Question

What I would like to do is this: For the purposes of testing and upgrading TWiki engine software, I would like to create a transition period where two TWiki engines (at different revision levels) point at the same shared data directory. Our existing TWiki system (based on 01 Dec 2000) is highly customized to this point, and in production. The URL into this engine is currently something like this: http://host/cgi-bin/twiki/view/...

I would hate to disturb the existing production system, at this point.

So then, I would like to create a second TWiki system based on the recently distributed software (01 Sep 2001), and its URL would be different from the production system, e.g., something like this: http://host/cgi-bin/twikinew/view/...

But I would install a symbolic link or whatever necessary to share the same data directory.

I haven't seen any discussion (that I've found) on quite this configuration, so I thought I would ask. The locking, etc., is kept in data, so I think it should work.

• Has anybody tried this?
• Are there other transition strategies for production system upgrades?
• Are there any gotchas?

.

• TWiki version: 01 Dec 2000, 01 Sep 2001
• Web server: Apache/1.3.14 (Unix)
• Server OS: Linux / 2.2.16-3smp
• Web browser: Netscape 4.7, other versions
• Client OS: NT, Linux, ...

-- WadeStebbings - 26 Sep 2001

Answer

I have done that at work and it is described in TWikiUpgradeGuide. I could test out the new installation in detail using a temporary URL, then switched over to the new installation within a blink. Users did not notice anything, and I informed them after the fact (we have over 700 registered users at work and over 4000 topic updates per month).

During the transition period you need to watch out that you change topics with the old installation only, so that users on the old installation do not get surprized with new META tags showing up in topics. I only created some topics for testing using the new installation.

-- PeterThoeny - 26 Sep 2001

I suspected that last part--changing only done with the old wiki engine. I noticed lots of new meta stuff, additional %..% keywords in templates, etc., which of course wouldn't be processed right with the older wiki engine. Thanks for the very quick answer!

-- WadeStebbings - 27 Sep 2001