Migrating a number of sites - some help required

Hi,
I maintain a number of websites that I plan to migrate to my DreamHost account (a Code Monster account).

One of these uses Moveable Type (www.paradox1x.org), one uses CivicSpace (www.phillyfuture.org) and others use server side includes with perl/cgi for simple guestbook functionality.

I have added a domain here for the first of these (www.hunterjames.org). Since this site already exists at my current host, what addresses do I use to browse the new site as I build it, for ftping files, and for telneting into?

Thanks,
Karl

As for seeing yoru work, you'll want to set up a 'mirror' of that domain. Probably you'll want something like hunterjames.dreamhosters.com. then you'll be able to access your website and the MT interace through that sub-doain till you switch the DNS over.

As for FTP and telnet access you should have gotten that information in an welcome E-mail. But it should be somethign on the order of

machine.dreamhost.com/domain.com (for FTP and)

machine.dreamhost.com (for telnet)

If you're not sure what machine or server you're on check out panel.dreamhost.com > Domains > Manage > look and see what's under the Server heading for your domain (not the mirrored one)

hope this helps.



-Matttail

I'm sorry I don't understand. www.hunterjames.org is already hosted somewhere else and I want to migrate it here. I need a preview site here in order to do that. How?

Thanks for the ftp and telnet help.

Yeah, I too wouldn't mind being able to test my sites before moving them...
eg: http://dreamhostip/mysite.com/

before I change dns servers..

First you have to have added hunterjames.org as a fully hosted domain in your dreamhost panel.
Domains > Add > Fully Hosted

Next you have to add an mirrored domain. Put in something like hunterjames.dreamhosters.com. You can used dreamhosters.com as a free service provided by dreamhost. This is an allready registerd doamin that you can add subdomains onto for what ever purpose.
Now click on Park/mirrored/redirect. Add it on to your current plan. Now select "A mirror of an other site's content" and select hunterjames.org from the drop down menu. Clcick continue.

You should now get a confirmation message. You don't need to worry about the DNS names as dreamhosters is allready registered. After a bit you'll be able to go to hunterjames.dreamhosters.com and view the site content that you have added here at dreamhost- and will have no effect on or from your domain as it is on the other host.

You can also check out the Kbase for more info about this.



-Matttail

In reply to:

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I need a preview site here in order to do that. How?

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If you know how to diddle with your workstation's "hosts" file (MS or *nix) then this is just a matter of getting the IP assigned to your DH www service into that file with a different name; frex, according to my DH DNS I have "www.netdcon.net" assigned on 64.111.103.179; *if* my domain reg had it hosted somewhere else, I would simply edit my "hosts" file to have a line that reads:

64.111.103.179    dev.netdcon.net

...where "dev" just stands for "development" - obviously you can use whatever tickles ya. Then it's just a matter of using "http://dev.netdcon.net" for the test (which your "hosts" file will resolve) and leaving "http://www.netdcon.net" alone to use your current online reg/DNS.
Semi-important caveat: Once you've actually moved, don't forget to back that line out (delete) of your "hosts" file.
Really important caveat: If you don't know how to play with your "hosts" file, the balance of this post is useless.

Hi Matttail, this makes more sense to me now. I appreciate the help. Additionally, the tech staff here helped to get me started.

Thanks :)