Test Board Setup

[Talisman]

I'm curious how other vB owners set things up between their live board and their testvB board. This can be done a few different ways, so I'd like to know which approach you've gone with at your site(s).

Do you locate both installs off the same root of one domain? Are they both on the same server? Do you have your test board running on your PC?

Do they need to be subbed from different roots to test alternative CMPS/portals, galleries, teaching programs, and such?

Do your admins/mods help you develop, install, and test hacks at your test board?

When you finish testing a big customization, do you dump all the changes and take your test board back to a base/clean install? Or, do you hack up your test board as a non-critical prototype that mirrors your live board?