[rt-users] migrating to a different host, maintaining MySQL data, but changing $rtname

[Lee Whalen]

   Hello all, so I'm in a bit of a pickle.  I rolled out RT 3.4.5 on a 
testing-only basis to a low-end desktop server running Debian Etch 
called, cleverly enough, 'betart', fully intending to purchase better 
server-grade hardware and migrate over to it once we worked all our 
initial mistakes out.  I then purchased "RT Essentials" which, in 
hindsight, I should've done first.

   After we'd been using RT on the beta system for a month or so, got 
all the wrinkles ironed out and got a whole bunch of really useful 
ticketing data on it, we purchased a shiny new Proliant box and slapped 
Debian Etch on it as well.  We were able to get RT, Apache, and all the 
fixin's up and running without incident, but now it came time to migrate 
the data over.  I followed the method described in RT Essentials on pgs 
73-75 regarding backing up and restoring the MySQL DB, but then I 
noticed the paragraph that says "Make sure RT's configuration file has 
the same values it had before the crash.  It's particularly important to 
get the $rtname and $Organization variables right, or RT won't work 
properly".  Well, $Organization is no problem, that stays the same from 
the beta to the deployed box.  However, $rtname is definitely changing 
from 'betart.nellymoser.com' to 'rt.nellymoser.com'.  Other than that 
change, RT_SiteConfig.pm remains the same.

   My question for you guys is, what does changing $rtname break between 
RT instances, and is it possible to just do a recursive search through 
the dump of the beta mysql db before importing it into the 
soon-to-be-production box and change all instances of "betart" to "rt" 
without causing the whole thing to crash and burn horribly?  Second 
question, there's a small amount of entries (such as deleted or 
"unprivileged" accounts, queues, etc) that we created that we don't use 
any more.  Is it possible to manually zap those from the MySQL DB and 
not hurt anything?  I think the Perl snippet on page 71-72 of RT 
Essentials would do it, but that appears to be on a per-transaction 
basis.  I don't know if that could be modified to delete entire queues, 
groups, or users.  Would it?

Many thanks in advance for all your assistance!

--Lee Whalen
Nellymoser, Inc