Moved To New Server, store Not Working

I have a resellers account for testing on Hostgator and haven't had issues with moving sites in and out of there. I prefer a different method then what the good Dr. suggests. I bring the whole site, files, db over, and edit the config files. About 3 minutes after the ftp is done the site is running. So far on hostgators servers I have found that the path is going to be (if the site is in public_html)

define('DIR_FS_CATALOG', '/home/YOURUSERNAME/public_html/');

Though I have migrated hundreds of zen carts around so it might just seem easier too me.

It occurs too me that I should also note that the db name, db user, and the password might need some adjustment. I tend to create the empty db named the same as it was on the old server so I only have to adjust the first part to have/change the username_dbname depending on how it was setup on the old server. most cases I don't have to change db_server, but if I do, hostgator uses define('DB_SERVER', 'localhost');

DK_Scully:

Okay, I'm baffled. I started over completely from scratch, got www.book-oasis.com up and running, configured, etc. Copied over all the files EXCEPT the two configure.php files to the new server...

And none of the modifications are showing up.

After you did this did you import the old database?

DK_Scully:

My Admin / Tools / Template section shows that Sheffield Blue has been uploaded, but it's not showing as active.

This implies that you aren't using the contents from the old database. I suspect that if you now try to enable the Sheffield Blue template it will probably work.

DK_Scully:

None of the categories I made on the old site are showing up, either.
My Admin / Tools / Template section shows that Sheffield Blue has been uploaded, but it's not showing as active.

As above, this implies that you are using the database from the new installation and that you haven't imported the old data.

DK_Scully:

I've followed all the instructions...why aren't the mods I made to my old site showing up?

Don't really know. Need more info.

I do however believe that your issues are DB related and that you are somehow getting a bit confused over this.

Lets try a slightly different approach.

Option#1
You can do a fresh/new install with a newly created database with its own login details, etc. When this is working you can then import the data from the original database and then re-run the install script again to update the database to conform to the new database format.

Option#2.
You can do a fresh/new install using the existing database, and you'll only need to run the script to update the database to conform to the new format.

Option#3
You can do a fresh/new install with a newly created database with its own login details, etc. When this is working you can then modify the two configure.php files so that it has the old database details. As with the other options, you'll then need to run the install scripts again so that the 'old' (now current) database gets the updates to conform to the new format.

I think those are the only three possibilities. Choose one and one only.

Note that in all cases, there will be a need to click the button in the installation script to 'Update the Database'. The only time this won't be needed is during the first stage of option#1 (before you import the old data).

Hopefully one of these options/methods will 'gel' with what you have been doing and you'll be able to figure out where you've gone wrong.

If you have a blank page issue (at any time) it will be a php file issue. Not a database issue.

Missing categories is a database issue, not a file issue.

The active template name is stored in the database. If you find that you have the 'classic' pre-selected it means that it is using a newly created database with new data.
If you find that the Blue Sheffield template is selected, and you end up with blank pages it means that there is a problem with the template files (possibly incompatible with the upgrade?). In this case, if you re-select the 'classic' template the bank page problem should go away.

I think that just about covers all possible scenarios.

If you can try to associate these symptoms with thier possible causes you shouldn't have too much trouble.

DON'T assume that all problems relate to a single cause. Database 'errors' will cause one set of problems, php file issues will cause a different set of problems. As such you must treat them individually.

As for the configure.php files .... Note that you will only need to manually edit these if you use Option#3.

Cheers
RodG

I did a complete file-by-file transfer. Where exactly are the database files in all this? Despite years of working with it, I still don't understand ZenCart's file structure, so I often have no idea where to find things I need.

What do you mean by 'database files'?

DK_Scully:

Where exactly are the database files in all this?
They're not in your web folder.
They're in your server's MySQL database. (And while they're technically stored in "files" inside the MySQL engine's data space ...) they're not files that you "copy over".

For the database, you export-and-import the data, usually using a tool like phpMyAdmin, assuming it's provided by your server administrator.

