Migrating Moodle from windows to Linux

1.0 What you need to start

1. Download the latest CentOS5 ISOs for DVD or CDs from: http://centos.org/

2. A test x86 desktop computer, keyboard, monitor, mouse, and firewalled internet connection.

3. One hour of quite time and a good supply of coffee. (seriously!)

2.0 Backing up things

• First you'll need to back up three things

• your current Moodle database.

• you can use mysqldump ex: mysqldump -u yourUsername -p youPassword moodleDatabaseName > sqlFileOfBackup.sql

• Or from phpMyAdmin: select the database > Export
  

• Moodle software installation folder .

• copy your moodle folder

• Data directory contents (moodledata).

• Copy the contents of your data directory (check for the value in $CFG->dataroot) to the new server

3.0 Install The OS

• If you haven't already installed your linux distro, go grab one from here (i've chosen centOs for you ;) ).
• Install The OS, use this url http://www.howtoforge.com/perfect-server-centos-5.2 to make your perfect server or you can skip this step.
• Make sure you Select only the following components:
  • Editors
  • Text base Internet
  • Development Libraries
  • Development Tools
  • Administration Tools
  • Base
  • System Tools
• Once the system reboots disable firewall and SElinux.
• run yum update to be sure your system is fully up to date.
• Reboot the system.

4.0 Check for (Or install) Apache

usually CentOS comes with an installed Apache server, but just to be on the safe side check

• check if apache server already exists
• use command httpd
• if it dosen't exist use: yum install httpd httpd-devel
• Start your Apache server: httpd -k start

5.0 Install MySQL Server

• use the command: yum install mysql mysql-server mysql-devel
• start MySQL service daemon : service mysqld start
• change your MySQL server root password

• mysql> USE mysql;
  mysql> UPDATE user SET Password=PASSWORD('newpassword') WHERE user='root';
  mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

• Once done, check by logging in:

  • mysql -u root -p
  • Enter Password:

6.0 Enable Remote access on MySQL database
you need edit the mysql configuration file my.cfg using text editor such as nano

• Type nano /etc/my.cnf

• Once file opened, locate line that read as follows [mysqld]

• Make sure line skip-networking is commented (or remove line) and add following line bind-address=YOUR-SERVER-IP

For example, if your MySQL server IP is 65.55.55.2 then entire block should be look like as follows:
[mysqld]
user = mysql
pid-file = /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid
socket = /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
port = 3306
basedir = /usr
datadir = /var/lib/mysql
tmpdir = /tmp
language = /usr/share/mysql/English
bind-address = 65.55.55.2
# skip-networking
....
..
Where,
bind-address : Your MySQL IP address
skip-networking : Don’t listen for TCP/IP connections at all. All interaction with mysqld must be made via Unix sockets. This option is highly recommended for systems where only local requests are allowed. Since you need to allow remote connection this line should removed from file or put it in comment state.

• Save and Close the file

• Restart your mysql service to take change in effect using service mysqld restart
• login to my sql again using : mysql -u root -p and write your password
  

• Grant access to remote IP address
• now, create new user moodleuser with password anotherpassword in order to make the application server ip serverIP able to connect with i
• mysql> GRANT SELECT,INSERT,UPDATE,DELETE,CREATE,DROP,INDEX,ALTER ON moodle.* TO moodleuser@serverIP IDENTIFIED BY 'anotherpassword';
  mysql> flush privileges;
  mysql> quit

• Logout of MySQL using exit

7.0 Open MySQL connection port 3306

• You need to open port 3306 using iptables by
  

• open Linux iptables firewall using:
  
• /sbin/iptables -A INPUT -i eth0 -p tcp --destination-port 3306 -j ACCEPT
• OR only allow remote connection from your web server located at 10.5.1.3:
• /sbin/iptables -A INPUT -i eth0 -s 10.5.1.3 -p tcp --destination-port 3306 -j ACCEPT
• Test it from remote system or your desktop using telnet 65.55.55.2 3306

8.0 change Moodle url in the SQL file

If you have a new URL, you'll need to change this in the Moodle database to the new server. This is needed as links to pictures, files, etc are stored as absolute links and will reference the old $CFG->wwwroot value, you can do this in two ways

• using replace.php while your site is currently running just before you backup the Moodle database.
  
• Point your browser to http://yourserver.com/admin/replace.php
  
• Enter the url for your old server (http://oldserver.com/) and new server (http://newserver.com/) and it will fix the mysql tables.
  
• clear out any cached links by restarting your webserver.
• OR backup the Moodle database first, then use the search and replace feature of your text editor
• ex: sed command: sed -e 's/oldserver.com(or ip)/newserver.com(or ip)/g' oldmysqldump.sql > newmysqldump.sql

9.0 Restore your Moodle Installation

• copy moodle installtion folder to your web server pages address
• EX. /var/www/html/
• copy you moodle data folder to the root folder of the server
• ex. /var/www/

• give it 777 premission in oreder to make it accessible to the system
• chmod 777 /var/www/moodledata
• Restore your moodle database
• mysql -u root -p <>
  

• Change Moodle Config.php prams

• change the Database address to the remote MySql db address
• change the DBUserName to the user name that you've created (moodleuser) and put his password (anotherpassword)
• change the moodle base url the the new root ApplicationServer IP/Moodle root Folder Name
• change the moodle root to the phsyical address of the moodle installation on the hard desk /var/www/html/moodle
• change the moodle data path to the phisycal address on HD /var/www/moodledata

10.0 Test your Migration