Note: This article was sent to us by: Sean Jovers at 05152010
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