I'm attempting to port a DNN site from one ISP to another and purchased Evotiva's BackupScript module to facilitate the move. I had a fresh install on the destination host, then restored a backup of the current live site (database & site files) that is currently hosted on another ISP's server. Both setups had DNN 4.09.00 running on them.

Once I ran the restore on the destination server, the site began a redirect loop when landing on the site page (the page keeps trying to redirect until Firefox tells you it has stopped trying). I've found a few resources and tried several things short of the ISP restarting IIS with no success in overcoming this problem. Here are the references I've found:

http://www.bestwebsites.co.nz/dotnetnuke/solving-the-dotnetnuke-redirect-loop/
http://weblogs.asp.net/christoc/archive/2008/06/19/dotnetnuke-homepage-won-t-load-keeps-redirecting.aspx
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/aspnet/fix_dnn_redirect_loop.aspx
http://www.dotnetnuke.com/Community/Forums/tabid/795/forumid/107/threadid/271043/scope/posts/Default.aspx
http://www.programmersanonymous.net/content/NETTutorials/tabid/55/EntryID/1/Default.aspx

Here are some things I've tried:

• I queried and updated the PortalAlias table to have the URL for the new host (no trailing slash), then redirect loop started
• I cleared my cache and closed/opened browser to eliminate any possible issues with the browser
• Since I couldn't restart IIS, I tried to force an “application pool” restart by editing/saving the web.config then uploading & then renaming it to cause an application error then changing the name back but this did not resolve the issue.
• I tried to enable the 3.5 framework to fix this but the host provider option is just to enable 1.1 or 2.0/3.0/3.5 and seems to suggest it is installed.
• I inserted a HostSetting record to disable AJAX: INSERT INTO HostSettings (SettingName, SettingValue, SettingIsSecure) VALUES ('EnableAJAX', 'N', 0);
• I updated all the references in the web.config and replace every Version=1.0.61025.0 with Version=3.5.0.0, but could not restart IIS
• I tried changing the Trust setting to FULL rather than the designed MEDIUM in the web.config
• I tried uncommenting the usePortNumber="true" in the web.config 

Any guidance to overccome this would be appreciated. My next step is to delete the site and try a clean install from the backed up files but I'm concerned that this will not resolve the redirect loop.
Thanks,
King

Thanks for your help (again) Horacio.

I checked with the current ISP and destination ISP to confirm what trust level that they allow the sites on their shared servers. They both use MEDIUM trust and neither suggested they had modified the permisions from the default medium trust settings.

Note that the DNN site that was setup initially on the destination site was working with the AJAX controls. You are suspecting it is related to AJAX though I'm trying to make sure I understand the mechanism that does the redirect and why the alias does not resolve. Since the URL in the Alias table does resolve to the DNN setup, I wonder if the landing page is not enabled or something like that that results in the repeated redirect. I think I'll read though this link you had provided me before:

http://blogs.snapsis.com/PermaLink,guid,87c379cc-c700-4eb8-a48d-e778aeef65fa.aspx

What are you suggesting when you say to "disable OpenID"?

Hi King,

The problem is that lot of 'stuff' in web.config and global.asax files triggers 'things' all the time.

So, when restoring recreating the database objects, could happen that e.g. a stored proc required by one of these things already running was not yet created. that's why 'Case II' prerequisite is the 'simple' web.config and no global.asax file.

In summary, replace the web.config  with the minimal version and rename the global.asax to something else.

Anyway, the restore when completed will end with a clone/copy of the original site and thus even restoring from an already running DNN once restored  will be like the original site and you'll have the same problems (related with the redirect due to the new environment limitations that the original environment doesn't have).

You can compare the web.config files and remove from the one restored things that does not work in medium trust

You can also see differences in the table hostsettings (there may be things disabled due to medium trust restrictions)

Thanks,

Horacio.-