CiviCRM on multiple sites

Question

Ok, so I gave up on having it in two different locations since I couldn't seem to get a clear answer from anyone regarding it being able to be done. So I've moved everything over and set it up as a Drupal multi-site. Now I am working to connect CiviCRM to the second site. It's already been on the main site for years.

However, the instructions on how to do the CiviCRM multi-site seem to be missing some steps or making some assumptions. As such, I'm stuck. I'm using the instructions here: https://docs.civicrm.org/sysadmin/en/latest/install/multi-site/

The page says:

Create the domain record¶
Insert a new domain record into the CiviCRM database. For example if your new contact is 555

INSERT INTO `civicrm_domain` (
  `name`,
  `description`,
  `version`,
  contact_id)
SELECT 
  'site 2',
  'second test site',
  cd.version,
  555
FROM civicrm_domain cd
WHERE cd.id = 1;

"For example if your new contact is 555" - what new contact? I can add the line, but have no idea what the "contact_id" field should contain.

As such, I'm stuck at this step.

---

OLD QUESTION:

I know you can have multiple sites using the same CiviCRM install. Usually they are set up using a Drupal multi-site. But can you do it if the two sites are installed in two different locations on the same server? So not a multi-site setup?

I'd love to keep the two sites separate, as then the backups of them are smaller, easier to restore when necessary, etc. Not to mention that I don't bother the live site trying to merge the two (one is a renovation on an older site). If I have to have them in the same directory, I can do that, but would rather not. So I thought I would check.

I want the two sites to be able to have a user be attached to their membership record, for instance, because that controls their access to various items. Or be able to see the trainings they've gone to. Be able to update their record.

So I need to know:

1. Can I have two sites in different directories that use the same CiviCRM install and database so that the data is shared? So that the same user can see their same information in Civi regardless of which site they are on?

2. If not, if they are set up as a Drupal multi-site in the same directory, would it work? Would they share the same CiviCRM install and database so that the data is shared? So that the same user can see their same information in Civi regardless of which site they are on?

I need to know pretty quickly, because I'm to the merging stage of these two sites and I need to know if I am going to have to completely redo the strategy and do the fake multi-site thing in Drupal where they look to be separate sites, but aren't. I'd rather not do that, though, as it will make our SQL database huge since it's an informational site with tens of thousands of records.

Answer 1

can you do it if the two sites are installed in two different locations on the same server? So not a multi-site setup?

Yes multisite can work with different drupal codebase/databases

Answer 2

To answer the followup question - two separate CMSes on the same server can share the same CiviCRM EXCEPT for the users. Since users are controlled by the CMS, the users are tied to the CMS.

If you want to share users, you'll need to use a solution that shares users at the CMS level, like OAuth, LDAP, SAML or Bakery. Or you could just make the same users on both servers. The only catch is that each user will have two CiviCRM records, one per account.

Answer 3

Answering your new question. You say:

"For example if your new contact is 555" - what new contact? I can add the line, but have no idea what the "contact_id" field should contain.

In the documentation, in the line above that query it says

Create a new contact to be the domain contact for the new domain

In other words, every 'domain' needs to have an Organisational contact record that it is associated with.

Does that help?