I have previously done some security tests trying to write files from .net to other location than the website folder.
I managed to start write to all kind of location on windows professional (not sure if it was 8 or 10 at the time) and in some circumstances even managed to restart the machine.
These tests all failed on windows server, so if it's at least windows server 2012, I would definitely use a server version.

I too, have been affected by the ransomware attack and yesterday had been advised that even their backups are not usable for my case, so my site is lost.
I do have an export file of my site requested in June 2020, but I'm having a hard time restoring it into a new DNN server as it's not exported through the DNN import/export procedure (win2019 server, SQL 2017, DNN 9.6.1) and thus it cannot be imported through this module.

If anyone can share the procedure and experience of a succesful migration of a DNN site from Managed.com to a clean DNN server, it would be greatly appreciated.
 

If you have a zip file generated by the Plesk Control Panel and its Backup Manager, you've got what you need. You should have a file named something like backup_info_somenumbers.xml.zip

You'll need to start unzipping the zip file.

In the database subdirectory you will find a folder with the database's name. Inside of that you will find backup_dbdump_numbers.zip. Unzip that to get to tmpnumbers.tmp. That is actually a .bak file that you can use to restore the database.

Back at the top of the zip file is backup_user-data_numbers.zip. Unzip that and you'll find a directory httpdocs which is the root file directory for your website.

So ...

1. go through the usual process to create a website.
2. restore the database backup. You will need to change the portalalias is your domain changes.
3. copy the files from httpdocs to the main directory of your new website.
4. edit web.config to get the connectionstring pointing to your database.
5. adjust your DNS to point to the new location of the site.

On the other hand, if you go with somebody like DNN4Less (or someone who knows what they are doing), you just hand them that zip file and let them do the work for you! Actually, a good test for a hosting company is how they react when you send them the zip file. If they don't know what to do, you need to shop elsewhere.

Thanks a lot for your answer Joe, I 've followed your instructions restored db, copied httpdocs files etc but on launching I'm getting error HTTP Error 500.19 - Internal Server Error 0x8007000d, which means problem with web.config. (according to MS:  This problem occurs because the ApplicationHost.config or Web.config file contains a malformed XML element.)

Apparently web.config contains references specific to Managed.com, it's 580 lines long and kind of difficult for me to locate the malformed element. Is there any way or tool that can help me in that?

 

Malformed elements is different than custom nodes in the file.

I assume that you edited web.config to at least modify the connectionstring settings.

You might want to do a comparison of the original web.config with what you have to see where the differences are. Winmerge is one utility that can help you. Another approach is to compate web.config from a clean in stall of the same version of DNN that you are using. Don't delete sections, though, as they may be important.

Also, I have a very dim memory that sometimes file permissions can cause that error if IIS is unable to read the web.config file. But, I'd look for errors in the file first.

Hi Nukers,

Unfortunately, I'm in the same position. Unrecoverable site and backup from managed.com. I have a backup from a month or so ago, and just trying to get the site running locally on a test machine before I re-upload to another hosting site. Is there any official documentation that explains how to move a site?

I have..

1. Created the IIS web structure
2. Restored the database
3. Updated the web.config to point to the database
4. Updated PortalAlias to use localhost:1313 (not sure if this is possible?)

I'm getting SSL issues now.

Has anyone else been able to restore a Managed.com DNN site?

The answer to your question is YES.

When restoring on a local server, I find it convenient to use nvQuickSite to get the basic components set up and wired together. Then:

1. Stop the site in IIS
2. Restore the database from Managed to the site's database.
3. Delete the installation's files and copy over the files from the backup.
4. Edit the connection strings to match what nvQuickSite did.
5. Edit portal alias to match the domain URL created by nvQuickSite.
6. Start the website in IIS
7. Try to connect.

You mentions SSL problems. Likely you had an SSL certificate on the Managed installation, but not on your local system. To take care of this, edit the PortalSettings table to turn off the SSL settings.

That should do it.

Basically, the process is the same as the process to restore any backup. That assumes you have a .bak file for the database and all of the files.

If that doesn't work, ask more questions.

Thanks Joe!

I didn't know about the PortalSettings table. That helped me to get the site running again.

When you configure a portal alias for a site, that information goes into the PortalAlias table. Normally you can do that from the Site Settings. But, if the site isn't running, do it in the database.

If you are thinking ahead, configure an alias for the site prior to making a backup. It won't do anything on your live site, but if it matches an IIS binding, it will come into play when you move it to a backup system.