- Use STSADM -o backup/restore
- Use STSADM -o export/import
- Use Content Deployment Wizard, you can download it from CodePlex SharePoint Content Deployment Wizard
When you use backup/restore, you get everything - including recycle bin content, running workflows, alerts etc. This may or may not be what you want. Such 'environment-specific' things are not captured in 2 and 3 - the principle difference between 2 and 3 is that you can specify you wish all the objects (e.g. lists) to keep the same IDs. Any customizations made in the 12 or 14 hive folder, none of these options would capture these. Such customization would need to be deployed using WSP packages separately.