The Zen Cart FAQ articles on "moving to a new server" and on "upgrading" contain links to an FAQ article which explains how to do database backups.
I gave you this link in post #3 earlier:
http://www.zen-cart.com/content.php?142-i-want-to-move-my-zen-cart-installation-to-another-host-or-a-different-server

DK_Scully:

Where exactly are the database files in all this?

Well, there's your problem. If you don't know where the 'database files' are it implies that that you have neither exported them from the old server nor imported them into the new server, as such, the new server doesn't know anything about the original installation.

When it comes to ZenCart (and virtually any database driven website) it is the database that has the most value. As long as you have a copy of this you can recover from any error or problem. If you lose the database you are back to square one.

You should be backing up the database often and regularly, and always before doing any major site updates or changes.

As indicated by DrByte, you will need to use phpmyadmin (or a similar tool) to do this. Phpmyadmin is generally recommended because it is installed by default on almost all webservers.

There is also an SQL backup tool in most cPanels as well which can be used, but if your database is large this is prone to timeout errors which leads to an incomplete backup so we don't tend to mention it very often. Worth knowing about in a pinch though (eg: if the host doesn't have phpmyadmin installed).

The export/import is generally far easier to do than it might first appear.

Cheers
RodG

I take approximately 100 orders a day on my site and back up the database daily. I delete any back up older than 7 days. Then if the database ever crashes I am only out the current day's data. It only takes about 30 seconds to log into the hostgator cpanel click on back ups and click on the database name and it automatically downloads within a minute or two. So much easier than rebuilding from an old backup and sweating about all the lost info.

Okay, apparently I didn't give enough information before. I did make a full site backup using the Backup Wizard, downloaded it to my PC, and uploaded it to the new server. Since it didn't seem to work the last time, I just repeated the process again this morning, and am trying to restore it to the new server using the Backup/Restore feature.

But the database name is different...I had no choice in this, as I moved from a reseller server to a shared server, and now the prefix is different. Before it was oasis1_bookstore, now it's boruma_oasis. I don't have a clue how to make the new server use the old database when the names are so different.

Database NAME and tablename PREFIX are completely different animals.

oasis1_bookstore and boruma_oasis are the database NAME (the DB_DATABASE setting in configure.php).

That's got nothing to do with the table prefix, which is recorded in your configure.php file as DB_PREFIX ... so you simply read DB_PREFIX from your old configure.php and type that into the zc_install screen where it asks for the tablename prefix.

DK_Scully:

But the database name is different...I had no choice in this

The DB name itself is quite unimportant. It can be called whatever you want it to be called. The important thing is that whatever you call it you need to enter the same name into the "DB_DATABASE" field in the two configure.php files (as well as a valid username/password to access this table).

The username/password is NOT the same one as the ZenCart admin password.

DK_Scully:

, as I moved from a reseller server to a shared server, and now the prefix is different.

The prefix relates to the table names within the Database. These wouldn't be changed by the backup/restore/server_move. Whatever it was on the original server is the same as it will be on the new server.
As above, you will also need to ensure that this is set correctly in the configure.php files. This is the "DB_PREFIX" setting.

Cheers
RodG

DrByte:

Database NAME and tablename PREFIX are completely different animals.

oasis1_bookstore and boruma_oasis are the database NAME.

That's got nothing to do with the table prefix, which is recorded in your configure.php file as DB_PREFIX ... so you simply read DB_PREFIX from your old configure.php and type that into the zc_install screen where it asks for the tablename prefix.

This is what my DB_PREFIX says (from the old server):

// define our database connection
define('DB_TYPE', 'mysql');
define('DB_PREFIX', '');
define('DB_CHARSET', 'utf8');
define('DB_SERVER', 'localhost');
define('DB_SERVER_USERNAME', 'oasis1_boruma');
define('DB_SERVER_PASSWORD', 'xxxxxx');
define('DB_DATABASE', 'oasis1_bookstore');

The field is empty. What am I supposed to enter?

