Copying from server to server

[Steve H]

I have FP 2003, with my two webs on Unix servers. One web
on one server is a mirror of the web on the other server.
I just made some significant differences in one web and
wish to update the other so they are the same again.
Should I do it like this:

With both server windows open on the screen in FP2003,
should I simply delete a folder in the right, then drag
the folder icon from the left window to the right, doing
this delete-drag-and drop process until each folder has
been deleted and replaced? I don't want to drag a folder
to the server without first deleting a folder of the same
name, because I suppose FP2003 will overwrite only the
files of the same name in the folder, leaving any extra
files there. I want the servers to be very much the same.

The internal links are not absolute URLs, but relative, so
they'll still point to their own web server. Or will FP
try to change the relative URLs to absolutes when I drag-
and-drop as above?

Of course I'll have to be careful about copying folders
containing files generated by clicking on the Submit
buttons (forms), so I have temporarily directed the
content from one server (generated by the forms containing
Submit buttons) to be written to the other server. When
the copying is finished, I'll change the the Submit
buttons to point again to its own server folder.

The only folders I am replacing are the ones I created
myself. I would not change the folders existing on the
Unix server before.

Any advice? Does this delete-drag-and-drop sound like it
would work?

Steve H

 

[Kevin Spencer]

No, your plan would not work. Use the Publish feature of FrontPage to
publish the changes from one web to the other.

--
HTH,
Kevin Spencer
..Net Developer
Microsoft MVP
Big things are made up
of lots of little things.

 

[Jim Buyens]

If the two servers are truly mirrors of each other, and if
both have the FrontPage Server Extensions installed, then:

1. Open the Web that contains your changes.
2. Switch to Remote Web Site View.
3. Click Remote Web Site Properties, and then specify
the other Web as the Remote Web Site location.
4. Click OK.
5. FrontPage will display a comparison of the local
and remote Web sites. Check this carefully. You may
want to set the View dropdown box in the top left
corner to File To Publish.
6. If everything looks OK, click the Publish Web Site
button.

If the two Web sites *aren't* exact mirrors, of if they
don't have the FrontPage Server Extensions installed, then
you'll have to copy the changed files by hand.

Jim Buyens
Microsoft FrontPage MVP
http://www.interlacken.com
Author of:
*----------------------------------------------------
|\---------------------------------------------------
|| Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 Inside Out
||---------------------------------------------------
|| Web Database Development Step by Step .NET Edition
|| Microsoft FrontPage Version 2002 Inside Out
|| Faster Smarter Beginning Programming
|| (All from Microsoft Press)
|/---------------------------------------------------
*----------------------------------------------------

 

[Steve H]

Thank you. I will take care of this. You are "MVP" indeed!!

 

[Steve H]

Thanks! I will try this and see what it does for me. The
webs are nearly the same (if you go to each home page,
they will be alike and take you to the same content), and
have the FP extensions.

Obviously, if they are exact mirrors I would not have to
copy one to the other. So maybe you should explain what
you mean by "truly mirrors" and "exact mirrors" so there
will be no misunderstanding.

Steve H

 

[Jim Buyens]

Thanks! I will try this and see what it does for me. The
webs are nearly the same (if you go to each home page,
they will be alike and take you to the same content), and
have the FP extensions.

Obviously, if they are exact mirrors I would not have to
copy one to the other. So maybe you should explain what
you mean by "truly mirrors" and "exact mirrors" so there
will be no misunderstanding.

A "true" or "exact" mirror site would be (or should be) file-for-file
and bit-for-bit equal to its source site.

I only mention this because sometimes people use the term "mirror
site" when in fact thare *are* small differences: some extra content
on one site, for example. In that case, a full Publish operation would
obliterate those differences.

Jim Buyens
Microsoft FrontPage MVP
http://www.interlacken.com
Author of:
*----------------------------------------------------
|\---------------------------------------------------
|| Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 Inside Out
||---------------------------------------------------
|| Web Database Development Step by Step .NET Edition
|| Microsoft FrontPage Version 2002 Inside Out
|| Faster Smarter Beginning Programming
|| (All from Microsoft Press)
|/---------------------------------------------------
*----------------------------------------------------

 

[Steve H]

Thank you! Then when I change a page on one site and drag
it to the other site (instead of publishing it over) a
minute or so later, it is not really a mirror.

 

[Steve H]

It all worked out just as you outlined for me. Thanks a
million!

 

[Stefan B Rusynko]

Jimco makes a tool called Publisher which you can use to schedule automatic publishing from Site A to Site B (on a predetermined
basis) - see http://www.jimcoaddins.com/utils.htm

You could also create a VBA project in FP to run a publish changed pages from site A to B any time a particular "event" happens in
Site A, or linked to a single click custom menu button

--




| Thank you! Then when I change a page on one site and drag
| it to the other site (instead of publishing it over) a
| minute or so later, it is not really a mirror.
|
| >-----Original Message-----
| message | >> Thanks! I will try this and see what it does for me.
| The
| >> webs are nearly the same (if you go to each home page,
| >> they will be alike and take you to the same content),
| and
| >> have the FP extensions.
| >>
| >> Obviously, if they are exact mirrors I would not have
| to
| >> copy one to the other. So maybe you should explain what
| >> you mean by "truly mirrors" and "exact mirrors" so
| there
| >> will be no misunderstanding.
| >
| >A "true" or "exact" mirror site would be (or should be)
| file-for-file
| >and bit-for-bit equal to its source site.
| >
| >I only mention this because sometimes people use the
| term "mirror
| >site" when in fact thare *are* small differences: some
| extra content
| >on one site, for example. In that case, a full Publish
| operation would
| >obliterate those differences.
| >
| >Jim Buyens
| >Microsoft FrontPage MVP
| >http://www.interlacken.com
| >Author of:
| >*----------------------------------------------------
| >|\---------------------------------------------------
| >|| Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 Inside Out
| >||---------------------------------------------------
| >|| Web Database Development Step by Step .NET Edition
| >|| Microsoft FrontPage Version 2002 Inside Out
| >|| Faster Smarter Beginning Programming
| >|| (All from Microsoft Press)
| >|/---------------------------------------------------
| >*----------------------------------------------------
| >.
| >

 

[Jim Buyens]

Thank you! Then when I change a page on one site and drag
it to the other site (instead of publishing it over) a
minute or so later, it is not really a mirror.

No. A mirror site contains all the same pages as its source site, no
more, no less, no differences. The way you transfer the files makes no
difference.

If the two sites need to have slightly different content, then they're
not mirrors.

See, in your original post, you were very concerned about copying only
certain files and folders between the sites by hand. This let me to
question whether the two sites were, in fact, supposed to be
identical. Perhaps they were just supposed to be *similar* and you
were trying to preserve certain differences.

Of course, if they were only supposed to be similar, then publishing
one site to the other would overlay the desirable differences in the
destination site.

That's why I prefixed by advice with, "If the two servers are truly
mirrors of each other..."

Jim Buyens
Microsoft FrontPage MVP
http://www.interlacken.com
Author of:
*----------------------------------------------------
|\---------------------------------------------------
|| Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 Inside Out
||---------------------------------------------------
|| Web Database Development Step by Step .NET Edition
|| Microsoft FrontPage Version 2002 Inside Out
|| Faster Smarter Beginning Programming
|| (All from Microsoft Press)
|/---------------------------------------------------
*----------------------------------------------------