This article explains how to transfer a local Joomla website onto Free.fr. Basically, it's just the same as what's already written for MediaWiki … except it's for Joomla :)

I'm using Joomla's 1.5 beta version and PHP5.

Export your Joomla database to a gzipped filed (Free doesn't seem to recognize the zipped format):

• connect locally to http://localhost/phpmyadmin/
• on the left panel, select your Joomla database
• on the right panel, click on Export
• then, select all tables
• Finally click on “Go”

Then, transfer this file to your own MySQL Free database:

• With your web browser, connect to http://sql.free.fr with your Free logon and password. You get to a simplified PhpMyAdmin web page.
• click on your name (on Free, this actually is the name of your database)
• click on “SQL”
• browse to your gzipped file, and click on “Go”
• all Joomla tables are loaded in your own Free database.

On Free, your MySQL server is sql.free.fr. Your database name is your logon name, except dots are replaced with underscores. If your logon is “foo.bar”, your database name is “foo_bar”. The password to this database is the same as your Free password.

Consequently modify the following setting in configuration.php:

var $host = 'sql.free.fr';
var $user = 'foo.bar';
var $password = 'passwd';
var $db = 'foo_bar';

You must also modify the absolute path to your website. On Free, retrieving the root of your own website is possible with the formula: $_SERVER[“DOCUMENT_ROOT”]. Append to this name the subdirectories you have put your Joomla website into (or none if your Joomla website is at the root of your site).

var $live_site = 'http://yourwebsite.free.fr';
var $absolute_path = '$_SERVER["DOCUMENT_ROOT"]'.'/your path';

Transfer all your local Joomla files to your FTP account: connect to ftpperso.free.fr with your free login and password, and upload the entire Joomla directory.

In addition, don't forget, on Free, to create a “sessions” directory (permissions: drwx——), or you won't be able to initiate a PHP session.

Well, at this stage, it's only very basic security settings…

In the administrator directory of Joomla (or in any directory you wish to protect), create an .htaccess file with the following:

PerlSetVar AuthFile yourpath/password-file  

AuthName "Acces Restreint"  

AuthType Basic  

require valid-user

This .htaccess requires correct user authentication to access the corresponding directory. By the way, Free's help is wrong: PerlSetVar and AuthFile MUST be on the same line or your .htaccess file won't work !

If you want to restrict access to a particular user, use rather:

PerlSetVar AuthFile yourpath/password-file  

AuthName "Acces Restreint"  

AuthType Basic  

require user martin

In 'your path' (the place where you've indicated the password file would be), create a password file such as:

martin:PasSw0rd  
jean:SecR3t  
sophie:H1dDeN

i.e username followed by ':' and then by a clear text password ! Yes, currently Free doesn't not support other authentication modes.

Finally, in that directory ('your path'), create an other .htaccess containing:

deny from all

so that nobody can move to that directory

mysqldump -u <username> -p <database> > blah.sql

mysql -u USER -p <database> < dumpfilename.sql 

With Free.fr, MySQL tables can be backuped using this URL.