This is exactly the kind of discussion I was hoping for :-) Thanks everyone! Immediate updating of the public site is not a requirement for me. A nightly update will do just fine. However, I am now of the opinion that the same database can be used for two wiki's just using two different accounts. Let me explain my plan: 1) My present wiki, which is in a secure "https" apache folder and protected from public viewing by requiring users to authenticate through my companies domain controller and uses the LDAP modules will remain "as is" where the wiki will use the standard admin read/write MySQL database account in the LocalSettings.php for all access to the wikidb. Thus, this, the first wiki's URL would be something like: https://www.mycompany.com/wiki/index.php 2) I will create a "read-only" MySQL account for the wikidb using "phpMyAdmin" whose name is "wikidb_reader". 3) I will create a copy of my wiki's entire html/wiki folder in another "www", "public" folder on my server where the Localsettings.php file will access the same MySQL database except by using the "wikidb_reader" account which has no power to make updates to the wikidb MySQL database. Then the 2nd wiki's URL would be like: http://www.mycompany.com/public/wiki/index.php 4) I will restrict the public wiki (the second one) viewing to a custom skin which will check for a "magic word" which allows the page to load "else" it will display a "this page is private" message to the joe public user. .......That's my plan. Let me know if you see a flaw in it, otherwise.... thanks again everyone :-) - Rich (revansx) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Platonides" <Platonides(a)gmail.com> To: <mediawiki-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 4:09 PM Subject: Re: [Mediawiki-l] hiding and sharing articles/namespaces to thepublic