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Mefi Wiki:Transition

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Transition check list

  1. Wait for the configuration of the new site to have been completed.
  2. Update new wiki page at http://mefiwiki.com/wiki/Mefi_Wiki:About to accurately reflect new host and whatever protective measures we ultimately decided were appropriate for the new wiki.
  3. Schedule a time when both Adrian and James are available so that a smooth transfer can occur.
  4. Put the wiki at mssv.net into read only mode. See instructions at ( http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Lock_the_database ) for directions on how to lock the wiki. I suggest adding the following to LocalSetttings.php:
    $wgReadOnly = "The MetaFilter Wiki has moved to [http://mefiwiki.com mefiwiki.com.] Editing at this site has been disabled.";
  5. Try to edit http://mssv.net/wiki/index.php/Sandbox at mssv.net/wiki. Confirm that edits are forbidden.
  6. Perform a final backup of the wiki at mssv.net/wiki. See instructions at ( http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Backing_up_a_wiki ). Distribute this final backup privately.
  7. Also consider doing an XML dump ( http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Backing_up_a_wiki#XML_dump ) of mssv.net/wiki. Unlike a backup, the XML dump doesn't contain sensitive information and can be posted to a public location (perhaps link it from the Archives section of the front page of the new wiki).
    php dumpBackup.php --full > old_wiki_dump.xml
    Step 7 was skipped, as Adrian doesn't have the necessary access to perform it.
  8. Reproduce any significant edits done to the wiki at mssv.net to the wiki at mefiwiki.com since the time the export was done from mssv.net. The following URL can be used to see any edits done to mssv.net after the export:
    http://mssv.net/wiki/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges&limit=500&from=20130705220000
  9. Rename the main "index.php" for the wiki at mssv.net to something like "old_index.php".
  10. Put the redirect script "index.php" in the location of the original "index.php" file. You can find the redirect script here as a zip file (unzip it before using).
  11. Test various URLs that used to go to pages on the wiki and confirm that they redirect to the new wiki. The links to pages on the wiki in the MetaFilter FAQ are good tests for working redirection:
    http://faq.metafilter.com/tags/wiki
  12. Perform an initial backup of the new wiki at mefiwiki.com. See instructions at ( http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Backing_up_a_wiki ). Distribute this initial backup privately.
  13. Also consider doing an XML dump ( http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Backing_up_a_wiki#XML_dump ) of the new wiki at mefiwiki.com.
    php dumpBackup.php --full > new_wiki_dump.xml
  14. Everybody tests the new wiki and the redirection from the old wiki. If everything is working OK, change "Test_Mode" to FALSE in the redirect script "index.php" on mssv.net. This changes the redirects from temporary to permanent redirects.
  15. Make sure things are still working OK. If things are working, Adrian can archive the old wiki and remove it from his server, should he so desire. Hopefully he can continue to run the redirection script at http://mssv.net/wiki/index.php for at least a year or two (and hopefully indefinitely, to avoid breaking old links in the MeFi comment archives).
  16. Ask the mods at MeFi to update the two links in the MetaFilter "chrome" to use the new wiki location, instead of relying on the redirection script:
  17. Ask the mods at MeFi to update the MeFi FAQ content to use the new wiki location, instead of relying on the redirection script. I know of at least eighteen URLs in the FAQ:
  18. The FAQ entry about the wiki at http://faq.metafilter.com/9/What-is-the-MetaFilter-wiki will need a slight edit to the description of the wiki, since the new wiki is run by James Young instead of Adrian Hon.
  19. Post to MetaTalk announcing the move of the wiki to its new location.
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