When you migrate your existing ColdFusion Server 5 applications to ColdFusion MX, you might encounter a few incompatibilities between ColdFusion 5 and ColdFusion MX. Macromedia strongly encourages you to develop a migration plan for porting existing ColdFusion 5 applications to ColdFusion MX.

Before planning your migration, make sure that you understand the ColdFusion MX configuration options:

Server configuration Lets you install one instance of ColdFusion MX 7 with an embedded J2EE server. This configuration most closely resembles the ColdFusion MX base release and other releases prior to ColdFusion MX, such as ColdFusion 5 and ColdFusion 4.5. This was formerly known as the stand-alone configuration.

Whether you encounter incompatibilities depends on the features of ColdFusion and the CFML elements that your existing applications use. This guide lists known incompatibilities and suggests possible fixes. Also, you can use the Code Compatibility Analyzer to facilitate locating and fixing incompatible code;

Multiserver configuration (Enterprise Edition only) Installs JRun and automatically deploys ColdFusion MX 7 in a separate JRun server instance. This configuration supports server instance creation and ColdFusion deployment in the ColdFusion MX Administrator and lets you manage ColdFusion MX 7 deployments on multiple JRun servers.

J2EE configuration (Enterprise Edition only) Lets you deploy ColdFusion MX 7 as a Java application running on a Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) application server, either using the bundled license of JRun or using a third-party J2EE server, such as IBM WebSphere or BEA WebLogic. When you use the J2EE configuration, you can deploy ColdFusion MX 7 multiple times on a single computer. Planning your migration To facilitate the migration process, Macromedia recommends that you develop a migration strategy. Because every application is different, you must tailor your own migration strategy to meet your environment's needs.

This section contains two possible migration strategies, following a discussion of web server differences in ColdFusion MX. Web server considerations ColdFusion 5 has a simple relationship with the web server: To install ColdFusion, you must have a web server (such as IIS, iPlanet, or Apache) running on the same computer as ColdFusion. The ColdFusion Administrator is located beneath the web root in a directory named CFIDE; CFM pages are located either within the web root or in a virtual directory that is accessible to the web server.

The ColdFusion stub, a web-server specific module that is always configured as part of a ColdFusion 5 installation, uses extension mappings to route CFM pages to the ColdFusion application server. ColdFusion MX provides a web server connector (similar to the ColdFusion stub), which also uses extension mappings to route CFM pages to ColdFusion MX. However, because both the ColdFusion stub and the ColdFusion MX web server connector process CFM files, you cannot configure a web server to handle both ColdFusion 5 and ColdFusion MX. If you must use a ColdFusion 5 application on the same computer that contains

If your site has a highly controlled environment with separate development, testing, staging, and production servers, you can migrate to ColdFusion MX on a testing server before moving to production. Adapt the following suggested steps to fit your needs:
1. Study the ColdFusion MX Migration section of the Macromedia website ( www.macromedia.com/go/cfmxmigration ) and this migration guide to anticipate the compatibility issues that might affect your system.
2. Copy your existing ColdFusion 5 application to a test computer that contains a web server.
3. Redefine data sources to access a test database. You should not run tests against a production database.
4. Ensure that your ColdFusion 5 application is functioning properly on the test computer before upgrading it to ColdFusion MX.
5. Install ColdFusion MX on the test computer. The Install Wizard detects the previous version of ColdFusion and prompts you for the following

To access pages through the built-in web server, specify port 8300 in the URL, as the following example shows: http://localhost:8300/CFIDE/administrator/index.cfm When running in the J2EE configuration, you use the web server capabilities of the underlying J2EE application server. If you are using the built-in web server, you must switch to the web server connector before moving to production. You do this by running the Web Server Configuration Tool, as explained in Installing and Using ColdFusion MX and Configuring and Administering ColdFusion MX . Migration strategy using external web server

The ColdFusion MX Administrator is located under the cf_root /wwwroot directory in a directory named CFIDE; CFM pages are located within the cf_root /wwwroot directory. . To access pages through the built-in web server, specify port 8500 in the URL, as the following example shows:
http://localhost:8500/CFIDE/administrator/index.cfm Tip: If you upgrade to ColdFusion MX 7 and are already using the built-in web server, the installer selects a different port number (typically 8501). When running ColdFusion MX 7 in the multiserver configuration, ColdFusion MX uses the built-in web server, as follows:

	Location of previous ColdFusion directory
	Location of CFIDE directory
	Whether to switch your web server from the previous ColdFusion version to ColdFusion MX.

section of the Macromedia website . Migration strategy using built-in web server If your environment does not multiple computers for development, testing, and staging. You can install ColdFusion MX directly on a staging or production computer and use the built-in web server to test your application in co-exist mode. Adapt the following suggested steps to fit your needs: 1. Study the ColdFusion MX Migration section of the Macromedia website

This migration guide to anticipate the compatibility issues that might affect your system. 2. Install ColdFusion MX on your staging or production computer. Do not configure an external web server; select the built-in web server instead. 3. Run the Configuration and Settings Migration Wizard to complete the installation. If ColdFusion 5 is already installed on the computer, the wizard will migrate your settings to ColdFusion MX.

When using this migration strategy, it's best to switch your web server to ColdFusion MX. 6. Open the ColdFusion MX Administrator. When starting the ColdFusion MX Administrator for the first time, the Configuration and Settings Migration Wizard runs. 7. Answer the Configuration and Settings Migration Wizard questions, selecting all migration options. 8. Test the code in your application using the ColdFusion Code Compatibility Analyzer. Ensure that you specify the location of any custom tags or other code outside of the ColdFusion MX web root directory. Based on the results of the Code Compatibility Analyzer report and the incompatibilities listed in this guide, make a migration plan. For example, you might plan to immediately fix code that causes errors, such as dbtype="dynamic" in query tags, and to schedule and prioritize other fixes, such as replacing deprecated tags and using new functionality.

Make the necessary changes to your ColdFusion application and run the application on your test computer. Ensure that you test all application features under load, not just with a few users. If possible, use a source control system to manage these changes. Tip: Remove the web_root /cfdocs directory before moving to production. Your application is now ready for production on ColdFusion MX. Note: A number of testing applications are available for download from the web. For more information, see the Support