Hi Tim - Thanks for getting back to me. It's pretty straightforward: A Drupal site has data in two places: the code base (essentially a bunch of php files in a directory structure), and the database (generally MySQL). Transferring a site requires copying the codebase and database over.
The trickier part is in choosing hosting. Drupal is a robust system that has non-trivial requirements. Shared hosting won't cut it - we will need a VPS of some sort. This is part of why I recommend a cloud architecture for eventual hosting, actually. We could get a very cheap Amazon instance running as the base server, and use a simple clustered cache system like Varnish to expand our ability to service traffic. Of course, the way the caching works ultimately will have a lot to do with the intricacies of the ProjectPM system we're building... but for now, it's straightforward.
Do we have a domain name bought already? I also happen to have a paid nameserver service that I use, so it's no big deal to use that for our names if necessary. Beyond that I can get us set up with a projectpm site for our basic needs in under an hour. I would want a conversation about exactly what we want to do first - define a sitemap, that sort of thing. The whole deal shouldn't take too long though, I think we're looking for something basic at this point.
Here's how I propose we proceed:
Week 1 (Oct 4)
* Build sitemap
* Identify functional requirements
* Connect with designer to start the theming process
* Build wireframes, mockups as required
* Buy domain name
Week 2 (Oct 11)
* Base site installation
* Content entry system done
* Menu navigation, simple pages and contact form done
* Temporary design "theme" applied
* Site open to the public
* Caching enabled, performance stress testing
Week 3 (Oct 18)
* Feature additions
* Apply final theme?
Do we have an agenda system in place for the Wednesday meetings? We should start talking about this in IRC asap to knock this out quickly.
Thanks
C
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Campbell Vertesi
Bass
http://campbell.vertesi.com
On Tue, Oct 5, 2010 at 2:07 AM, Tim Ellis
<dynamic@nocturnalcommissions.com> wrote:
Hi Campbell,
That certainly sounds like an ideal solution to me. I imagine we won't have particularly high bandwidth requirements initially while we set up and develop the site; can you tell me a little bit about the process of making the transition from one server to another, if and when the time comes to make the switch?
On Sun, Oct 3, 2010 at 9:41 PM, Campbell Vertesi
<campbell@vertesi.com> wrote:
Hi Tim - I was looking over the task list, and I see that you're working out the hosting/website situation. I actually rent a couple of servers of my own, and I'd be happy to host the site while we get started. I also help several large and high-traffic activist organizations work out their hosting, and I'd like to put my experience at your disposal in choosing a host once we get too big for a single server. Please let me know if I can help at all with this process.
Thanks
Campbell
--
Tim Ellis
Director - Promotions and Marketing
Nocturnal Commissions
www.NocturnalCommissions.com