This afternoon, I’m working on moving the development instance for a client from my test server to his host provider, cBeyond. The first thing I did was to back up his existing site with FileZilla to my local hard drive. I then went into phpMyAdmin on his host site and backed up his existing WordPress database instance.

I then went into MySQL Workbench on my development server and exported the WordPress Schema. I then imported the database Schema into the host provider using phpMyAdmin. Next, I used FileZilla to upload all the WordPress site files from my development server to the cBeyond host server. This took about 15 minutes to complete.

I then logged back into phpMyAdmin, and ran the following sql query:

I then edited the results for option_name = ‘home’ to ‘http://www.clearlakeautoservice.com’. I also edited the results for option_name = ‘siteurl’ to same.

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I was able to spend some time continuing to add plugins and expand my personal web site this evening. I first installed the All in One SEO Pack plugin, and configured the basic fields necessary to boost my site’s presence on the web.

Also added WP Mail SMTP plugin. This is necessary for me to send out emails from the feedback form.

Also installed Simple Tags plugin. This plugin should assist me with adding tags.

Other plugins installed: Akismet, Fast and Secure Contact Form, Hello Dolly, SI CAPTCHA Anti-Spam

Also worked on the Clear Lake Auto Service web site. Getting it ready to move in tomorrow.

I spent most of the day installing and configuring WordPress for my personal web site. The site that I’m currently posting this blog entry. I’ve decided that BlogEngine.Net, while a nice blog server, it isn’t best suited for my needs. I need something really lightweight as my web server is not exactly a speedy machine.

This will be a brief summary of my steps from my feeble memory! What I’ve done so far…

Logged into IIS7 Manager Console and used the Web Platform Installer to install WordPress. I installed it several times to different locations before I got it just the way I wanted it. I also installed the latest MySQL Workbench 5.2 beta. This will come in most handy.

I also installed a WordPress instance to begin developing a new web site for Clear Lake Auto Service, a client of mine who really wants to get a new design.

I installed the Arjuna Theme, and began some minor customizations. I read through some of the WordPress online documentation as well to start getting an understanding of the design as I’m sure I’ll want to customize it.

I installed several Plugins. First, the Fast and Secure Contact Form, and second was the SI CAPTCHA Anti-Spam.

I added several pages and customized how the home page works (as a static page). I added several users, my page categories, and began moving the posts over from my Technotes Blog.

One key point I wanted to make note of is that upon first installing WordPress, delete the original page that is listed. Then re-create a new page to show your blogs. This will prevent a problem with duplicate ‘Home’ pages showing if you wish to implement a static home page some time later. I learned this the hard way!

That’s all I can remember for now…

Today I’m researching WordPress for Clear Lake Auto Service a client of mine. They are looking to upgrade their website to be more easily updated. So, I thought this software to be a perfect fit. They are currently being hosted by c-beyond, and c-beyond allows them to run PHP and MySQL, so it should install quite easily.

To install the WordPress software, I first read through the installation instructions found at installing WordPress. After verifying that c-Beyond’s hosting does meet the requirements, I downloaded the latest WordPress software release download (v2.9.2 as of 4/29/2010) and extracted the wordpress folder to a temp directory.

Next, I logged into the C-Beyond control panel for the web site and initialized the MySql database. I then looked under the AddOns folder, and I noticed that WordPress is already an installable package. So I installed it directly off the C-Beyond site. I then upgraded it to the current version using the auto-upgrade tab already in the software.