Using ProductCart - More than one active sites on same license?

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More than one active sites on same license?

Printed From: ProductCart E-Commerce Solutions
Category: ProductCart
Forum Name: Using ProductCart
Forum Description: Running your store with ProductCart
URL: https://forum.productcart.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=2431
Printed Date: 27-February-2025 at 12:02am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: More than one active sites on same license?

Posted By: MGatESS
Subject: More than one active sites on same license?
Date Posted: 04-February-2009 at 10:40am

I have a problem:

Our company wants to move our site to a new hosting provider. We're looking into Jolt Digital and we want them to install and activate ProductCart at it's latest version (currently as of this posting: 3.5).

Problem is, we need to keep our OLD site and copy of ProductCart active and running until we upload, update and get ready the new site to go live. From another posting on this forum, someone had registered their license key for their local machine to get everything ready to run, then uploaded everything to the web server only to have the problem of it wouldn't register the software with his license key because it was currently active on his local machine.

Question: can you run 2 active stores on the same license without paying for another license? Even if it's for a time limit (like 7 or 14 days only), I'd need a dual site until everything got setup, tested and was readied to go live on the new web server.

Can it be done, or would we need to purchase another license?

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~ Mark G.

ESS, Inc. - http://www.endoscopy.com/" rel="nofollow - www.endoscopy.com

Replies:

Posted By: Greg Dinger
Date Posted: 04-February-2009 at 10:53am

Just install 3.5 into a seperate productcart folder, but still within the same name.

So where you have http://www.endoscopy.com/productcart/pc/ - http://www.endoscopy.com/productcart/pc/ as your current store, http://www.endoscopy.com/productcart35/pc/ - http://www.endoscopy.com/productcart35/pc/ could be the new 3.5 development store until you launch that.

2 issues arise:

You will need 2 copies of your database. If you are on Access, that's easy. If you are on SQL, it's necessary to restore your production database to a new DB, upgrade it for 3.51, and make sure you are pointing to the correct database.

Search engine spiders will probably find that path so you may want to take action to prevent that such as securing the folder during development.

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GreyBeard Design Group

Certified ProductCart Developer

Web Design/Development/Hosting

http://tinyurl.com/5c8t4t" rel="nofollow - Add-Ons & Custom Code |

Posted By: Greg Dinger
Date Posted: 04-February-2009 at 10:54am

I should note that this way you won't be out of compliance with licensing - and eventually you will want to dump the old productcart folder, replacing it with the new folder. If you do trigger the licensing system, EI can just reset it for you, so no big deal.

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GreyBeard Design Group

Certified ProductCart Developer

Web Design/Development/Hosting

http://tinyurl.com/5c8t4t" rel="nofollow - Add-Ons & Custom Code |

Posted By: MGatESS
Date Posted: 04-February-2009 at 12:14pm

Greg Dinger wrote:

Just install 3.5 into a seperate productcart folder, but still within the same name.

2 issues arise:

Search engine spiders will probably find that path so you may want to take action to prevent that such as securing the folder during development.

I believe that it is an Access database. My problem is, is that we need to have essentially 2 stores on 2 different servers but only temporarily. Once the second store is updated with a copy of our database, catalog images, and tests on functionality have been run, etc., etc., then we'll just close the "old" site and point our domain name (www.endoscopy.com) to the new server.

Is it possible to do this or would we need to purchase a second license for two locations? If we have to go with a new license, would you know if Early Impact would give us a refund or credit from closing the old store or canceling the old license towards the "new" store?

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~ Mark G.

ESS, Inc. - http://www.endoscopy.com/" rel="nofollow - www.endoscopy.com

Posted By: Greg Dinger
Date Posted: 04-February-2009 at 12:31pm

Jolt (or other hosts) typically have the ability to create a temporary URL for the store. In this situation you could continue to reference your domain name at one host, and and the development site on a new host using the temporary URL.

I think what you are saying is that you want the site to continue to run on the old server, and while you migrate to a new host you want to install 3.5 into the new server so that you can do all of your development work over there while leaving the old store alone. That's fine. I do it all the time.

Just make sure you have a temporary URL by which you address the store on the new server until it's been fully migrated, and before you change DNS.

Under these circumstances I see no reason that you would need an extra license. I recall the post you are referring to. Don't worry about it. Even if you do trigger the license activation warning, EI solves it immediately, and what you are describing appears to be totally cool and workable. No big deal.

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GreyBeard Design Group

Certified ProductCart Developer

Web Design/Development/Hosting

http://tinyurl.com/5c8t4t" rel="nofollow - Add-Ons & Custom Code |

Posted By: Hamish
Date Posted: 04-February-2009 at 12:45pm

Hi, A couple of things to be aware of...
When it comes time to migrate to the new server you will almost certainly want to migrate the DB across to preserve sales history etc etc. You should only do this when the two sites are at the same release level as each new release results in changes to the DB. Most changes you amend in the admin pages end up in the DB - so it's possible changes you make on the new site would be lost if/when you move across. Whatever the method you use it needs careful consideration to avoid losing data and / or changes.

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Editing ProductCart Code?

See http://wiki.earlyimpact.com/developers/editcode" rel="nofollow - WIKI Guidelines for Editing ProductCart's ASP Source Code

Posted By: Greg Dinger
Date Posted: 04-February-2009 at 1:02pm

What Hamish says is correct, and with Access, that's very easy. Copy the existing store to the new host, upgrade it (using the temporary URL) to the new 3.51 code, and refine whatever else needs to be done during the transition. That process will include upgrading the database.

Then, the day you are going to transfer DNS pointing to the new host, close the old store (via the admin), copy the current (down-level) database from old host to new host so you get all of the latest sales, run the database upgrade process, and all should be good. Transfer DNS and open the store on the new host.

Do you agree Hamish?

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GreyBeard Design Group

Certified ProductCart Developer

Web Design/Development/Hosting

http://tinyurl.com/5c8t4t" rel="nofollow - Add-Ons & Custom Code |

Posted By: Hamish
Date Posted: 04-February-2009 at 1:40pm

Hi Greg,
In general, yes. However, if changes are made to products / categories etc etc etc on the new copy they will be lost when the "old" database is re-migrated. If it's just a graphical redesign, or similar then all will be well. It depends what the reason is for running the new copy in advance.

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Editing ProductCart Code?

See http://wiki.earlyimpact.com/developers/editcode" rel="nofollow - WIKI Guidelines for Editing ProductCart's ASP Source Code