DK_Scully:

This is what my DB_PREFIX says (from the old server):

// define our database connection
define('DB_TYPE', 'mysql');
define('DB_PREFIX', '');
define('DB_CHARSET', 'utf8');
define('DB_SERVER', 'localhost');
define('DB_SERVER_USERNAME', 'oasis1_boruma');
define('DB_SERVER_PASSWORD', 'xxxxxx');
define('DB_DATABASE', 'oasis1_bookstore');

The field is empty. What am I supposed to enter?

Nothing. If it was empty in the old store it will still be empty in the new store.

Previously you wrote:

DK_Scully:

Before it was oasis1_bookstore, now it's boruma_oasis.

You will need to change
define('DB_DATABASE', 'oasis1_bookstore'); to
define('DB_DATABASE', 'boruma_oasis'); (for the new store)

You will also need to change
define('DB_SERVER_USERNAME', 'oasis1_boruma');
define('DB_SERVER_PASSWORD', 'xxxxxx');

So that they match the credentials you gave when you created the Database called "boruma_oasis".

Cheers
RodG

I did that...and the zencart and admin login page are showing the "Hello. Thank you for loading Zen Cart®." error page again. Our situation has not improved.

Does it have something to do with these lines?

define('DIR_FS_CATALOG', '/home/oasis1/public_html/');

define('DIR_FS_LOGS', '/home/oasis1/public_html/logs');

define('DIR_FS_SQL_CACHE', '/home/oasis1/public_html/cache');

Hmmm...apparently not, because I changed /home/oasis1/public_html/ to /home/public_html/book-oasis.com/ but the same error pages are there.

With 35 posts in this discussion after I first reminded you that moving to a new server should always start with doing a fresh clean install to let it create the configure.php files unique to that server ... and now still having the same symptoms that would occur if the configure.php files are incorrect, I'm not sure what exactly you'd like me to say.

How about loading up zc_install and going to the System Inspection screen and copy-and-paste all the bulleted information (including paths, versions, etc) here. The paths are the most important information, as well as versions.
Then post your /includes/configure.php file contents with just the DB_PASSWORD blanked out. Same with your /renamed-admin/includes/configure.php file.

You're an intelligent person, so I imagine when you do all that you'll also see the incorrect path difference between what you've edited in the configure.php file vs what your server is actually using.

I've done a fresh install four different times. I'm sure I'm only missing one very small piece of the puzzle...because you're right, I'm not stupid. But no matter how many times I read the instructions, I'm not seeing what that one piece is.

I've been told that HostGator will move everything on the old server for free, since my new account with them (I moved from the reseller server to the shared server to save money) is less than 30 days old. If what I was told is true, I'm going to let them do it, and stop beating my head against the wall. Life's too short for this kind of stress.

Thats sounds nice of them, my offer still stands if you would like to keep it where it is and save the $$ as intended

I appreciate that more than you know...but the sites really need to be moved to the new server. I'm paying $45 a month for hosting now, and will only be paying $6.45 a month once they're moved. Hard to argue with that kind of math! LOL

DK_Scully:

Does it have something to do with these lines?

define('DIR_FS_CATALOG', '/home/oasis1/public_html/');

define('DIR_FS_LOGS', '/home/oasis1/public_html/logs');

define('DIR_FS_SQL_CACHE', '/home/oasis1/public_html/cache');

Yes, they are important, but if you did a fresh install then these would be correct. I'm guessing that what we are looking at here is from your original config files. (????)

DK_Scully:

Hmmm...apparently not, because I changed /home/oasis1/public_html/ to /home/public_html/book-oasis.com/ but the same error pages are there.

This is actually telling us that both the original paths are incorrect AND the new path you gave is also incorrect.

Where/how did you come up with the path "/home/public_html/book-oasis.com/" because that looks positively wrong.

A correct path would look more like /home/YOUR_ACCOUNT_NAME/public_html/" or, if you have installed into a folder, it would be
/home/YOUR_ACCOUNT_NAME/public_html/ZENCART_FOLDER_NAME"

Cheers
RodG