How to avoid downtime ?
 

Hi,
As I posted in the general section, my host fucked up again and I decided to change it. For now I think I'll go with webair (which I hope will be stable).
But I'd like someone to tell me step by step what to do to move from my current host to webair without ANY downtime.

Im thinking this way:
1) Download all my stuff from my current host.
2) buy a hosting package at webair

3) Upload my stuff to their server

4) ?

Im quite confused about that DNS thingie, when I'll buy a package at webair I'll be given their DNS server addresses, right ? So after I upload all the stuff I should login to my old registrars cpanel and move the domain to their servers ? I really want to move it because I dont fully trust my current registrar.

Did i miss something ?

JUst don't change the DNS until everything is up on the new server.

This can be a bit hard to do if you do not have a way of testing the new server so you may want to get a new name, say porn-lucky.com, and get everything on the new server working with this domain.

Once you are sure that everything is working on the new server then change the DNS of your old domain to also to point to the new server.

Yeah- I just did this not long ago.

I think the best way is to FTP your stuff off the old server (unless you are 100% your local files are good) then upload to the new server via IP address.

Test sites off the IP. Make sure all your stuff is in proper directories, etc...

Then change the DNS at your registrar.

I had a weird issue where some of my local folders were in upper case and when I uploaded to the new server some folks bots like Cleo's found the site 404 due to case.

BTW, hit up Sly with PhatServers on ICQ for a good deal. 147-479-144

Dedicated and managed. Ask him if he has any older servers hanging around.

Webair is very high profile on the boards and therefore seem to have some very happy people and some pissed off people. I've never seen pissed off people at phatservers.

Never NAME anything in upper case - saves the trouble...

I case phatservers has not currently "any older servers hanging around" there might be one coming up... Mike, their tech, told me I should maybe get a newer machine since my webstats are hanging too often...

I've always had good success using the numeric ip or IP address to make sure everything works then changing the dns.
Of course thats what everyone else said I think.Dammit I think its time to start drinking so I can think straight haha

I didn't name anything in upper case on purpose. I had a HD failure and had to recover some stuff.

Somehow certain folders went to ALL UPPER CASE. In some cases, all the folders. In others, just the "assets" folder or "pics" folder. Was a PITA.

Mike rocks. The dude replied so quickly to my e-mails when I was setting up it was like ICQ.

The way I do it is:

1. Upload everything to your new host

The next steps assume you use windows, I'm sure there are analogous steps for other OS'es but I'll neglect them for shortness

2. Open C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\HOSTS with a text file
Add an entry like this:

where 1.2.3.4 is your new host's IP

What this does is tells windows to resolve yourDomainName.com to 1.2.3.4 for the life of that entry. This allows you to test your new host like it was on the actual domain.

3. Go to yourDomainName.com and test that everything is working fine. Now you can remove the entry you added in step 2
4. Change your nameservers to your new host, BUT don't cancel your old hosting account just yet. Wait at least 2 days before cancelling it.
5. That's it, if all went well, you should experience no downtime at all.

If you're wondering about the technicalities of it, the reason is because while your DNS is propogating (big word for being updated around the internet), you're leaving the old IP intact, as well as the new IP, so even if some people's DNS records aren't updated, they still won't notice a thing because they'll be going to your old host.

I hope that helps

Tell the new host that you'll switch to them if they zip up all your stuff and place it on the new machine (hehehe).

Should really be easy for them, as it's what they do for a living :)

Yeah most hosts will move your stuff for you. Mine did. It would have taken me forever to move my stuff hehehe. I had almost 500 MB and a 200MB per hour cap on my internet connection :( If I go over they make me use dial-up speeds for 8 hours.. :O

Thanks everybody for the suggestions, now I think all I should. Time to buy me account. Anybody here know an ICQ to people from webair ? I'll ask them If they'll move my stuff for me.