Friday

Web Hosting

Moving from Web Host to Web Host

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When moving from house to house, you have to pack up all of your belongings in the ancient house before you can go, right? The same could be said when you are moving from web host to web host. The first and most vital thing you can do is backup your web site and get it ready for the go. Remember to grab all of your static files. This would be all of your non-dynamic pages, images, templates and more. The exact files that you do backup might change depending on how your site is setup.

Backing up Isn’t Fun To Do

If your using a content management system, then you might search the official site for that CMS to find the best way to backup the information it stores. Often you can also backup you databases (MySQL, MSSQL, ect). Control panels can really come in handy when it comes to backing up too. All of the major control panels that your hosting account could come with must have a backup function built in.

You must also always keep a backup of your web site in my opinion (make one at least one a month) no matter if your moving or not. That makes this job simpler to manage and getting everything went from the Web to your computer shouldn’t be such a huge job.

Place Your Moving Pants On…

Next step you are vacant to want to take is to take all of those files, folders, databases and more from your computer to the new web host. Before transferring the information over, check with your new web host to see if you will be able to view your web site as it must be seen with the temporary URL they give you. Often if they give you a URL like this: http://www.dummyurl.com/~yourname

You will not be able to do JSP, PHP and other advanced code types. If that is the case, see if they can set you up with a temporary real domain or sub domain. Most web hosts will be pleased to do so – but it will be a benefit you need to question for. Then you will know your web site will be able to be viewed by your domain name (with the ancient web host) or your temporary domain name (with the new web host).

They give you a domain such as testsite.testermctesttest.com. Now that you have a temporary domain that works with your new hosting plot you are ready to transfer over (via FTP) all of your static web site files.

Syncing Content, Keep it Static

Once the files are uploaded with your new web host – go back to your older web host and disable your databases and place up a nice message saying, “Web site vacant through go, will be back soon.” or something to that effect. You need to turn off any dynamic content generation (like with forums or blogs/comments) so that your information moving from the ancient host to the new host will not be out of sync when your done.

Now let us go back to your new web hosting account and upload your scripts, services and databases that need to be restored. Each script will have it’s own way of doing this so best to check with the script provider to see what the best method might be.

Take a break. At this point you must have two working versions of your web site. They are: the web site with your domain name at the ancient web host and the web site with the temporary domain with the new web host. Both must be static, so that no content can be added or removed from them at this point in the go. If all systems are go, then you are ready to go to the next step in the administer.

Domain Names and Nameservers

Now you need to get your domain name to point to your web site with your new web host. To do this, login to the place everywhere your domain name is registered and update your nameservers. These must be supplied to you by your new web hosting company and are what tells the domain name to point to the new hosting account and away from the ancient one.

Note: If you talked your new web host into charitable you a temporary domain, now you will probably need to tell them you want to go back to using your actual domain name.

Now this nameserver update will take some time to complete. I would say give it 24 to 48 hours. After that time has gone by your domain name must be pointing at your new hosting account. While the change over it taking place, people will be taken (most often) to your web site with your ancient web host or your web site with the new web host.

Once your domain starts pointing at your new web hosting plot, you are nearly all done. Turn back on your dynamic content, forums, blogs, comments, and more. Break open some of the excellent bubbly stuff too because you just completed something that most people dread. I would place moving a web site from web host to web host right up here with doing your taxes. It is no fun at all. I would give it a week or two here before you cancel your ancient hosting account so that if you forgot to backup something you still have time to grab it before you ancient web host deletes it for excellent.