Replying to BackupBuddy - Question from a newbie before to buy - Migrating a site

Hi everyone (and Pierre, thanks for waiting! Replying to you here also), :)

GREAT news today:a brand new version of BackupBuddy has just been released:2.2.14which has MANY new features, including the first release of this exact function of flawlessly dealing with DIFFERENT WordPress URI and Site URI on the domain name. So the entire topic of WordPress address being different from the Site address in WordPress –> Settings is now resolved.

Please go ahead and download it from your Member's panel to test it out. For new/future customers, you can now rejoice and rest assured: you should have no problems at all if your WordPress URL is different than your Site URL in WordPress –> Settings area. BackupBuddy takes care of that perfectly in all of our thorough tests. :)

Since this is the first time we're releasing this exact fix for it,including the brand new MULTISITE Support, please test it out, let us know any suggestions you have, any errors/bugs you run into, etc. Your testing and feedback will let us know what to work on more, what to focus on, etc.

Please be sure to post only one post about each issue in only one forum/category/thread. (you can always pm me anytime to let me know if we miss any reply or topic)

You can post specific questions/comments/etc about this exact version release, if you're an existing customer, in the BackupBuddy forums: <a  href="http://ithemes.com/forum/index.php?/forum/74-backupbuddy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://ithemes.com/forum/index.php?/forum/74-backupbuddy/</a>

Questions related to BackupBuddy and Multisite specifically go in this category: <a  href="http://ithemes.com/support/backupbuddy-ms/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://ithemes.com/support/backupbuddy-ms/</a>

Any Pre-sales related questions regarding this very topic can continue in this very thread, however. :)

Thank you SO VERY MUCH for being patient with us while we addressed this very issue. Let me know if you've any other questions.

Regards,

(also posted in the other related thread: <a  href="http://ithemes.com/forum/index.php?/topic/16452-come-on-backupbuddy-working-when-wordpress-address-is-different-from-the-site-address-general-settings/#p83427" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://ithemes.com/forum/index.php?/topic/16452-come-on-backupbuddy-working-when-wordpress-address-is-different-from-the-site-address-general-settings/#p83427</a>)

Hi,

Thanks Bes, first time that we see a proper and "real" answer from the support here about this problem.

But still waiting now for weeks & weeks. Has the problem been finally fixed?

Where is the titanium update announced for "now" more than one month ago?

Pierre

Hi Robert

It's a Pre-Sales Forum where people are trying to make decisions about a product based on their requirements and "the devil is in the detail" as the saying goes ;-)

With all due respect there is insufficient information in your question to be able to make a definitive yes/no answer so all I can say is that if your installation matches the working scenario I gave (which when viewed externally matches your description) then it will work. If it doesn't match or you do not know whether it matches then you would be best advised to delay your purchase if this is your sole requirement - which is the same advise I gave to the OP :-)

If you would like me to explain then of course I can but I understand from your post that more detailed explanations may not be what you are looking for.

Regards...jeremy

Hi Robert [and everyone else],

Thanks for posting [and for sharing your site configuration.]

BackupBuddy, while working even in such cases, is not currently always flexible with the URLs as mentioned in this scenario when it comes to importing.

The direct answer: Basically, BackupBuddy works fine in updating different WordPress and Site URLs, both being different, but does not update [when importing] things like text widgets or text widget settings, as an example [mainly in widgets] on the import end, for such sites where the WordPress URL and the Site URL is different.

Solution: An update to importbuddy.php is coming out soon [as this issue arises on the import side - the backup side works fine atm] that addresses this very specific issue and makes the import more flexible with such url differences [meaning it makes the actual import work perfectly or as much accurate as possible] in such scenarios the way it does with current sites where the WordPress and Site URL is the same.

Does that help? I hope that clears things up! When the new update comes out [any day now] you can actually use the new importbuddy.php it right away and let us know how it goes; hopefully it will work perfectly for your exact case right out of the box.

Please let us know if you've any other questions, and thanks for working this out with us!

Regards,

Good day,

I can understand the feeling of Paulina. Honestly, it feels a bit like playing the "Russian roulette".

Jeremy, these answers are very lengthy, and it sounds more like a philisophical course about the duties of the support than just a technical confirmation ;-).

I am also in this technical configuration. As I am lazzy, I will just copy and paste the description of Paulina:

Quote

I have addresses used in a lot of widgets (<a  href="http://localhost/www.mywebsite.co.za" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://localhost/www.mywebsite.co.za</a>) that have to change during the migration process.

So really, is it working or not in this configuration?

Maybe I am wrong, but I don't see why this description or process should be really influenced by or would need a deeper knowledge of my sites to give an answer.

Thanks to confirm asap as new major client migration needs arise quickly on my side.

