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Development environment and SiteSync

Current setup

Environments: You have a project that is deployed on a Development environment.

Desired setup

Environments: You want to setup in Continuous integration the following environments:

  • Development environment
  • One or more Test environments and one SiteSync Test environment
  • Staging and a Live environments.

SiteSync: You want to use SiteSync to synchronize content between the Staging and the Live environments.
PREREQUISITES: Before you setup the Continuous delivery process, perform the following:
  • If you have any development in progress on your Development environment, make sure you complete it.
  • Create and publish all the required content.
  • Upgrade your project to Sitefinity CMS 9.2 or above.
    For more information, see Upgrade.

Migrate the configurations

Before you setup Continuous delivery, you must determine the storage mode of your configuration files.
For more information, see Determine the storage mode of configurations.

If your configurations are stored in the database, you must first migrate them.
For more information, see Migrate configurations.

Setup the Development environment

In your Development environment, open your project and perform the following:

  1. Make sure Read-only mode of configurations is turned off.
  2. Make sure the Staging & Syncing module is activated.
    For more information, see Activate and deactivate modules. 
  3. Configure SiteSync for Continuous delivery.
  4. Set Deployment mode to Source.
  5. Turn on Auto-storage of configurations.
  6. Restart the application.

RESULT: Your Development environment is setup for Continuous delivery and your project is ready for testing.

Setup the Test environments
  1. Deploy your project and its database from your Development to your Test environment.
    For more information on deployment options and procedures, see Deployment.
  2. Open your deployed project and make the following settings:
    1. Set Deployment mode to Target.
    2. Turn on Read-only mode of configurations.
  3. Proceed with testing.
    For more information, see Best practices: Testing.
  4. If any of the tests fail, perform the following:
    1. Go back to your Development environment to fix the problem.
    2. From your Development environment, export the project for deployment and import the changes to your Test environment.
      For more information, see Export and deploy code changes.
    3. Run the project on your Test environment.
      The fixes will be automatically imported.  
    4. Return to Step 3.
  5. Perform this procedure for every Test environment that you want to have.

RESULT: Your Test environment is setup for Continuous delivery. When all the tests pass, you have a fully tested and working project, where you can setup SiteSync.

Setup the Test environment that is used as target for the SiteSync

  1. Deploy your project without the database from your Test environment to your SiteSync Test environment.
    For more information on deployment options and procedures, see Deployment.
  2. Restore the database from your Development environment to your SiteSync Test environment.
    You restore the database from the Development environment, because the database that is currently on your Test environment may have some sample content created as a result from testing.
    Change the connection string in the DataConfig.config to point to the restored database.
  3. Setup SiteSync between the Test environment and the SiteSync Test environments.
    Set the Test environment as the source server for synchronization and the SiteSync Test environment as the target server for synchronization.
    For more information, see Configure the servers for synchronization.
  4. Verify that SiteSync is working correctly.
    For more information, see SiteSync procedure.

RESULT: You have a Test environment that is stable and ready to be deployed to your Staging environment and a SiteSync Test environment where SiteSync works correctly.

Setup the Staging and the Live environments
  1. Deploy your project without the database from your Test environment to your Staging environment and to your Live environment.
    For more information on deployment options and procedures, see Deployment.
  2. Restore the database from your Development environment to your Staging environment and to your Live environment.
    You restore the database from the Development environment, because the database that is currently on your Test environment may have some sample content created as a result from testing.
  3. Change the connection strings of both environment to point to their restored databases.
    The connection string is located in the DataConfig.config.
  4. Setup SiteSync between the Staging environment and the Live environments.
    Set the Staging environment as the source server for synchronization and the Live environment as the target server for synchronization.
    For more information, see Configure the servers for synchronization.
  5. Restart both environments.

RESULT: Your project is Live. Your environments are continuously integrated and ready for Continuous delivery.

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