Changing domain for multi-site network (subdirectories)

https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Changing_The_Site_URL

Tim —

On the Settings->General screen in a single site installation of WordPress, there are two fields named “WordPress address (URL)” and “Site address (URL)”.

Those directions seem to be for a single site, have you used them successfully for multisite? Which of the four approaches documented would you recommend for debian install of a network with subdirectories?

Thanks.

There’s a section on MultiSite on that page toward the bottom. That should cover the majority of it.

Basically, you have to update wp-config.php and do a search/replace on your database (after doing a full backup!). The search/replace should change the IP address to the domain.

Which of the four approaches documented would you recommend for debian install of a network with subdirectories?

The OS and format of the network does not matter – the process is the same. Which is what Tim said, find and replace in the database. We don’t give a list of tables because it’s most of them.

Andrea, I mention the OS because with the debian install of wordpress I don’t have a wp-config.php, per se.

How would you have wp configured if not with a wp-config file? I mean, I make it common habit to rename my wp-config and move it out of the webroot, but that is still not OS specific, its wp specific.

I mention the OS because with the debian install of wordpress I don’t have a wp-config.php, per se.

Sure you do. One, it’s a required file for it to work, and two… I work on a Debian box myself, for my desktop. If you do not have a wp-config file, then,…. something is up.

Is it symlinked to another one? (which woudl not be OS specific either. maybe host specific.)

sorry, should have been more specific.

the wp install I inherited is a little funky. it replaces the wp-config.php with a new file.

Specifically, wp-config.php instead of having the normal contents contains this:

/** WordPress's Debianised default master config file
Please do NOT edit and read about how the configuration works in the README.Debian
**/

    #https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=435289
    #https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=440572 (underscores, not dashes)
    $debian_server = preg_replace('/:.*/', "", $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']);
    $debian_server = preg_replace("/[^a-zA-Z0-9.\-]/", "", $debian_server);
    $debian_file = '/etc/wordpress/config-'.strtolower($debian_server).'.php';

    if (!file_exists($debian_file)) {
        header("HTTP/1.0 404 Not Found");
  echo "<b>$debian_file</b> could not be found. The file is either not readable by this process or does not exist. <br>
    Please check if <b>$debian_file</b> exists and contains the right password/username.";
        exit(1);
    }

    require_once($debian_file);

With the acutaly wp-config code in a file named config-mydomaingoeshere.php

Sadly, copying that file to config-mynewdomaingoeshere.php results in an “Error establishing database connection” message – presumably this is because I need to do search and replace on my db.

Is there just an easy way to have wp respond to both myIP and mynewdomain?

Thanks for all of your help … it can be a bit challenging to understand which bits of the documentation apply to what situations.

I have never ever seen that in my life. o_O

Please do NOT edit and read about how the configuration works in the README.Debian

So where is this file & what does it say?

Did you install WordPress with a package manager in Debian? Cuz I did mine the normal manual way.

Is there just an easy way to have wp respond to both myIP and mynewdomain?

No, you have to replace all instance of the IP address in the db with the full domain name.

it can be a bit challenging to understand which bits of the documentation apply to what situations.

yours is what we call an edge case. ??

Andrea. Edge case indeed. ??

I inherited this installation — the person who installed it is no longer with the company, so I’m a bit at sea. I’ve only ever dealt with a “normal” installations before and everything usually just works. This is also my first time using the multisite feature, so a bit of a learning curve yet to climb.

I’ve seen other references to “debianized” wordpress sprinkled here and there throughout the forums, but I can’t find the README referred to anywhere on my server or the web.

At this point I will try updating the db. If that fails, I will try re-installing WP manually and using the import feature.

One last question: My company’s current site responds to “companyname.com” and “companynamemisspelled.com” will the latter stop working once I point dns to the wordpress instance?

Thanks again!

My company’s current site responds to “companyname.com” and “companynamemisspelled.com” will the latter stop working once I point dns to the wordpress instance?

I wanna say yes but I dunno.

I’m going to make a note to myself to look up the Debianized package of WP tho.

That depends on how they mapped companynamemisspelled.com

If it’s pointing to companyname.com then it SHOULD be fine (similar to making your own short URL, right Andrea?).

yep.