Robert

Hi Paulina

I can assure you that your geographical location has no bearing at all on the responses that I have made to your enquiry - in fact I have no idea where you are located as the use of a specific domain has no specific relationship to where you as the owner of that domain may be located. My responses are based purely on the questions you ask and the responses you give to questions I ask :-)

As I mentioned previously, I understand that you are looking for certainty and it is of course your decision as to whether based on my responses (and any other information you wish to take into account) you believe that you are certain enough to proceed and of course I would always advise that if you are not certain then make your decision appropriately.

Because this is a complex situation you will be aware that I was asking a lot of questions and in the end I did not feel that I had sufficient evidence to make a call on your specific site and installation. For that reason I instead chose to provide a "reference" scenario which you, in conjunction with your technical support, could compare, using your combined specific and detailed knowledge of your site, to decide whether or not it would match that reference scenario. I hoped that I had pitched this at the right level, for example, based on the fact that your technical support understood and were concerned about serialized data I felt that they would be able to understand the details of the scenario to compare with your site. I can only apologise if I misjudged this and left you even more confused :-(

Of course as this is a public forum anyone else can post their own opinions and experiences and I have no objection to that provided they are sensible and not misleading. However you should also consider that any advice you may be given or any assertions that may be made are also based upon assumptions about your situation unless the person making such has specific access to or knowledge of your site - they may have, I cannot say. I can't comment on whether these may be correct or not.

As an official support function I prefer not to make assumptions unless I clearly state what these are so that anyone reading them can confirm the validity of the assumption and/or seek clarification. Such a responsibility is not incumbent upon any other contributor.

I fully respect your decision that you do not wish to proceed at this time and I hope that the information and explanations I have provided above will give you an idea of the approach I take on these support forums (be they public or member only) and also how to weigh and consider other useful contributions. The products will still be here when you feel the time is right for you ;-)

Regards...jeremy

Ok, thanks to all.

Maybe because I'm coming from a so called third world country, my perceived risk is still fairly high.

Some user say it is not going to work for the moment in my configuration (and they seem pretty well aware and documented on the thing).

On the other side, support sounds quite elusive on this specific topic (not specifically you Jeremy but based on what I read in the other threads of the forum).

There is also a no refund policy ($150 is really quite an amount here) in case I can't use it just after my purchase for what I am supposed to...

So nobody else from iThemes with an official statement on this (even just saying for example "No there is absolutely no problem with this, and we assure you it is going to be really ok from day one - or - Yes we have a problem with this but the 'Titanium hip' update is going to fix it definitely on Month/Day/Year")?

Paulina

Hi Gilbert

I am using V2.2.10.

Regards...jeremy

Hi Jeremy,

Sorry for jumping in, but with the current version of BackupBuddy (2.2.10), the setup described by Paulina is not currently going to work (what she described is basically the same setup that the one I am stuck with since end of June): 'Home Url' different from 'Site Url', need to change links in widgets due to a migration.

See http://ithemes.com/forum/index.php?/topic/16452-come-on-backupbuddy-working-when-wordpress-address-is-different-from-the-site-address-general-settings/ for reference, specifically entries on 27/07.

Could you confirm which version you have access? Maybe it is a new one not currently officially released?

@Paulina,

BackupBuddy seems to be a nice product, and a lot of users are apparently very happy with it, but in this specific configuration, there is room for improvements (basically it doesn't work - I know for sure, I bought it - and there is no workaround for this problem currently).

The dev team is however apparently working on it, and situation could change in the near future.

A weekly news was published on 27.07.2011:

2. ImportBuddy is getting new upgrades this week. ImportBuddy is the
importing feature for BackupBuddy, so if you use BackupBuddy to migrate or
restore a site, you are already using it. And now it will be even more
robust. Matt Danner, COO of iThemes, described it this way: "It is like
ImportBuddy is getting a titanium hip. It will look the same on the
outside, but be even more super powerful on the inside". 

But for the moment (7th August) this 'upgrade' has not been released as announced. Not sure also what is included in details with the "titanium hip'. Hopefully, soon we will know.

Hi Paulina

Thanks for the additional information.

Yes, in general the migration process is trouble-free. Of course I understand your desire for certainty but with a complex product operating in a complex and uncertain environment there are always opportunities for unforeseen issues an it would be negligent in advising you if I did not point that out as I am sure you will agree.

Indeed, if such certainty were ever possible then, in general, there would be no need for support Forums as you will find here and for many other products from many other vendors. The vast majority of Customers will have no problems or simply need pointing in the right direction whilst a few need a little more support to overcome trickier problems.

For your particular case, if, with your technical support, you can identify that your installation is consistent with the scenario that I previously described then your migration should go as described, subject to the condition(s) I described above.

It is not my intention to be unhelpful in my response but at the same time I would ask you to consider whether, without me having your intimate knowledge of your site, your local development environment and your new host/server, whether your expectation of a 100% guarantee is reasonable.

Regards...jeremy