How to accomplish a stable environment?

Backup, backup, backup.
Location location location.
;-)

It is true and easily said.

I am checking around to different plug-ins/frameworks to secure wp-platforms with different needs.
I have ended up with a few who we will decide to purchase from.

The tests are using backup both within wp:s own export inport and a total backup of database and files restoring them to a different site ( i.e. the mainsite could have been burned down to the ground ) for verification.

New sitename changed in files and in export data before import or restore ( depending on test method )

It works with 3 of 5 security frameworks and not with s2Member.

So before we excludes a framework on wrong facts I hereby put a question in the forum before we go further.

How to use a backup in a proper way restoring in another site with different domain name ( temporarily for verification )?

I have a similar question

I want to develop in a test domain before going live – How can I do that and transfer my settings across?

Use XCloner – Ive been moving around s2member sites from localhosts, backups and tick tack automatic beckups, moving to another domains. Just unpack you backup and everything is exactly the same – amazing! Just start to surf as nothing happends.

A Clone need a new empty database created before unpack at new dir. The installs path could be tricky if ya never working with this kinda stuff (where to start in urls with public_html/subdomains…) BUT move the TAR and XCloner file without a backup and adress them – you get retrived all info you need at your host.

s2member fix: General – url after logged in … :
“Or, you may configure a Special Redirection URL, if you prefer. You’ll need …”
Any chenges / custom redirect url settings in s2member after logged in seems to be hard-coded-absolute-url, cant find a short-code-s2member solution there, but it takes 5 sek to fix that after xcloner been running.

Im using:
http://localhost/members/%%current_user_login%%/
And need to change everytime the domain root here

Hints
Images adressed in posts issues, I use custom shortcodes for src ([INSTALL-DIRECTORY]/wp-content/…) when adding images in post/ editor

Eh, and the header images url has to be assigned, but thats a WP thing, Shure this is easy to fix with a hook somkewhere to use relative urls.

And for some reasons, the system feel extra fine after go to permalink settings and jsut click save. Fixes some plugins glitches sometimes.