9.0 (Gold) - Merging 'older' version(s)

I've attempted to merge a version 8.1.3 of ocPortal into a new install of version 9.0, despite the warning …

ocportal merge

When merging with another copy of ocPortal, you should make sure the other copy must be running the same major version. Whilst other versions may merge succesfully, ocProducts does not support this officially.

The 'ocp merge' importer can merge multiple ocPortal websites together that either:

• each run on OCF (and thus, OCF data gets merged) or,
• each share a forum database (what we call a "multi-site-network" situation)

The importer only handles ocPortal (including OCF) data. The 'ocp merge' importer cannot:

• Work with anything other than ocPortal data (third-party forum data can not be merged, for instance)
• Merge an ocPortal site into an ocPortal site that does not use the same forum database
  • unless you are highly technically proficient and capable of manually changing member and usergroup IDs, using a tool such as phpMyAdmin (because these IDs could not be mapped correctly for data that used a 'foreign' forum)
  • or unless both sites run on OCF (because in this situation, the importer can import everything, and correctly remap any member and usergroup IDs)
• Import OCF data directly into a third-party forum
  • because the imported data would end up in the OCF database tables, regardless of whether they are currently being used for the ocPortal site's active forum.

Remember:

• you must specify to import from an ocPortal database, not a forum database.

Please note that URL and page-link links will not be altered during the import, meaning it is likely they will need updating (because resource IDs change).

In reality I haven't actually experienced any major problems other than the 'linkage' (URL and page-link links) problem, something I would be prepared to work through if I could be certain that there are no underlying gotcha's waiting to get up and bite me in the bum!

I read that, "ocProducts does not support this officially", but I respectfully submit that this is now an absolutely essential item, especially because version 9.0 is such a radical departure from previous versions. Nice to have 'importers' for other software, but it would be so much nicer to be able to take your ocPortal home and contents with you when you move house!

If I manage a 'successful' merge of the theme and data of my live site into a fresh installation of version 9.0, I will sit down and carefully compose a 'how to' (pitfalls and all) and add it to the Community Docs so that others (Harry, mythus and Patty - and Me spring to mind) don't have to suffer that "Now freakin' what!" moment! I suspect there have been others who have nibbled at the forbidden fruit ('cutting edge' will always get them!) and have lived to regret it, and this could be a deal-breaker for a lot of prospective users!

Watch this space …

 

My $0.02 worth…

I "merged" my v8.1.3 into v9 without any problems other than theme issues.

1. Cloned v8.1.3 and upgraded it to v9.
2. Installed a clean v9.
3. Import the upgraded v9 database into the clean v9.
4. Clean up any loose ends.

Notes:

• Make sure you duplicate all the addons of v8 during the v9 clean install.
• Remove custom theme from the cloned v8 before upgrading to v9.

YMMV…

[Edit:]
After I've theme v9 and I'm ready to make it live, I'll close the live v8 site and repeat steps 1 and 3 again so I'll have the current, up-to-date database in the new v9 site.

One note is that non-bundled addon data won't be merged, as that's outside the scope. E.g. activities, diseases, bank money, whatever you might have installed. Depending on what addons were installed, users may be happy to be free of disease or sad their deposits haven't been imported.

Fletch said

If I manage a 'successful' merge of the theme and data of my live site into a fresh installation of version 9.0, I will sit down and carefully compose a 'how to' (pitfalls and all) and add it to the Community Docs so that others (Harry, mythus and Patty - and Me spring to mind) don't have to suffer that "Now freakin' what!" moment! I suspect there have been others who have nibbled at the forbidden fruit ('cutting edge' will always get them!) and have lived to regret it, and this could be a deal-breaker for a lot of prospective users!

Cutting edge is FUN!…. Nothing like getting a mouth full of blood in the morning, I say!

For me it was not a problem, why I had to build new sites after some changes into our  basic organisation. Thats why I had choosen for V9B to start with it.