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Staging Server

The Staging Server is a copy of Sermons Online that can be used to test software updates and to edit wiki pages before releasing them on the real, production Sermons Online server.

To use the Staging Server, you need to make a temporary change to a Windows configuration file that changes the Internet address of sermonsonline.com on your local computer. While this temporary change is in effect, you would browse to sermonsonline.com to edit wiki pages as if you were using the real site. However, your actual changes would be saved on the Staging Server.

Once you are done editing, you would restore the configuration file, and then let Dave know that your staged changes are ready to be released.

Step-By-Step: Change TO the Staging Server

First, change the configuration file:

  • Right-click on the Windows Start and select "Command Prompt (Admin)"
  • In the command window, type, "notepad drivers\etc\hosts"
  • Add the following line to the bottom of the file: 
    54.147.32.67 www.sermonsonline.com sermonsonline.com
  • File > Exit and Save

Now browse to sermonsonline.com and change to the Admin view. At the top of the sidebar you should see the word, "Staging". If you don't see that word, repeat the steps.

Step-By-Step: Change BACK to the Production Server

Once we are done, you need to restore your hosts file:

  • Right-click on Windows Start and select "Command Prompt (Admin)"
  • In the command window, type, "notepad drivers\etc\hosts"
  • Put a pound-sign in front of the line you added earlier (that makes it a comment): 
    #54.147.32.67 www.sermonsonline.com sermonsonline.com
  • File > Exit and Save

Now browse to sermonsonline.com and change to the Admin view. At the top of the sidebar you should see the word, "Production". If you don't see that word, repeat the steps.

Going forward, once you've done this the first time, you can just remove the pound sign to switch to the staging server, and add it back to restore to the real, production server.