steps needed to make dev site live

[kitdang]

Miva,

I would like to turn my dev site live tomorrow. Aside from logging a ticket, is there anything else I need to worry about? I am not using your migration tool since it wasn't available when I start working on the site. Just wanted to make sure I got all the basis covered.

Thanks

[ILoveHostasaurus]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

Typically the two things you'd want to do are open a ticket and schedule a time, as that lets us schedule a specific person to handle it at the time you and they can agree on, and, have the next order number in the dev site store bumped up to not overlap with the live site. Often times, a dev site will be created by cloning the live, the live site then keeps taking orders, dev site goes live and now you've got order numbers repeating.

[kitdang]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

David,

Thanks for the suggestion. My biggest issue is more toward the sync of orders. We do use Stone Edge for order management. Since the dev site is a new site with no prior orders, we need to process all the orders before making the switch? So will the assigned support person work with us to coordinate what is required? We can run a batch an hour prior to the cut over but might have to run tracking prior to the switch?

Thanks

[kitdang]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

also, will the old site switch to dev and can we access the old site?

[ILoveHostasaurus]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

Yes, what you'll want to include in your ticket is the fact that you need an exact time schedule so you can maintenance mode, download orders, have them flipped, reset new order number, open back up, preserve previously live store as dev store. The old store will then be accessible on the dev url until you have it removed.

[kitdang]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

Where do I go to set the order number? I remember setting it long time ago but I can't find it in mm9.

[lesliekirk]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

Where do I go to set the order number? I remember setting it long time ago but I can't find it in mm9.

The Order Number can only be set during the initial configuration of a store unless you may have had a third party module that enabled you to do so. Ask your host to change the Order number as part of the swap over of your dev store to live.

[ILoveHostasaurus]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

It's stored in the s01_StoreKeys database table; we can change it for you if you provide the number you want it to move to.

[kitdang]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

Thanks David and Leslie. I will provide the order number when coordinating with Support. It's an exciting day! :-)

[agenius]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

Is this something that we can just do ourselves? What is the time frame for support to do it? Could I just swap the directories and make a change on sql for the domain settings area?? or is there something else involve in it?

[ILoveHostasaurus]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

Is this something that we can just do ourselves? What is the time frame for support to do it? Could I just swap the directories and make a change on sql for the domain settings area?? or is there something else involve in it?

If it's a dedicated server with full shell access, then it would be possible to move the necessary directories around, otherwise you'd need to download both, delete, upload back in opposite directions which would be quite time consuming. It's best to schedule a specific time for a site "go live" with support, then it can happen exactly when you would like and a resource will be dedicated to doing it at that time.

[doakh]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

I assume I can build a client's design on my development site and then have it migrated to their domain on Miva's server? If so, the cost would be the 'Miva Merchant Migration Service' price?

[ILoveHostasaurus]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

I assume I can build a client's design on my development site and then have it migrated to their domain on Miva's server? If so, the cost would be the 'Miva Merchant Migration Service' price?

You can do that at no cost, with a few caveats that can complicate things. The built-in framework export/import would let you make all the template changes you want, create new pages if needed, etc., export the framework to a file, import the framework file on the customer store, and now all your changes have been applied.

Now, the issues. First, you would ideally want to ensure the store versions are the same, and preferably current. If they were different, you could encounter unexpected results if the source store is newer as template code there may be incompatible with the older store when installed. Second, if third party modules are installed, and being used in the templates, you'd need to make sure you have the same ones in your dev store because you'd need to have the relevant items turned on in the relevant pages.

[doakh]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

So what happens when you build on the client's Miva server, for example....name.mivamerchant.net and then you migrate it to name.com on Miva's server. I just did this, but the client did the migration with Miva and I do not know the costs associated with that.

The reason I ask is I would like to get final payment prior to migrating to their domain. This has only happened to me once, which is enough.

[ILoveHostasaurus]

Re: steps needed to make dev site live

So what happens when you build on the client's Miva server, for example....name.mivamerchant.net and then you migrate it to name.com on Miva's server. I just did this, but the client did the migration with Miva and I do not know the costs associated with that.

The reason I ask is I would like to get final payment prior to migrating to their domain. This has only happened to me once, which is enough.

Ah, that makes sense. There are a few scenarios.

If the live site is hosted elsewhere and the site here is just operating on the temp URL until ready, then it's simply a matter of pointing the domain to us and 'going live.' Nothing really occurs on the server for that other than directing the DNS to point here. There is no fee involved. This can sometimes have issues if third party modules have been installed in the new store, because of the fact that it is running on a temp domain and some modules license to the domain. Typically what should be done in that case is contact the module developer in advance and find out if their modules work that way and if anything special needs to be done at the time of switching the store to run on the main domain name. Many times the respective developer will have to update something on their license server.

If the site is live here and in need of service-affecting changes, then what would typically occur is the site owner would request we set up a dev site for them, whether it be a copy of the live site or a fresh install of Merchant. That carries a $50 fee on shared hosting accounts. When the dev site is ready to take the place of the live site, we perform that task, there is no charge. This usually has no issues with third party mods.

If there's a site hosted here that you want to work on, and you are also hosted here or have a development account here, then given the proper permissions from all parties involved, we could copy the customer's live store to your development area, for the same $50 fee. When complete, we move it back in place of the live site, or move the live site to a subdomain for safe keeping if needed and then move the new site in place. This scenario has the same third party module issue as the first since the store would be running on a different domain name.

If you've built a site elsewhere and want us to copy it to a server here, generally that would be free if the account here is new, since our free setup includes migration of Miva Merchant sites from elsewhere if applicable. If you've built a site elsewhere to replace an existing site we already host, it would be free if we'd not previously done a migration for the respective domain at the time of original setup. If we had, it would likely involve a fee.

Now, all that being said, let's get back to your other question of developing content and having a payment dispute. If you've developed the content on a server elsewhere, or on your own account here, then that would be an easy one as you would just require payment be complete before the content is shifted to your customer's account. If you've developed content on a development subdomain of the customer's account with us, or you've developed content on an account opened by the customer here prior to the live domain pointing at it, then from our perspective, the data present in their account is theirs unless we are instructed otherwise by a court of law.

We have encountered this issue before, and have had developers who still possessed login credentials log in and delete all the site content, but given that we have no authority to decide ownership of data, our customers often just have us restore what had been deleted, or perhaps they had already taken their own backup as well. I cannot give you legal advice, but I'd recommend against taking that kind of action if the possibility to do so existed.

So, one option would simply be a sales model similar to our design group; pay in advance, not afterward. We work with the customer to define a project plan and set deliverables, then estimate the hours it will require. Blocks of hours are pre-paid, we consume them as the project progresses. When the hours are exhausted, a new block is purchased. You could choose to refund unused hours at project completion or hold them for future projects as applicable.

Another option, beyond simply having a contract that lays out the deliverables and payment schedule for those if you're not billing in advance, would be to include a provision that you retain copyright to the content you develop until some mutually agreeable action by you has been taken.

Provided the action to transfer the copyright has not been taken, then you would be able to file a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) claim with us that a customer we're hosting is displaying content you possess a copyright for without your authorization. A DMCA claim is done under the penalty of perjury if untrue, and the law requires we notify the customer and remove the content within a specific amount of time if no counter claim is filed. If the customer on our side disagrees with your claim, they have the option to file a counter, with the same risk and we back out at that point. You would then take legal action. The copyright aspect gives you more options because we'll take your content down if the customer does not respond, and if they do counter claim, they take a risk by asserting that no, the content is theirs, if you later prove them wrong.