Many Publisher implementations use a development site to create and test Publisher objects before exposing them to end users. The development site is a copy of the Publisher implementation on the production site that is accessible to end users. To support this configuration, Publisher objects can be moved between sites without disrupting settings using the ALI portal administrative user interface.
By using the Migration - Import and Migration - Export utilities on the portal Administration page, you can import and export Publisher folders, folder metadata and folder content.
You can also use the migration utilities to deploy objects and content to Publisher environments outside of your production, staging, or development sites. For example, you can use the utility to migrate custom applications, components, or portlet templates to various application developers, partners, or licensed customers.
You can migrate the following Publisher objects:
Objects with internal relationships managed using UUIDs, such as portlets, portlet templates, users, and groups.
You cannot migrate objects whose internal relationships are managed using object IDs, rather than UUIDs. These are objects like crawler links, saved search links, and publish to directory cards.
Published content portlet objects such as Data Entry Templates, Presentation Templates, content items, file content items, and folders.
Workflow definitions that are attached to folders.
You must also meet the following criteria for a successful Publisher migration:
Objects can be migrated only between server instances of the same version.
If you expire a publishable object, make sure that you are expiring it in the same site in which it was published. For example, if you publish an object in the production site, migrate it to the development site, expire it in the development site, and then migrate it to the production site, it will not be expired in the production site.
Content items submitted to workflow must complete the workflow process prior to migration. If a content item that has not completed the workflow process is migrated, the item will not be in workflow in the target site.
Migrating Publisher objects is a two-step process:
Create a content package by exporting the objects from the source site.
Import the content package to the target site.
Exporting Publisher Objects
To migrate your Publisher objects, you must create a content package by exporting from the source site:
In the ALI portal, go to Administration.
In the Select Utility drop-down list, choose Migration - Export.
On the left, click Publisher Resources.
Launch the Folder picker window by clicking Add Folders.
Select one or more folders to export. Click OK.
The folders you selected are now listed under Resources. For each folder you can use the check boxes to choose whether or not Sub-folders, Folder Metadata, or Folder Content should be exported. Note:
By choosing Folder Metadata but not Folder Content, only folder settings will be exported.
If a folder listed is a sub-folder of another listed folder, the settings applied to the sub-folder will override the settings defined for the parent folder.
When you are satisfied with your folder selections, click Finish.
If prompted to confirm proceeding with the export, click OK. The command line export utility is not applicable to Publisher objects.
A window will display the status of the migration (successful), the name of the migration package (.pte), and the name of the content package (.zip). Make note of the name of the .zip file.
You will be prompted to save the migration package (.pte). The .pte file should be saved to your harddrive. In addition, the migrated project items are stored in a content package (.zip) in the following location:
You will need both files to import the package into the target site.
Importing Publisher Objects to the Target Site
After you have created a content package containing the folders you want to migrate, import the package into the target site by doing the following:
Copy the content package (.zip) to the following location on the target server before attempting to import the .pte: <portal installation directory>\ptcs\<version>\settings\migration.
In the ALI portal, go to Administration.
In the Select Utility drop-down list, choose Migration - Import.
Enter the File Path or Web Address of the migration package (.pte), or click Browse and find the migration package in your filesystem.
Click Load Package.
Navigate to the Publisher Resources page by clicking the link Publisher Resources, which appeared on the left when you loaded the package.
The Publisher Resources page displays the name of the content package (.zip) that is expected. Be certain that this file is in the <portal installation directory>\ptcs\<version>\settings\migration folder on the target server before you continue.
Choose Yes to overwrite existing objects. This option applies to every object that might be overwritten by an object in the package you are importing. Object overwriting is enforced by UUID and not by object name.