Cloning a site within the same multi-site server

[NeilParticipant]

Note: I’ve submitted a support ticket — but since I’m short on time, I’m posting here as well (it would be helpful for others to see the info anyway, I believe).

I have a site that changes substantially each year. Rather than just blow out the prior year, I want to clone the site (pro.abc.com) — rename it 2015-pro.abc.com, and then have both sites on that multisite server.

I can see how to migrate from one server to another. Or how to restore a backup for just one site. But, I don’t see how to duplicate or clone the site on the SAME multisite server so that there’s two copies of the site.

This isn’t just useful in my scenario, but even if someone wanted to clone a site as “starter” for their next site.

Hints?

Thanks!

Neil

[udadminKeymaster]

Hi Neil,

UpdraftPlus can currently, clone an entire multisite, import a single site into a multisite, and restore a single site of a multisite backup (replacing) – but doesn’t currently have a facility to clone a site within a multisite to a second site within that multisite. But, we’ll note your interest in the idea – the more interest, the more likely to be coded.

David

[NeilParticipant]

Ok … let’s take another tact then that would be a workaround for me. If have ANOTHER multi-site server, what would be the best way to migrate a SINGLE site (of the multisite) to ANOTHER multisite server, but without disturbing the existing domains. You can assume that the single site has a different fqdn than all the sites in the target multisite.

[NeilParticipant]

While David is hopefully answering, and presuming that there’s a good way to do this, let me explain how this will work for someone else so that it’s nicely documented here. Let’s say you have the site pro.abc.com and you want to have two copies in the end — pro.abc.com and 2015-pro.abc.com — which are clones of each other (at least to start, what you do with them after, will make them diverge).

1. Server 1 already has a copy of pro.abc.com
2. Migrate pro.abc.com to Server 2
3. On Server 2, rename pro.abc.com to be 2015-pro.abc.com
4. Migrate (from Server 2) 2015-pro.abc.com back to Server 1
5. Make sure you have a DNS entry for 2015-pro.abc.com that points to Server 1

You should have two sites now on Server 1:

• pro.abc.com
• 2015-pro.abc.com

Obviously, double check it — and make sure that the multisite configs are right. I’m pretty sure that I’ve thought this through right, but comments are welcome.

Hope that helps others.

Neil

[NeilParticipant]

Bottom line: This doesn’t work …

After blowing out our config several times, and restoring it, I realized there’s some great cloner plug-ins. I used NS Cloner V3, and once I had cleaned up the mess I made, that worked exactly the way I wanted it to.

[Author]

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