Copy Project Configuration from one JIRA instance to another

[Ryan McBryde]

We have a brand new non-prod JIRA instance that we have installed (STAGE) and I would like to copy the configuration from the DEV instance, which uses the H2 database, over to the newly installed but as yet un-used STAGE instance. I am trying to follow the instructions that I found here:

https://confluence.atlassian.com/adminjiraserver/migrating-jira-applications-to-another-server-938846962.html

I have created the XML backup according to the instructions and I have backed up the installation and home directories.

I was instructed to "delete the <home-directory>/dbconfig.xml file from the copy of your home directory that you'll be using for the new installation" which I have done. Refering to the steps below, should I take this copy of the home directory and move it to my new server?

I have downloaded the new install bits for the STAGE instance and I have unzipped the file into an install folder on the new STAGE instance.

The next instruction is confusing, I assume this applies to the new install folder in STAGE.

Edit the <installation-directory>\atlassian-jira\WEB-INF\classes\jira-application.properties file to point to your existing Jira home directory. Make sure that you deleted the dbconfig.xml file, otherwise Jira will try to connect to your existing database.

As I have not yet installed JIRA in the STAGE instance I don't yet have an "existing home directory".

This appears to be referring to an upgrade which is not what I am doing.

Because I interpret that as describing an “in-place upgrade” as opposed to a “move” I think that instead I should do the following.

Leave the <installation-directory>\atlassian-jira\WEB-INF\classes\jira-application.properties file in the newly unzipped JIRA install folder on the STAGE instance alone so that it installs JIRA where it normally would and INSTEAD copy the dbconfig.xml file copied from the DEV instance into the new home directory AFTER the installation is complete but BEFORE we start the setup . Then copy the jdbc driver jar file from the OLD instance to the folder in the NEW instance install folder.

Then the next step is to run the install script and follow the instructions to “Set it up myself”, creating a new db and importing the data from the XML backup taken earlier of the OLD instance.

Can you tell me if these are the correct steps to install a new instance of JIRA on a different server and have it use the configuration from the old instance? If they are not, can you supply me with them?