By patoux on

Hi all,

Here's the deal: I'm creating 2 new public websites: site1 and site2. I'd like two separate (two installations) sites because:
1) they are going to look totally different (different themes),
2) other than a couple of data elements, they really don't have much in common,
3) they are addressing different audiences

Theses sites will share some (but not all) content. For instance, I'd like to share some articles across the sites. We may share some documents across both; we may want to share some video content.

I'm trying to figure out the best approach in setting these sites. I've set up a number of Drupal sites, even under the same Drupal installation, but never have I needed them to share data.

Thoughts?

Cheers,

Patrice

⋅ Categories: Drupal 6.x

Comments

vm’s picture

vm commented

one database is a bad idea IMO. That bloats a database unnecessairily.

Personally I would use http://www.slideshare.net/jvandyk/multisite-van-dyk-walkah-presentation

however, some prefer to use feeds (investigate the feeds.module) from one site to the other to share content.

patoux’s picture

patoux commented

Thanks for your answer!

You seem to know a bit on the subject - have you tried to share data across sites yet?

A couple follow-up questions to some points you made:

1. Given that it's not much data that it shared (still fleshing out the requirements), what are the pro's/con's of doing one installation vs. two installations? Is it best practice to have one codebase (as per your first suggestion)?

2. I might have more than 2 sites sharing data (maybe 3)...what are the downsides of having one database for all of them?

I'm still investigating the solutions you proposed; regarding the feeds module, any links you share on the subject?
I quite like your first idea...I'm seeing some good benefits of doing it this way! My hesitancy is to pick the best practice solution before diving into it.

Thanks again -- I appreciate your time.

Patrice

vm’s picture

vm commented

I'd suggest testing multiple ideas on a test install to find the solution that fits you best.

3 sites in one database is 1 site heavier than 2. Each site would have to be prefixed and I just don't see why anyone would do this these days. Sharing a single database was important years ago when hosts only allowed a single database but today that isn't typically the case.

patoux’s picture

patoux commented

Thanks for the reply. I've successfully installed a multisite architecture, (one codebase, two sites, two databases/prefixed tables).
Now it’s pretty clear how to share tables (user accounts etc), modules.

However I'm stuck when it comes to share data, in order to make it appear on both sites. For instance I've just created a new content page on site1 and would like to share the copy of that page on site2. Is it achievable using a multisite architecture or shall I be better off looking for another solution?

Feeds module maybe? Domain access?

Thanks,

Patrice

vm’s picture

vm commented

content is stored in the node revisions table however it may not be the only table that requires sharing. I've never done it therefore it will require some trial and error on your part.