Running a new version of C5 alongside my old version
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I am running version 5.6 for the past while but would like to upgrade to 5.7 or higher. Ideally i'd like to install the new version and spend some time getting used to it before recreating my site. My concern is that if I install the new version(planning to use Softaculous for the installtion) my old site will stop working, Reading through the posts on the forums I haven't come to any firm conclusiion that this will happen or that it won't happen. So can I do this with no risk? On the installation page it asks what domain I am going to use - i have a few pointing to the same site - should I select one of them for the new site? I have been using the .Net domain for external advertising - if I use .Org for the new site how do I go making .Net point to the new site too?
Will the 5.7 version of the site have access to the exisiting files (images, text, etc) or do i need to re-upload them.
Basically i want to give my site a makeover without losing the exisiting one (had that happen a few years ago and I don't relly want to have to recreate the whole thing again.
Thanks
Will the 5.7 version of the site have access to the exisiting files (images, text, etc) or do i need to re-upload them.
Basically i want to give my site a makeover without losing the exisiting one (had that happen a few years ago and I don't relly want to have to recreate the whole thing again.
Thanks
Hi
Thanks for the replies. I'd forgotten about the subdomain option. I have been looking at 5.7 and - at present - I'd lose too much of the functionality I have already so will postpone this for w while but it's on my list for the future
Thanks again
Thanks for the replies. I'd forgotten about the subdomain option. I have been looking at 5.7 and - at present - I'd lose too much of the functionality I have already so will postpone this for w while but it's on my list for the future
Thanks again
As rritz said, you can largely ignore the set of domain names that you use.
When installing 5.7, you will get the option of specifying a directory in which to install it. Just pick something new, like "v7". To access the new site once installation has finished, browse to your.domain.name/v57
Make sure you give your 5.7 installation a different database name than that of your current installation. You can give it the same database user, if you like.
You should upload your images again. There may be ways to share them across installations, but I think that re-uploading would end up simpler.
For safety, back up your current site's database and files before proceeding.
If and when you want to replace your current site with the new one, it's possible to move the installation back to the root directory (or any other directory you want). It's not quite as simple as that, but it's definitely possible.
When installing 5.7, you will get the option of specifying a directory in which to install it. Just pick something new, like "v7". To access the new site once installation has finished, browse to your.domain.name/v57
Make sure you give your 5.7 installation a different database name than that of your current installation. You can give it the same database user, if you like.
You should upload your images again. There may be ways to share them across installations, but I think that re-uploading would end up simpler.
For safety, back up your current site's database and files before proceeding.
If and when you want to replace your current site with the new one, it's possible to move the installation back to the root directory (or any other directory you want). It's not quite as simple as that, but it's definitely possible.
Your hosting provides a server where the page is installed and where the files are stored.
Your domain is just and address: it can be attached to any page on any server.
You do that by setting DNS records.
If your domain.org points to the same page as domain.net this is very likely done via DNS settings.
One way to do what you want would be to use cPanel subdomains:
If your host provides you with cPanel.
Say your page is yourdomain.org. This is the main domain in your cPanel.
Now you add an add-on domain - yourdomain.net
in cpanel you will have a subdomain created by default when you add subdomain:
sub.yourdomain.org
You'll get a server space for your add-on domain.
Now you can install c5.7 in here and play round with it.
Because of the subdomain feature, your new page will be reachable and you can work on it just like normal. Use softaculous installer directly from cPanel.
Your c5.6 website will be working as usual. Your other domains will still point to the c5.6 site too, and will continue to do so until you change the DNS settings.
When you are ready to go live with your c5.7. website you'll have to change the DNS settings for yourdomain.net to point to the new location.
Then, you would have to set up yourdomain.org and all other domains to also point to the new pages, using DNS settings as well.
As c5.7 will be a new and isolated install, and as it is using a completely different file and database structure you will have to copy all your files from one page to the other manually.
I believe this is the best route to go.
Another possibility would be to install your c5.7 site on WAMPP or XAMPP locally on your desktop (although I must say I tried this once and it failed, can't remember why, c5.7 was not working well with XAMPP)
that way you'd develop your new site offline, on your computer, and you'd have to move it to your server when you're done.
I think this is a bit more complicated than the first option