How to transfer hosting with no down time.
Switching to a new host can be a very smooth process or it can be very complicated. Following our steps will ensure that your move is a painless one.
- The first step is to find the new host you want to be with and join them. Make sure not to cancel with your old hosting provider, and do not tell them you will be canceling. For the time being you switching host needs to be kept a secret from them, or they could terminate your site early and cause downtime.
- At this point you should have hosting accounts with two hosting providers the old and the new one. You will now upload your entire site from the old host to the new one. This can be done by connecting to their ftp and downloading all your files. Then connecting to the new hosts ftp and uploading all your files. If you choose to make us your new host we will transfer your entire site over free of charge!
- After you have all your files on both hosting accounts you will change your domain names dns. Your new host should have provided you with their domain name servers (dns). If they haven't contact them to find out what dns you should use for your domain name.
Dns usually looks like this:
ns1.thehostsnames.com
ns2.thehostsnames.com
Once you know what dns to use on your domain name you will go to wherever you purchased the domain name from to make the changes. If you purchased your domain name from your host you usually will need to ask them to make the dns changes for you. You will tell them this.... "Hello my domain with you is ____ my username is ___ and my password _____ please change my domain names dns to ns1.thednsyoureceived.com and ns2.thednsyoureceived.com
If you have any questions we would be more then happy to help you, or even make the dns changes for you.
- Once your dns changes have been made you will need to wait two days before your site will load off the new host. During this two day period your dns is prorogating world wide, and your site will be bouncing from the old host to the new host every other minute randomly. Once the two days is up your site will only be loading off the new host.
- 48 hours should have passed now since you have updated your dns. If it has you will now contact your host you were moving from and cancel your account with them.
If you completed all the above steps you have successfully switched hosts, with no downtime at all!
What about my Database?If you are concerned about your databases staying up-to-date, all you need to do is disable your databases so that they cannot update while we complete the transfer. We require up to 72 hours for all transfer requests. The time will depend on how large is your transfer.
Tips
After the transfer, you can create an A record to redirect all visitors to the new server; this way you do not need to worry about propagation of the new name servers. Now your visitors will all be directed to the new site and the new databases. Now the new databases will have all of your current information and can update.
Also, after the site transfer, you can create a MX record so your emails will all be delivered to the new server and not need to wait for propagation.
