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The Dom extension enables to parse XML documents. PrestaShop uses for various functionalities, like the Store Locator. It is also used by some modules, as well as the pear_xml_parseparser library.

The allow_url_fopen directive enables modules to access remote files, which is an essential part of the payment process, among others things. It is therefore imperative to have it set to ON.

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Whenever possible, use an opcode cache (or ask your web host to install one for you), in order to alleviate the server's processing load. Opcode means "operation code", and defines the compiled state of the dynamic files, which can then be processed faster.
PrestaShop is compatible with eAccelerator (http://eaccelerator.net/) as well as the new OPcache feature from PHP 5.5.0: http://www.php.net/manual/en/intro.opcache.php.

Improving MySQL performance

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1. Put your shop in maintenance mode, so as to not lose new customers or orders while moving the data.
   Go to your back-office, and under the "Preference" menu, open the "Maintenance" page and set the "Enable shop" option to "No".
2. Move your files:
   1. Make a backup of all the files: connect to your FTP server, and copy all the files and folders to your local hard-drive.
   2. Transfer your files to your new host: Connect to the FTP server for your new host, and copy all the files and folders that you just downloaded to your local hard-drive, as is.
3. Move your data:
   1. Make a backup of you database (a "dump"): connect to phpMyAdmin, click on the "Export" tab, select the database of your PrestaShop installation, and click the "Go" button. Save the downloaded file on your hard-drive. If phpMyAdmin times out before it is able to export all your data, contact your host.
   2. Transfer the SQL dump to the new database: connect to the new server's phpMyAdmin, click on the "Import" tab, click the "Browse..." button, find the SQL file you just downloaded, and click the "Go" button to upload it. If phpMyAdmin times out before it is able to import all your data, contact your new host.
4. Configure your shop:
   
   1. On the new server, open the /config/settings.inc.phpfile and update the settings for the new database server (with your own settings instead of the examples here):
      • define('_DB_SERVER_', 'sql.domainname.com');
      • define('_DB_NAME_', 'prestashop');
      • define('_DB_USER_', 'PS-user');
      • define('_DB_PASSWD_', 'djsf15');
      • define('_DB_PREFIX_', 'ps_');
   2. Log in to your back-office, go to the "Preferences" menu, select the "SEO & URLs" page, and in the "Set shop URL" section change the domain name to your new domain. Do the same for the SSL domain.
      In effect, this will update the "ps_shop_url" SQL table (as well as the "PS_SHOP_DOMAIN" and "PS_SHOP_DOMAIN_SSL" rows in the "ps_configuration" SQL table, for retrocompatibility reasons).
5. Connect to your new FTP server and delete everything except the index.phpfiles in the following folders:
   • /cache/smarty/cache
   • /cache/smarty/compile
6. Go to your back-office, and in the "Maintenance" preference page, set the "Enable shop" option back to "Yes".

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