I have been tasked to basicly make a copy of our sharepoint server on to a different server to create a test enviornment. It is currently configured as a standalone server, the database and web applications are all stored on this server. I have read several articles and how to on various websites (including Microsoft). All seem to have the basic steps but vary a little on the procedure. I seem to be having some issues doing this myself. All the procedures seem to say (I am paraphrasing) "Well just backup your farm from the backup utility in the Central Administration Site, then go to the new Sharepoint server and just restore from the back up you made and your all done". Well I have found this to be quite a joke. It will always fail for me, at some point and time it almost always is the databases what cause it to fail. I have even tried one procedure where I back up the databases on the sharepoint server then recreate/restore those databases on to the new server, disconnect the web applications from the database on the new server and reconnect to the restored database. That is probably the closest I have gotten to a successful restore, but I get a 404 error when trying to get to the web app. I then copied the virtual directories from the live server copied to the new test server and still get a 404 error. I have been struggling with this for a couple weeks now, could someone please give me some insight on what I am doing wrong?
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SharePoint Restore
- Thread starter w33mhz
- Start date
niceguymattx
MIS
I will say right from the offset that I doubt this is going to be easy, and I'm not an expert but I can give you my 2 pence!!
Have you thought about creating a virtual image of the server using hyper-v or vm ware? I imaging that'd be easier for a test environment.
Do you have sharepoint installed on your target machine before attempting any of this?
Have you thought about creating a virtual image of the server using hyper-v or vm ware? I imaging that'd be easier for a test environment.
Do you have sharepoint installed on your target machine before attempting any of this?
- Thread starter
- #3
Yes I did that, almost worked here is the deal with the clone. When you bring it up it will try and connect to the live version. I did try and run the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard to detach it from the farm and then reattach it to the local farm database (after renaming it of course). This did not work either, I had high hopes of that working but it did not, I believe it might be because the links for the apps were to the live server and I needed to reconfigure those, but I couldn't access the central administation website to do this.
You are right this doesn't seem to be easy, I should be but it is not. The more I work with sharepoint them more of a nightmare it seems to be for me. I think that it has a lot of benifits, but you know what if you don't know how throughly use it, it is worthless. Training on my end would be an excellent idea but ... well you know how that goes.
You are right this doesn't seem to be easy, I should be but it is not. The more I work with sharepoint them more of a nightmare it seems to be for me. I think that it has a lot of benifits, but you know what if you don't know how throughly use it, it is worthless. Training on my end would be an excellent idea but ... well you know how that goes.
niceguymattx
MIS
Have you tried looking at the STSADM commands?
I think the backup and restore with STSADM is the way to go, but if you're doing onto the same network I can see you'll have some problems.
Sorry I'm not more use
I think the backup and restore with STSADM is the way to go, but if you're doing onto the same network I can see you'll have some problems.
Sorry I'm not more use
- Thread starter
- #5
Yes, I have done that as well, one note for anyone else reading this if you want a good laugh. DO NOT use the overwrite restormethod for a senario such as mine you can effect the live machine. Luckly I figured out what was going on and did corupt the live database, but it did put several DB's into single user mode bringing the site down until I got them fixed.
niceguymattx
MIS
Have you tried restoring it to a virtual machine or on a separate network?
- Thread starter
- #7
well the live is a virtual machine, and yes I have cloned it. That is what I was talking about in my last post. I had to clone it, disconnect the virtual nic, power up, disjoin from the domain and rename, power down, connect the virtual nic. Then power on and join to the domain.
JonathanHerschel
Programmer
When I did the same as you mentioned a few months ago, I had to also do the following:
1. copy the 12 hive and paste to new server (or install all the solutions/features that you have done previously)
2. Make a copy of the IISMetaBase
3. make Central Admin the same port on new box/farm
4. Make a copy of the InetPubs directory
Just recently, we are migration to x64 and as long as we installed the solutions/features that were custom deployed to existing farm, then the STSADM catastrophic backup and restore has worked successfully to new farm/servers.
Jonathan K Herschel
1. copy the 12 hive and paste to new server (or install all the solutions/features that you have done previously)
2. Make a copy of the IISMetaBase
3. make Central Admin the same port on new box/farm
4. Make a copy of the InetPubs directory
Just recently, we are migration to x64 and as long as we installed the solutions/features that were custom deployed to existing farm, then the STSADM catastrophic backup and restore has worked successfully to new farm/servers.
Jonathan K Herschel
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