Content Deployment Step by Step

I was looking around and realized that I couldn't find an easy set of instructions to set up Content Deployment in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server.

In this post, I'll show you how to set up content deployment from a staging site collection to a production site collection. For simplicity, I will host both site collections on the same server.

For a background on content deployment, see: http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2006/05/02/588140.aspx

Create Production Site Collection

When setting up a content deployment path, the site collections must be in separate content databases so that the unique identifiers (GUIDs) do not conflict. The easiest way to ensure that the production site collection is in a different content database is to create it in a new web application.

Open Central Administration:

Under Application Management:

Select Create or extend Web application:

Choose an easy to remember port number, such as 12345:

Type in a user name and credentials to create a new app pool:

Type in a descriptive database name such as MOSS_PRODUCTION:

Leave all other settings at the default and click OK, then wait for the Web application to be created:

Click Create Site Collection:

Ensure that your new Web Application is selected:

Type in any name for the Title (it will be overwritten later):

Select "Blank Site" as the template. This step is IMPORTANT, because Blank Site is the only template that you can import any other template into:

Type in the names for the site collection owners:

Click OK.

Allow Incoming Content Deployment Jobs on the Production Site

Select Operation:

Select Content deployment settings:

Select Accept incoming content deployment jobs:

Select Do not require encryption and click OK:

 

Create Content Deployment Path from Staging to Production

Select Content deployment paths and jobs:

Click New Path:

Type a descriptive name for the path. Select the web application and site collection for the staging site. Then type in the URL of the Central Administration web site of the production site. Since we are putting both of our sites on the same server farm, the URL is the farm that we are on now.

Click Connect:

Once you see "Connection succeeded", select the web application and site collection that you created for production. You can also choose to deploy user names and security if you want the new site to have the same users and permissions.

Click OK.

Create Content Deployment Job

Click New Job:

Type a name, and then select the path you created:

Keep all other default values, and click OK.

Run Content Deployment Job

From the context menu on the job, select Run Now:

Refresh the page, and then click on the text Running:

Watch the status of the job:

When the status changes to Succeeded, you can click on the URL to the production site to verify that the content was deployed.

Run Quick Deploy Job.

Note:Quick Deploy Job gets created only when source and destination both sitecollection has Publishing features enabled.

In "Manage Content Deployment Paths and Jobs" Select Quick Deploy Settings from the Quick Deploy Job context menu:

Select Allow Quick Deploy jobs along this path, and set the schedule to check every 10 minutes, then click OK:

Visit the staging site and edit a page:

Make some changes:

Publish the page:

Show the page editing toolbar:

From the Tools menu, select Quick Deploy:

The changes will be picked up and deployed to production within 10 minute: