Answered Problem with modx migration

Hey, folks.

I'm trying to migrate a production modx install to a new server. I've followed the steps at the link below, and can run setup successfully (everything prints a message and also notes that it's OK)

http://rtfm.modx.com/display/revolution20/Moving+Your+Site+to+a+New+Server

However...

When I visit the homepage I get the following 500 error:

PHP Fatal error: Class 'ModSync_Plugin_ModSync' not found in /var/core/cache/includes/elements/modplugin/11.include.cache.php on line 7

When I visit /manager I see a login screen, and when I attempt to log in I get the following 500 error:

PHP Fatal error: Class 'RestrictedAccess_Plugin_RestrictedAccess' not found in /var/core/cache/includes/elements/modplugin/13.include.cache.php on line 7

Server configuration:
PHP 5.3.21
Apache/2.2.16
MySQL 5.1.66

First, try deleting all files in the core/cache directory and clearing your browser cache and cookies.

If that doesn't do it, you may have a missing or corrupted file, especially if you transferred the files individually with FTP. It's fairly common with FTP.

Hey Bob, thanks for the thoughts. I actually followed your troubleshooting guide too.

Deleting everything manually in the core/cache folder is pointed to in the official guide, and is one of the first things I did.

And I wish the latter were a potential explanation, but unfortunately I tar/gzipped everything before transferring.

What could cause an essential plugin to not be loaded? It seems to be that this RestrictedAccess plugin hasn't been loaded at the time it is instantiated.

What did you transfer, personal files or MODx files?

@donshakespeare the entire webroot and core directories

Whenever I go live with a new site:

1. I go to modx.com to download the freshly baked CMF (.zip)
2. Toss the 2.2.6.zip unto my server
3. Unpack it to my desired location
4. I install MODx and test it out, yayyy!
5. Then kill all the tables in the new Database and the files in the /core/cache/

The only thing I do or transfer from my computer or other live server

1. Database
2. .htaccess
3. /assets/ (zipped)
4. /core/components/ (zipped)

I don't even disable friendly url on my computer's database
I run setup again on the new live site (Update Existing etc etc)

This procedure is yet to fail me. [ed. note: donshakespeare last edited this post 11 years, 2 months ago.]

@donshakespeare So I just walked through this twice, and the first time the results were the same.

Then I realized that I had fully replaced the core directory in the docroot, instead of just moving assets and components, as you suggested. /core was actually an alias to ../core which worked fine on the previous system, but clearly wasn't working on this one, because when I removed the alias, replaced it with a fresh version from the modx zip file, and then moved just /assets and /core/components everything started working.

So, thank you for your suggestion. Working through it in this manner helped me isolate possible causes and complete my migration successfully.

Glad you are up and running.

... no sooner than I had posted this message did it stop working, lol.

So, after browsing around the backend successfully (or maybe it was visiting the front page) modx has turned webroot/core in to a symlink to ../core and I am receiving the errors I was before.

Is this normal behaviour? How can I trace what is causing this folder to be converted, and stop it?

What do you mean, turned webroot/core into a symlink...?
The folder has disappeared?
The folder is not a folder but turned to a single file?