Tips for preparing multisite, multilingual wordpress installation

  • Greetings,
    I have a Linux VPS server with root access, mysql 4.1.22 and php 4.3.9

    that server hosts the bilingual website https://strider.zona-m.net.

    I want to migrate that (drupal) site to WordPress 3.01 and then set up other bilingual WordPress blogs on the same VPS, all subdomains of zona-m.net. Content is still so little that I’ll probably recreate categories and migrate posts manually, even because I should update several posts anyway (unless there’s a foolproof script to move from drupal 6x to wp3.01, of course, but that’s another topic).

    here are my pre-install questions (I have already browsed and searched around a bit. Now I’m mostly asking for pointers to the right documentation to study, because it’s not so easy to recognize it, but of course if complete answers are very welcome!): the short version is “what’s the performance impact of multisite wordpress, can I use it in the situation below, and which multilingual plugin is the best for my own case?” Here are the details:

    1) in order to simplify maintenance, I would like to make a single install and then set up a network of blogs: blog1.zona-m.net, blog2.zona-m.net etc…
    I am studying https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Create_A_Network now, because I still have to figure out if I can modify the Apache configuration as required. There are other, completely independent domains managed by that same Apache server and I surely can’t mess with them.

    – are the changes to httpd.conf required by multisite wordpress compatible with such a situation?
    – Apart from that, what about performance? Does it make a difference if, say, 5 websites run off the same wordpress install versus having 5 independent installs? (I can set up as many MySql databases as I want, in case it matters)

    2) Multilingual. My _feeling_ is that I should install either ZdMultiLang or wpml.org, but of course I welcome any suggestion.

    What I actually need here is to replicate what already is available at https://strider.zona-m.net. I do all the translations offline and then upload the result, so I have no need for translation support in WordPress itself. I need multilingual UI, possibility to insert different “blocks” (that’s how they’re called in Drupal anyway) in each page depending on its language, multilingual, cross-linked categories and tags. To see what I mean, please go to https://strider.zona-m.net/en/topics/gear and then switch back and forth to/from italian: both the menu under “Marco” and the article lists will change. Ideally (this is a wish, NOT a requirement) even comments should be separated by language: comments made to the italian version should not show on the english one and vice versa.

    So which multilanguage plugin would you recommend in this case? And is any of them much faster than the other, compatible with less themes…

    Thank you all in advance for any input!!!

    Marco

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Thread Starter mfioretti

    (@mfioretti)

    Update: I just discovered that development of ZdMultiLang is officially stopped, and that very likely I can’t change my httpd.conf to support blog networks, that is handling more blogs with one single wordpress 3 install. So almost the only part of my initial question remains:

    Are performance very different when I run 4 blogs with 4 independent wordpress installs instead of doing one blog network?

    THanks,
    Marco

    and that very likely I can’t change my httpd.conf to support blog networks,

    You only need to access that if your host hasn’t set it up for you AND it’s only needed for subdomain blogs, not subfolder ones.

    If you’re only ever going to have 4 blogs though, it may be overkill. Performance issues are usually negligible, until you get larger.

    Thread Starter mfioretti

    (@mfioretti)

    Andrea_r,

    thanks for the answer. However, I am not sure I explained my setup completely.

    As I said in my original post, this is a VPS of which I have the root password, so in a sense I am my own host and have full access to httpd.conf and everything else on the system.

    The problem (if it is a problem, that’s where I get confused) is this:

    the ONE apache server on that vps currently serves several independent domains:

    zona-m.net
    domain1.net
    domain2.com
    …

    As far as I can see now, I have to set up in the next months at least 4, max 7 blogs with WordPress, and they should all be subdomains of zona-m.net

    No matter how I do the above, however, I can’t mess with the ONE httpd.conf in the VPS that may disturb the other domains (which are and will continue to be on Drupal, and have httpd settings/directives in the common httpd.conf that their responsibles decided, not me)

    Therefore, what I’m trying to be sure about is:

    1) since I must use subdomains anyway, not subfolders: will implementing them with blog networks require changes to httpd.conf that may mess with the other domains? Probably no, AFAICT, but of course confirmation is welcome

    2) the overall performance difference/ram consumption etc… of 4/7 single installs vs one multisite/blog network install, as already explained. But if you say that in this scenario the performance difference is negligible, probably it’s much less complicated for me to just go for independent install without messing with Apache more than absolutely necessary.

    Thanks

    1) yes, you have to setup wildcard subdomains in httpd.conf. This is done in the vhost entry for that domain, so in no way affect the other domains. Put it (the vhost for this domain) last in the file. it’s half a line, seriously.

    2) really, you’re overthinking the apache stuff. ?? Imagine a shared webhost that supports this on their accounts. (some do) they’d have a bunch of different installs some multisite, some other CMSs.

    Thread Starter mfioretti

    (@mfioretti)

    Andrea_r,

    you’re absolutely right that I’m overthinking ?? I appreciate your patience. Things looks clearer now, time to try.

    Thanks again,
    Marco

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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