Creating your staging site with our new Clone tool

Our newest addition to the Rochen-exclusive tools set is the ability to create your own Joomla staging site within a separate directory or subdomain of your hosting account. This feature is possible with our brand new Joomla Utilities Clone tool.

Designers and developers of Joomla websites know that sometimes it’s necessary to be able to test out a new extension or template, or do some custom development and/or trouble shooting, without causing interruption or possible error to a live installation. It can be tedious to copy a site over to new directory manually, as you have to edit your configuration files all over again, import a copy of your database, and possibly adjust various links on your staging site.

With the clone tool you no longer have to worry about using your valuable time to do all of that. We’ve created this new feature so that all you need to do is go in to your Joomla Utilities option in cPanel’s CMS Utilities and just select the installation that you wish to clone, and then enter the directory or sub domain where you want to clone it to. It takes your entire installation including all data, extensions and template files, as well as the database, and duplicates it all in to your chosen directory, leaving your live site untouched and open for business. So easy!

From there, you can begin working on your staging site. Add any new extensions or templates you’ve been wanting to try, fix up any old or nagging issues in the code, and run as many tests as you need to. All without interrupting your live Joomla website in any way!

For a preview, we’ve prepared one of our quick demo videos below:

In other Joomla Utilities news, you’ll now notice that the handy cPanel plugin has a new look!

Our own in-house developer, Thomas, has taken some of the excess information and layout out and trimmed the Joomla Utilities interface to blend it in better with the standard cPanel look and feel.  As well, he has created a more efficient user experience as you can now quickly select your desired function from a list, as well as hide the instructional information if you don’t need to read it every time.  Check out the new look below:

A New Look For Joomla Utilities

Thanks for your time! To learn about the other Joomla Utilities features and watch more demo videos, head over to our Joomla Utilities page.

-Wendy

Wendy Robinson joined the Rochen team in June 2010 as a sales support staff member. She is also currently involved with the Joomla! project as a member of the Community Leadership Team.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog then by now you’ve heard about our Joomla Utilities cPanel tool for easy upgrading, security fixes, permissions fixes and site migration among other features available for our Joomla Hosting customers.

Recently we’ve taken all of the great cPanel plugin features and integrated them into WHM (Web Host Manager) as an extra convenience for our Rochen Reseller Hosting customers.

Joomla Utilties for WHM is in the plugin section of the left side menu

The WHM plugin will allow you to easily upgrade all core files for Joomla 1.5 or 1.6 installations that are hosted on your Reseller account right from WHM instead of having to do all manually from their individual cPanel accounts.   You can upgrade the installations individually or you can also choose to update them all at once!

In addition to the upgrading feature we’ve also added the ability to fix file permissions and apply security tweaks, again directly from WHM to your Joomla 1.5 and 1.6 installations and just like when upgrading, you can choose to apply the changes to individual installations or all at once.

You can find the WHM Joomla Utilities tool in the Plugins section at the bottom of the left side menu in your WHM account.

Displays a list of all Joomla 1.5 and 1.6 Installations within your Reseller account

-Wendy

Wendy Robinson joined the Rochen team in June 2010 as a sales support staff member. She is also currently involved with the Joomla! project as a member of the Community Leadership Team.

We’re most looking forward to meeting up with existing customers and making friends with new ones. Here at Rochen we’re at work 24/7 to assist our customers online, however nothing beats meeting in real life! Just like last year we’ll have our Rochen booth set up with staff on hand to meet and greet and help to answer any questions about our services.

Also, we’ll be doing two presentations this year:

Monday, May 2 at 1pm – CMS Security and Performance

• This session will tackle security issues that are faced when operating websites which use Joomla, Drupal, or WordPress
• Topics covered will include server-level security tools like PHP’s open_basedir and Apache’s mod_security as well as highlighting the benefits of running PHP in CGI mode with su_php for both security reasons and also to avoid file ownership and permissions hassles.
• Real world examples will be covered and details provided on how you can avoid similar fate by using a properly configured server combined with good CMS security best practices.

Tuesday, May 3 at  9:15am – Joomla Utilities – Making Joomla Easier!

• We’ll be demonstrating and showcasing the features of our new Joomla! Utilities cPanel Plugin
• Upgrade Joomla, apply security tweaks, migrate Joomla from another host, fix file and directory permissions, Install Joomla 1.5 or Joomla 1.6… Joomla Utilities does all that and more!
• We’ll also be unveiling a brand new feature!

