Magento Server Transfer – Tried and Tested Method

Moving an entire Magento site from one server to another or between hosts can be a daunting task for non-server administrators.

I’m going to try and expand this over time.

• Agree time frames, a day for file system sync, an hour for database update and DNS update.
• Content Freeze – no new images or content is added by Store owner, customers continue to place orders and create accounts.
  • A copy of the site is downloaded to the new server via FTP
  • A snapshot of the database is taken and used to test the site on the new server
• Database Freeze – no new orders, holding page on the front end, Admin Panel still accessible if required but no updates allowed.
  • Export/import database
    • Old Server: mysqldump -u YourUser -p YourDatabaseName > wantedsqlfile.sql
    • New Server wget http://www.yourwebsite.com/wantedsqlfile.sql
    • New Server: mysql -u YourUser -p YourDatabaseName < wanted.sql
  • Copy over/configure your SSL for the new site
  • Next-up is the DNS update to repoint the domain
• Done