Update website database on (mt) Grid server

Have an error on your site about the database? Need to change the database passwords to meet security requirements? Before we begin, this article is not sponsored or approved by (mt) Media Temple in any way and is provided to you as a courtesy.

Below, I will walk you through updating your website's database configuration file once you have updated the database user. If you have a WordPress site, there is a concise version of this article here. If you used Joomla or Drupal to build your site or need more detailed instructions for WordPress, please keep reading.

First, make sure you have the right password and user before you move forward. You will need to view the database user and their permissions to make a record of the databases they have access to, using the Database Manager. If a database user does not have access to a given database the site uses, the site will not be able to connect.

Once you have done that, you will need to access the File Manager for your server. In the File Manager, go to "domains" and find your domain:

WordPress

The error:

Next, go into the "html" folder and find a file named wp-config.php:

Make your changes (be sure to make a copy of the data or the entire file by downloading it):

Drupal

The error:

Next, go into the "html" folder and find a file named settings.php:

Make your changes (be sure to make a copy of the data or the entire file by downloading it):

NOTE: There are many ways the database can be configured in this file. As a result, you will have to be careful and look for the section of real, non-example database credentials that does not have a *, #, or // in front of the lines of data.

Joomla

The error:

Next, go into the "html" folder and find a file named configuration.php:

Make your changes (be sure to make a copy of the data or the entire file by downloading it):

Finally

Make sure the permissions are Read and Write for the "Owner" (you and your site) and only Read for everything else and save:

NOTE: Sometimes, the permissions may not save even if Write permission is checked and therefore, the changes will be lost. You can change the permissions with FTP or SSH and make the change there or come back here and re-enter your changes and save.

Done! Your site should now be able to connect to the database using the database user and the database user password you gave it. Refresh the page to see your working site. If you have any questions on this, please contact support for more assistance.

Full list of CMS configuration file locations