So if you’re attending CMS Expo this year too, don’t miss out on our sessions and be sure to drop by our booth and say hello.

We’ll also have a follow up blog post after the event with some pictures and a wrap up of all the activities.  Follow us on Twitter or find us on Facebook for updates.

-Wendy

Wendy Robinson joined the Rochen team in June 2010 as a sales support staff member. She is also currently involved with the Joomla! project as a member of the Community Leadership Team.

Today we have two brand new features for Joomla Utilities which we are very excited to tell you about. Now when you access Joomla Utilities in your Rochen hosting control panel you will have the following additional options:

Install Joomla 1.6:

When you go to the Joomla installation section of  Joomla Utilities you will now be able to opt whether you’d like to install the most current version of Joomla 1.5 or Joomla 1.6 with a single click of your mouse. Rochen’s hosting platform is fully performance tuned and secured for both versions.

Migrate Joomla to Rochen from Another Host:

This feature is very exciting and is going make life a lot easier when it comes to moving your Joomla site from your old/current host to your Rochen hosting account. All you need is your FTP information from your current host and you will be able to migrate your entire site over to Rochen with just one click.  The migration feature supports both Joomla 1.5 and 1.6 websites.

We’ve prepared another demonstration video below so that you can check out the new features right away:

The above new features are available in addition to all of the current Joomla Utilities  features listed below:

• Simple Joomla installation tool that unlike other “auto installers” always installs the latest stable version of Joomla
• Ability to install multiple Joomla installations to your secondary domains,  sub domains and sub directories
• Automatic security hardening for new Joomla installs
• Reset the password for any Super Administrator account under a Joomla site
• Update the Joomla Core in a single easy step
• Security tweaks that prevent arbitrary scripts from running
• File and Directory Permission optimization / repair tool – useful if moving a Joomla site to Rochen from another host
• Easily password protect your Joomla Administrator panel
• Joomla sites that were not initially installed using the “Joomla Utilities” feature can still be managed and updated
• The “Joomla Utilities” are built directly into your Rochen account’s cPanel so there is no third-party extension to install or maintain under Joomla meaning zero hassle
• White labeled so that resellers can offer Joomla Utilities to their own clients without Rochen being visible

The “Joomla Utilities” option is available on all Rochen’s shared servers, ready for immediate use by Business Hosting and Reseller Hosting customers. Managed Virtual Server (MVS) and full Managed Server customers, who have not already done so, can request this be installed on your server at no extra charge by opening a technical support ticket via the My Rochen customer portal.

Thanks for taking the time to check out our new Joomla Utilities features! If you have any comments or questions, please post them here as we’d love know what you think.

-Wendy

Wendy Robinson joined the Rochen team in June 2010 as a sales support staff member. She is also currently involved with the Joomla! project as a member of the Community Leadership Team.

However, the responsibility of maintaining and securing websites lies with the site owner (you). This includes core upgrades, extension upgrades, file permissions and settings. That can be a daunting task if you have multiple websites to manage, each functioning with a unique combination of addons and possibly using different content management systems.

Rochen has recently introduced a unique service that can help you keep your websites secure and avoid spending money and/or lengthy periods of time fixing your site in the event of a compromise. This new service is Rochen Alert.

What is the best way to prevent an attack or compromise and be sure that your site is as secure as possible? By keeping yourself informed about the software you use and making sure you are receiving every bit of critical security news that gets released. The reality is that it can be rather tedious to comb through all the news you receive and it’s possible that the amount of spam and irrelevant information that lands in your inbox can keep you from getting the critical news when you need it.

The advantage of Rochen Alert is that it allows you to subscribe to a security notification service that will send you automatic emails any time a critical security vulnerability or upgrade is reported. This covers not only core but also extensions, modules and plugins that pertain to Joomla!, Drupal, and WordPress. The spam, junk and irrelevant news is filtered out ensuring that only the important information gets sent to you.

How does it work?

The system is powered by a proprietary engine built to discover, categorize and deliver security related information. It combs the internet continuously ingesting security related topics and rejecting everything else.

