WMUK wiki migration/strategy

This is a technical migration proposal for WMUK wiki.

Approach

• Setup a Mediawiki instance similar to current one
• Migrate the data from the XML/SQL dump
• Invite users to reconfigure their account

Problem

Assuming the WMF won't share any information about the users, the biggest problem is how to make this migration feels smooth for our users (in particular regarding their passwords). Have a look to the stats to know more about our wiki users.

bugzilla:13631 could help with linking new and old accounts to eachother but it may be a while before that's ready. (or not. IDK)

Solution

• Recreate all users on the wiki with new random generated passwords
• Email the new passwords to all emailable users and invite them to login to the new instance and change their password.
• Users not emailable should be invited to add their email into the old wiki instance, we would then send them the new account password per email
• The old WMUK instance should be put in readonly (except USER_TALK) and be kept available at least X months (one year?) under a special domain name like ukold.wikimedia.org for example.

Schedule

• D-1: Set short TTL (5 minutes) for www.wikimedia.org.uk DNS entry to allow quick propagation after the change.
• D-1: Create an email address where users can write to regarding this migration. Communicate about the migration.
• D-1: Create wiki.wikimedia.org.uk DNS entry (@wmuk)
• D-1: Create the new WMUK Mediawiki instance (@wmuk)
• D-1: Re-create user accounts on the new wiki (@wmuk)
• D-1: Contact users per emails (old wiki) or on the talk page to invite them to reconfigure their account . RuD this script every hours to send emails to people who are newly emailable (@wmuk)
• D: Put on the old wiki a site notice to warn users (@wmuk)
• D: Put old wiki in read-only except NS_USER_TALK (@wmf)
• D: Dump the old wiki (@wmf)
• D: Put explaining site notice on the new wiki (@wmuk)
• D: Redump new wiki with old wiki data (@wmuk)
• D: Modify DNS entry www.wikimedia.org.uk to point to the new wiki (@wmuk)
• D+10: Write a last email to users who don't have change their password (@wmuk)
• D+365: Shutdown the old wiki (@wmf)

Development work

• Write a script to migrate images (with history)
• Write a script to create the users accounts
• Write a script which will send invitation (email or talk page) to login the new wiki to (newly) emailable users.
• Prepare messages for the users

Impact

• WMUK should be in readonly during the migration of the data (a few hours)

Rollback

• Remove the readonly lock on the old wiki and rollback the www.wikimedia.org.uk DNS entry

Stats

• 2674 registered users
• 809 have edits
• 2175 are global users
• 1772 are emailable (179 with at least 1 edit, 81 with at least 2)

See also

• IT Development/Progress meetings/18 April 2013/WMUK Migration Report