2 domains, 1 set of files and 1 db ?

[virtualahmad]

I have run into site migration hell...

This company wanted to have the new store go up, and get only half of the traffic... So I made the old store homepage do a random redirect to a new domain where the new site is hosted. So lets say old store was www.aaa.com and the new store (zencart) is www.bbb.com.

Now we are satisfied that the store can handle the load and is functioning as expected... but all of a sudden the company wants to retain their old domain of www.aaa.com. I suggested that I can make www.aaa.com a 302, but then the URL in the address bar will show www.bbb.com. They don't like that idea. I can just migrate the site to the www.aaa.com BUT... www.bbb.com, although ONLY 2 weeks old, has over 860 links in Google ! I don't want to mess that up either...

Soooooooo....

Does it make sense to update the confirgure.php file lines:

  define('HTTP_SERVER', 'http://www.aaa.com');
  define('HTTP_CATALOG_SERVER', 'http://www.aaa.com');

and update it to something like:

<?php
if ($_SERVER['SERVER_NAME']=www.aaa.com) {
  define('HTTP_SERVER', 'http://www.aaa.com');
  define('HTTP_CATALOG_SERVER', 'http://www.aaa.com');
}

else if ($_SERVER['SERVER_NAME']=www.bbb.com) {
  define('HTTP_SERVER', 'http://www.bbb.com');
  define('HTTP_CATALOG_SERVER', 'http://www.bbb.com');
}
?>

??

To my knowledge this should be the only thing that is really different between the 2 domain (assuming the domains are being hosted on the same server as add-on domains).

[rwment]

Why not just use URL Forwarding with domain masking?

[virtualahmad]

hmm... it almost sounds too easy...

do you have any more information on how to do that ?

[rwment]

That is the easiest part of all, just contact whomever you used to register the domain names, they should be able to set it up for you.

[2JZFAN]

I'm actually in a similar situation and was about to start a new thread..

I did a cart install to a dir or www.AAA.com/dir

then I registered a new domain all together www.BBB.com

I set up a redirect for www.BBB.com to www.AAA.com/dir and when you first visit the site it's fine BUT once you click on something in zen it changes over to www.AAA.com/dir/whatever_u_clicked_on

Where in zencart can I change the carts main URL so this doesn't happen again? I tried editing the configure file but then the db gave errors.. I guess there's more to change..?

I have a single virtual server account and a number or domain names pointing at dirs of this account.. Essentially I have multiple websites running through one account. I've been doing fine with this method until now.. until zen.

Can you help me or should I start my own thread?

[virtualahmad]

did you try modifying the configure file as i have suggested ?

I didn't/can't try because both domains are in production, and currently on separate hosts... so i would need to update DNS to test... and if it doesn't work... then i'm looking at 24 - 72 hours of a dead site...

I'd love to work through it with you if you would like. You can catch me on MSN as ahmadATtrustit.ca

and no... you don't need to start a new thread... since its the same issue :)

[virtualahmad]

That is the easiest part of all, just contact whomever you used to register the domain names, they should be able to set it up for you.

Agreed. But then won't i run into the issue just below your post ?

[rwment]

Virtual:
No you shouldn't run into any problems with the site being down at all because until the URL forwarding goes into effect it should still pull up site www.aaa.com. Once it goes into effect when someone types in www.aaa.com it will automatically take them to www.bbb.com and with url masking they wont even know. It sounds as if you plan on taking www.aaa.com offline as soon as you figure this out, Correct?

As far as subsequent downline links showing the original www.aaa.com/something here links. To be honest I don't know which site would show up as I have never used it before in this context. One of the biggest problems I forsee is if you mask everything you are probably going to play hell with any search engines that try to index your page.

The only "right" way to do this for both of you that I can think of would be to just eliminate the original ZC install.

It would be a slight pain in the but but just run one install off of site www.bbb.com. You can basically update the database to include all the products from both sites. This is easy enough to accomplish without the worry of which url shows up at the top. And honestly there should be really no concern as to which one shows up after you get them to your store which is the whole point of it all anyway. 98% of the web surfers out there couldn't care less what url they are at as long as they are looking at what they want to look at.

And with the url masking they wont notice the change at the top until they get further into your site and most people wont understand that they have actually changed domains, they will just assume that they are in a subdirectory if they bother to think about it at all. Unless you have some really descriptive and totally opposite meaning domain names for sites aaa and bbb this really shouldnt be an issue.