• Security notifications for scripts you choose. E.g. Joomla, Drupal, WordPress etc.
• Security notifications for plug-ins or extensions. E.g. Joomla Extensions, WordPress plug-ins etc.
• Clear instructions on resolving the issue contained within the security notification.
• Alerts about threats provided within hours of release.

With Rochen Alert you can carry on with your day, manage your business, and be sure that any critical security notifications will find their way to you before most people even know about them. As the alerts arrive within a timely manner you can take necessary steps to prepare your sites ahead of time, keeping your own site safe and allowing your clients to have full confidence that their websites are in good hands with you.

Our security optimized hosting infrastructure combined with the convenience and quality of Rochen Alert notifications will always keep you one step ahead of everyone else, including the hackers.

Where Can I Sign Up?

Rochen Alert is available here for a annual subscription fee. Upon sign up you can choose your own combination of alerts pertaining to each of the three big content management systems, Joomla!, Drupal and WordPress. As soon as your order is processed you will be on the list to start receiving your critical alert notifications.

Can I get a discount?

Sure! For a limited time you can use the promotional code “alertpromo” and receive $10 off the annual subscription fee for the first year of your Rochen Alert service. The promotional code will expire January 31, 2011, so sign up soon in order to save!
-Wendy

Wendy Robinson joined the Rochen team in June 2010 as a sales support staff member. She is also currently involved with the Joomla! project as a member of the Community Leadership Team.

With the start of a brand new year of great  events upon us, we’ve already signed on to sponsor two Joomla! Days in 2011.

Joomla! Day Chile

Joomla! Day Chile takes place this week on January 18 in Santiago. Organized by the Joomla! Community of Chile, this will be the very first Joomla! Day ever held in Latin America.

You can find out more about the event and register to attend on the Joomla! Day Chile website: http://www.joomladay-chile.cl

Joomla! Day India

We’ll also be sponsoring Joomla! Day India which is going to take place March 12, 2011. The event will be held in Pune and has been organized by the JUG Pune user group who you can catch up with here or here!

There are more details and registration information on the Joomla! Day India website: http://www.joomladay.co.in/

Hats off to the organizers for taking on the task of putting together their respective Joomla! Days, both events look they’re going to be informative, entertaining and a lot of fun for Joomla fans!

-Wendy

Wendy Robinson joined the Rochen team in June 2010 as a sales support staff member. She is also currently involved with the Joomla! project as a member of the Community Leadership Team.

Rochen has been a leader in Joomla! hosting since 2005 and, as the host of joomla.org through all these years, it’s been exciting to watch the open source project grow from 1.0 to the solid and widely distributed 1.5 and now today, with the hard work of the Joomla Production team,  Bug Squad,  and the many contributors, the robust Joomla 1.6.

What’s all the excitement about?

Joomla 1.6 is going to bring some great new features to our favourite CMS:

Access Control Levels (ACL):

Joomla! 1.6 Quick Look: Content Access Levels from Andrew Eddie on Vimeo.

The Ability to Add Your Own User Groups:

Joomla! 1.6 Quick Look: User Groups from Andrew Eddie on Vimeo.

New Administrator Toolbar Options:

Joomla! 1.6 Quick Look: Toolbars from Andrew Eddie on Vimeo.

New Features for Modules:

Joomla 1.6 Quick Look: Modules from Andrew Eddie on Vimeo.

And many other great new features that will help to bring even more flexibility and strength to the Joomla CMS.

Rochen’s Joomla hosting infrastructure will be as secure and performance optimized for Joomla 1.6 as it has been for all previous Joomla versions. Also, remember our Joomla! Utilities cPanel plugin we blogged about in November? Well, we have some exciting new features to announce about that in the next few days, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, Thank you Joomla! for your years of hard work and congratulations on this fantastic achievement in form of a great new release! Looking forward to a bright future ahead.

-Wendy

Wendy Robinson joined the Rochen team in June 2010 as a sales support staff member. She is also currently involved with the Joomla! project as a member of the Community Leadership Team.

Have you ever wished you could upgrade your Joomla installation with the click of a button? What about being able to quickly fix all of your Joomla file and directory permissions without manually checking each one? Have you been locked out of your website and wanted an easy way to reset your Joomla super administrator password?

Now you can do all of this and more directly through your Rochen account’s cPanel interface. Recently you may have noticed a new addition to your cPanel options called “Joomla Utilities”.

