One MODx core/installation for several sites.

Hello,

I'm wondering how to use one MODx installation for several separate sites with separate databases. I'm not asking about using several contexts with a contextswitcher plugin, that's something else. I need the sites to be totally separate, with separate installations, but still using as much common code as possible (i.e. the core and manager?).

I know this is possible somehow. I've seen it being used.
The goal is to easier update several MODx installations. Maybe just update the central core/manager and the separate databases?
Do I need to use symlinks? Or is it enough to change the path to some central folders like the core and manager in the separate config files?

Would be great it there was a tutorial for this

Thanks in advance.

/E

At the moment, though there is future support for this built in, it is not fully implemented or supported at this time. The reason is there is not currently a way to upgrade multiple configurations easily and more importantly, no way to isolate the packages and components that are installed for each configuration. In future versions which do support this, we will have multiple workspaces which will allow you to isolate the site specific packages and components, as well as upgrade utilities for upgrading the core for multiple sites in a single command.

But with separate databases -- one for each site, couldn't the OP move the core and/or manager above the web root and set all the paths to point to it/them?

Upgrading would be ugly and you'd have to upgrade every site whenever you upgraded one, but would it not work?

Quote from: opengeek at Nov 29, 2011, 10:51 AM

At the moment, though there is future support for this built in, it is not fully implemented or supported at this time.

I have MODx working as you suggest, however the problems listed by opengeek still remain.
We have a separate core, with the manager hosted on one domain, and the sites on the other.
My problem is complicated further as the manager is on a different server entirely to the frontend.

Regarding upgrading, Unless I can do it manually....I can't do it at all!
My approach was going to be (please correct if I am wrong)

Approach 1

-> Run an upgrade locally for each instance of MODx, using the advanced package. This will upgrade the core and the CMS for this instance?
-> Repeat the above for each instance, so you end up with the new core and updated DB's.

1. Copy the new DB's up to stage/production
2. I then manually copy the new "updated" core up to stage/production

Obviously this will take me a while if I have 100 instances, but I don't and I don't expect to have either!!!

Approach 2

-> Install a seperate core...so I end up with:
/local/modx_core_2_1_5
/local/modx_core_2_2

-> I then reference the relevant core?

This will work, but is obviously not ideal as the old sites are basically frozen on a version....and you kind of loose the one core idea.
opengeek can you lend you two cents to this please?