Re-directing the transitiontowns.org domain to transitionnetwork

[ed]

We're all gee-ed up for this now. Are the correct next steps:

1. take a back up of transitiontowns.org for posterity and dump it somewhere that users can find their stuff later?

2. put the DNS on the front of transitiontowns.org to point to transitionnetwork

?

did we work out how to re-direct individual pages (e.g. from particularly keen initiatives)?

any other thoughts?

[ed]

let's do this thing early next week, mate. thoughts?

[chris]

The plan is:

1. Put a copy of the site, read-only at ​http://2010.archive.transitionnetwork.org/ Ed to do the dns for this and point it at the dev server, Chris to copy site and set up apache.

2. Consider what options there are for Redirects. One option would be to point transitiontowns.org at transitionnetwork.org at a DNS level and then pick up the 404's and add redirects from the web stats or dblog Drupal logs.

3. Ed could perhaps post a blog post about where to find the archive when it's all done.

[ed]

1. will i need a specific URL for the dev server to add to the DNS?
2. am i correct in thinking that we won't do the re-direct until you've looked at 2?
3. I will do a blog post when we've moved...

[chris]

Could you CNAME *.archive.transitionnetwork.org to kiwi.transitionnetwork.org ?

I have set up the archive from the start of 2010 here: ​http://transitiontowns.org.webarch.net/ when the dns is done it will be at ​http://2010.archive.transitionnetwork.org/

And the current transitiontowns.org site, when the dns is done it will be at ​http://2011.archive.transitionnetwork.org/

I have also done a splash page for these sites, see ​http://transitiontowns.org.webarch.net/

I've looked at the ​http://www.pmwiki.org/ options for making the sites read-only and have set an edit password in all the config.php files and commenting out the other passwords, I have also made all the files read-only on the filesystem.

We will however need to keep these sites updated when there are security updates to ​http://www.pmwiki.org/ so I have subscribed to their announcements list and have updated both sites to the latest versions.

[chris]

Regarding the DNS and redirects I think we should perhaps point the domain name at transitionnetwork.org and then pick up on the 404 from the dblogs / google stats / apache error logs and add rewrite rules as need be.

Or perhaps we should have some rewrite rules in place *before* the switch?

[ed]

Good work.

1. Can we do the CNAME on transitionnetwork together (maybe with me driving and skype screen sharing with you guiding)? I've looked at Gandi's DNS and can't work out how to add the CNAME. I'm looking at this:

​https://www.gandi.net/admin/domain/resolve_dns

2. What is the significance of transitiontowns.org being in motion from godaddy to gandi:

​https://www.gandi.net/domain/transfer/confirm?fqdn=transitiontowns.org
Should we wait until it's bedded into gandi?

[chris]

Regarding 1. above, the CNAME needs to be set on the XSSL.NET servers -- we are not yet using gandi.net for DNS for this domain, would now be a good time to change this and switch?

Regarding 2. it's not significant really, for all the transfers I have opted to not change the DNS servers with the transfer. Once the transfers are complete I intend to change them all the gandi.net's DNS servers and set them up to point at sites as appropriate, I can now start this process and I'll update the wiki:DomainNames page and the ticket:126 as I proceed.

[chris]

I forgot to mention that the DNS for transitiontowns.org is at:

DNS1: ns1.wonkybanana.com
DNS2: ns2.wonkybanana.com 

I assume this is OK or should this also be moved to gandi.net?

[ed]

Yeah I was confused.

1) CNAME addition done in cPanel XSSL.NET

2) DNS for transitiontowns.org: still a bit confused - the pointer was being managed at godaddy, correct? So we now point the domain from gandi to wonkybanana? Happy to move the DNS for transitiontowns to gandi.

Errr...

[chris]

Thanks, the archives are now live here:

​http://2010.archive.transitionnetwork.org/
​http://2011.archive.transitionnetwork.org/

But I have some problems, eg 404's from ​http://2010.archive.transitionnetwork.org/Totnes/ to

​http://2010.archive.transitionnetwork.org/Totnes/Main.HomePage
​http://2010.archive.transitionnetwork.org/Totnes/LatestNews/LatestNews

etc

I think I need to get a copy of the apache config from the current server the wiki is on to see what I have missing.

I've squashed some other bugs with the archives.

[chris]

The DNS for transitiontowns.org was and still is at:

DNS1: ns1.wonkybanana.com
DNS2: ns2.wonkybanana.com 

I'll drop Simon a line about it.

[chris]

Archives are fixed for the sub-wikis, it needed some mod-rewrite voodoo:

​http://2010.archive.transitionnetwork.org/Kinsale/Main/HomePage
​http://2010.archive.transitionnetwork.org/Totnes/Main/HomePage

​http://2011.archive.transitionnetwork.org/Kinsale/Main/HomePage
​http://2011.archive.transitionnetwork.org/Totnes/Main/HomePage

So now just to move the DNS to gandi.net, does anyone use @transitiontowns.org email addresses?

[ed]

Good work, Baby Doc Du Croomier.

I know of no-one who uses transitiontowns email address.

[ed]

Please let me know when it's re-pointed - i'm off on friday, suggest you do the final re-point on monday so I can handle any fallout...

[ed]

Errr. .is this re-pointed now? It's pointing at a quince page... best if it's pointing at transitionnetwork.org - I need to make a page and a banner to catch people - I'm getting confused email messages...

[ed]

hmm yeah the links to initiatives pages on the old wiki are 404:
​http://transitiontowns.org/BellingenNSW/BellingenNSW

[ed]

1. 404 page updated with many links
2. homepage banner added to welcome tt.org folks

3. Specific re-directs requested at this point:

From: ​http://transitiontowns.org/BellingenNSW/BellingenNSW
To: ​http://www.transitionnetwork.org/cms/bellingen

From: ​http://www.transitiontowns.org/Lewes/Lewes
To: ​http://www.transitiontownlewes.org/

From: ​http://www.transitiontowns.org/Totnes/Main/HomePage
To: ​http://www.transitiontowntotnes.org/

From: ​http://www.transitiontowns.org/Brixton/Brixton
To: ​http://www.transitiontownbrixton.org/

[chris]

OK, after trying various options I think I have the best solution for this in place, the above URL's all redirect, I'll now document it...

[chris]

It's now documented here: wiki:NewLiveServer#Redirects and it's easy to add more if need be, should this ticket be left open for that?

I have also added links to the two article about it from the archive splash pages, ​http://2010.archive.transitionnetwork.org/ and ​http://2011.archive.transitionnetwork.org/

If not I think we can close it.

[ed]

Looks great.

1. it does not look like I can add re-directs myself? (don't mind, just ntk)
2. let's leave the ticket open this week for gripes/re-directs, and then close it at the beginning of next week.

[chris]

Sorry there is no easy way to add redirects yourself, just ask and it's easy for me to add them.

I have set up ​http://totnes.transitiontowns.org/ to redirect, I think we missed this before.

I have updated the documentation for the redirects, wiki:NewLiveServer#Redirects

And I have updated the static splash pages for each virtual server:

​http://quince.transitionnetwork.org/
​http://kiwi.transitionnetwork.org/

So this ticket is just open for now for requests for additional specific redirects to be set up for old Transition Towns wiki pages.

[ed]

Good work.

Closing this ticket as there have been no requests for direct re-directs...