This cPanel plug-in is an additional Joomla Hosting feature exclusive  to Rochen that will allow you to easily install, upgrade, maintain and enhance the security of your Joomla websites. Currently you will see the “Joomla Utilities” option in your cPanel but we must advise that at this time it is still in BETA. However, we’re excited about these new features and we couldn’t wait any longer to give you a preview.

Some of the Joomla Utilities features include: -

• Simple Joomla installation tool that unlike other “auto installers” always installs the latest stable version of Joomla
• Ability to install multiple Joomla installations to your secondary domains,  sub domains and sub directories
• Automatic security hardening for new Joomla installs
• Reset the password for any Super Administrator account under a Joomla site
• Update the Joomla Core in a single easy step
• Security tweaks that prevent arbitrary scripts from running
• File and Directory Permission optimization / repair tool – useful if moving a Joomla site to Rochen from another host
• Easily password protect your Joomla Administrator panel
• Joomla sites that were not initially installed using the “Joomla Utilities” feature can still be managed and updated
• The “Joomla Utilities” are built directly into your Rochen account’s cPanel so there is no third-party extension to install or maintain under Joomla meaning zero hassle
• White labeled so that resellers can offer Joomla Utilities to their own clients without Rochen being visible

We’ve prepared a short five minute demonstration video that we encourage you to watch: -

As soon as the Joomla Utilities are ready for use on live and production websites we will let you know. In the meantime, as always, keep those sites secure and up to date! A great way to stay informed and prevent possible compromises to your sites is  to follow the Joomla Security Mailing List, and the Vulnerable Extensions List.

Rochen are working to add an additional range of features to the Joomla Utilities over the coming months. We welcome any comments or feedback you may have regarding the current feature set.

Update: Please see our recent blog post with the new Joomla Utilities features: The choice to install Joomla 1.5 or Joomla 1.6 as well as the ability to migrate a Joomla website (1.5 or 1.6) from another host to your Rochen hosting account!

- Wendy

P.S. The “Joomla Utilities” option is available on all Rochen’s shared servers so is ready for immediate use by Business Hosting and Reseller Hosting customers. Managed Virtual Server (MVS) and full Managed Server customers can request this be installed on your server at no extra charge by opening a technical support ticket via the My Rochen customer portal.

In August of 2005, a group of 20 people from around the world formed the founding Core Team of the Joomla project. On September 1st they launched joomla.org which was hosted by Rochen.

Five years later, Rochen is proud as ever to be the leader in Joomla hosting. We currently host tens of thousands of Joomla sites including joomla.org and it’s ever evolving family of sites including the popular Joomla forums and the busy Joomla Extensions Directory. We have developed our infrastructure and built utilities in ways to make hosting Joomla a more seamless experience.

Congratulations Joomla on your five year mark and for all you have brought to the world of open source and the global community of developers and website users. We look forward to another amazing five years and beyond.

-Wendy

Wendy Robinson joined the Rochen team in June 2010 as a sales support staff member. She is also currently involved with the Joomla! project as a member of the Community Leadership Team.

So, what is new in Joomla 1.6?

The best way to find out is to test it out for yourself (grab the latest beta), however we’ve pulled together a number of videos that will help build your anticipation and show you more details regarding Joomla 1.6.

First, an overview of what is new in Joomla 1.6:

Next comes part 2, with the low down on perhaps one of the most exciting new features, ACL:

Finally, if you’re a developer, Joomla 1.6 for developers:

To keep up with Joomla 1.6 developments and further tidbits of useful information, be sure to follow the official Joomla Community Blogs. Already 3 informative posts are What You Need to Know About Joomla 1.6. Part 1: Improvements for Site Builders, What You Need to Know About Joomla 1.6. Part2: Categories and What You Need to Know About Joomla 1.6. Part 3: Access Control Levels.

As you can already see, Joomla 1.6 is going to further enhance Joomla as a solid development framework. Rochen is proud to have been there for the Joomla Project since day one (almost 5 years ago) caring for the server hosting and infrastructure needs of the Joomla Project. We’re also proud to use Joomla on our own site, www.rochenhost.com

- Brad

Brad Baker has been a member of the Rochen team since early 2003 and is a founding member of the Joomla! Open Source Project. He currently is part of the Joomla LeadershipTeam, and also blogs here.

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