I guess that I'm a little confused, too.

You said that all of the 386 pages appear to be there. Why, then, do you need to "activate" the template. Haven't you already applied it to the site?

I'm also confused by your use of the word "default" to describe the template usage. Once you have applied the template to a portal, it's done.

Your other questions seem to relate to having created multiple portals on a single DotNetNuke installation. If you have several portals, all will be visible if you use the correct URL for each portal. Each "parent" portal needs to have a URL mapped to it in IIS. Any child portal should be viewed by attaching /childportalname to the URL of the "mail" portal. If you have two "parent" portals, each needs to have a URL mapped to it via IIS.

Well, the menu structure is not visible from the imported site...I mean it still has the default fresh install 'look' and menus.
I can see the imported portals details in the HOST>>portals menu but i have no way to get to it. Mean to say, It's there but it's not active or visible. I want to have the imported portal be the actual site.

To be perfectly clear, this site http://thelatestmagazine.com/   is moving. 
The new host gives an alternate URL so that one can build the site before pointing the DNS to their servers so if you need to run the site in tandem you can. That's what I'm doing.

The "alternate" URL is  http://thelatestmagazine.33.websecurestores.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://thelatestmagazine.33.websecu...tores.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://thelatestmagazine.33.websecu...tores.com/  <-- this is where I need to import the original portal.

Now my next step logically would seem to be to delete the above alias in DNN (http://thelatestmagazine.33.websecurestores.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://thelatestmagazine.33.websecu...tores.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://thelatestmagazine.33.websecu...tores.com/">thelatestmagazine.33.websecurestores.com/ ) and create a new one with that name using the export as a template, but I can't delete my default template (Above) and creating a new parent or child doesn't show site structure.

For instance if I make a child portal w/alias  http://thelatestmagazine.33.websecurestores.com">thelatestmagazine.33.websecurestores.com i get

The Child Portal Name You Specified Already Exists.
Please Choose A Different Child Portal Name.

fair enough, then if I make a new parent w/alias thelatestmagazine.33.websecurestores.com i get

Violation of UNIQUE KEY constraint 'IX_PortalAlias'.
Cannot insert duplicate key in object 'dbo.PortalAlias'.
The statement has been terminated.

also logical.

So I must make a new portal with a proper alias
So I create parent w/alias thelatestmagazine.com
This is successful. So now I have two portals and two aliases. (see image)

This really doesn't help though, as there is no DNS pointing thelatestmagazine.com to the websecurestores server which is good because I want to make sure everything works before i change DNS

Sooo..... how can I get http://thelatestmagazine.33.websecurestores.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://thelatestmagazine.33.websecu...tores.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://thelatestmagazine.33.websecu...tores.com/ to show my imported portal as it's default and not show it's current 'fresh install' portal?


Anyway, thats where I end up. I can't delete my orginal portal/alias, and therefore can't point the imported portal to the proper URL. And If I do create a new portal I can't make the site structure "show up".


Am I totally making this harder than it is?...I don't see logically how this can work given these limitations.

Thank you for your help...I'm usually to proud to hit forums but this really has me stumped.

-junkbox

I think that if you make the portal with the 386 pages a child of the main portal, then you should be able to see it. Your child portal would be:

http://thelatestmagazine.33.websecu...gazine.com

Hello,

Can't you just navigate to:
http://thelatestmagazine.33.websecurestores.com

and then apply the template to that portal? - you don't have to create a new portal to apply a template.

Go to: Admin menu / Site Wizard
to apply a template to a current portal
(You will want to select the replace option)

You may want to check out:
Issue 17 – DotNetNuke Portals

Thanks Lee...

I knew I was making it too dificult. Perhaps if I spent less time creating sites and more time actrually using them I would have known this.

I set this in admin>>Site Wizard - and copied my old portals>>0 to the new server, and everything but some basic things I had changed showed up. Saved a hell of alot of time,  and now I can point the DNS over and create the real alias for the site

thanks again.

-jb

no problem, glad you got it working, thanks,