Web Hosting WordPress Sites Are Moving To WPaaS
The VT Hosting WordPress sites are moving to our new WordPress as a Service environment (WPaaS).
This new WPaaS area will be a hosted WordPress install that we will maintain and keep patched, secured, and up to date.
The WPaaS is a cloud based setup and is completely separate from the current Web Hosting environment.
Users will still maintain their site content, and have access through the WP admin console.
If you have strictly a wordpress site, migration to WPaaS will be straightforward.
If you have a wordpress site and other php and database programs/scripts running in your Web Hosting site, we will need to communicate with you
to find a solution for your needs.
Web Hosting VS WPaaS
Web Hosting
1. Access to site files and database through the hosting tool aka www.hosting.vt.edu.
2. WebDAV access to the site files
3. Ability to make folders and give permissions to those folders to either groups or individual users
4. Ability to set entire site access to VT PID only
5. Ability to make and run php scripts
WPaaS
1. Cloud based WordPress environment with ability to add plugins/themes/users ONLY
2. Ability to keep your current VT domain name
3. Maintenance, patching of WordPress base done for you
4. Ordering and renewal of site SSL Certificate done for you
5. NO database access
6. NO SFTP/DAV access
NOTE: themes/plugins – There are general restrictions to software used (by legal), and as far as to what we understand, wordpress authorized themes and plugins are under this Umbrella.
Please review the VT policies concerning software here (Software Purchasing Guidelines)
and this one: (University Contract Signature Policy and Procedures).
Your current site and it’s domain names (www.XYZ.DEPT.vt.edu and XYZ.DEPT.vt.edu) will be online until you finish the new WPaaS duplicate site.
When you decide that you want the WPaaS duplicate to go live/launch, on the next DNS flip day, we will associate your domain name with the
new WPaaS site. After the launch, your “old” site and all of it’s associated links will no longer work.
Initial Setup
- Create the ticket request for the WPaaS site, please include:
a) Admin name eg <John Doe > [Who will be the creator /migrator of the site.]
b) Admin email address eg <johndoe@vt.edu> [Email address of the administrator]
c) The website address eg <www.johndoe.chem.vt.edu>
2. Export entire website from WordPress. (see link below)
After (ticket creation), you will be given the link to your new WPAAS site to complete the site set up process. Please follow the “Recommended Procedures” listed below.
Site Setup
The site setup process will include importing the xml file, installing themes, plugins,importing media images, and setting up the
themes/plugins to re-create the look and feel of your original site. Please follow the “Recommended Procedures” listed below.
There are links below which show the exporting procedure, installing plugins, installing themes, creating child themes, etc.
If you have any questions/issues, please do not hesitate to ask for any assistance, using the link at the top right.
Your “old/original” site will remain until you feel the new site resembles the old site.
Once you are ready to “launch/flip” just put in a ticket, using the link at the above right.
2-26-2019: The WPaaS is PHP version: 7.2, MySQL version: 5.7, and WordPress version: 5.0.1.
Recommended Procedures (to be done in exact order)
- install theme
- install required and needed plugins
- activate plugins
- with wordpress importer, choose defaults for “assign authors” to duplicate what is in the original site, and for “import attachments” choose download and import file attachments”
By doing the above in order and specifically doing number 4 from above, will import all of the associated media from the original site, preserving all links, as well as all of the users and their respective information.
Note: The authors will be imported as “subscribers”, and after the import their roles will need to be changed to reflect what is wanted/needed.
**After the import of your data, you will need to duplicate the theme customizations from your “live/current” site to your “wpaas site”, if there are any.
If there are any other special plugin customizations you will need to do that as well. (Typically: Dashboard -> Theme -> Customization )
Informative WordPress Links
Customizing Your WordPress Site
Creating a Child Theme
EVALUATE YOUR PLUGINS
NOTE: “avoid page builder plugins …This extra code results in a sluggish site.”
Please let us know other information that you feel would be helpful in this process.
Thank you,
The Web Hosting Team