.: How to Make a Painless Move to a New Web Host
Category:Home / Internet / Web Hosting
There are two things that can go seriously wrong when you move to a new web hosting provider. Follow this simple guide to doing it all without too many dramas.
A normal move to a new hosting provider can mean huge losses to your business if things aren't done correctly. Specifically:
1. Your new web site doesn't "behave" the way it should.
2. Your email goes "missing" for several days
Setting Up The New Server
Setting up the new server correctly easily solves the first problem.
Set up the new server with your existing/main domain name details (but do not change the DNS settings - yet).
Once the server is set up, you can then park another/spare domain name at the same server.
For example, most servers with cPanel allow you to easily park one - or more - domains on top of an existing one. If you don't happen to have a spare/unused domain name you can use for this purpose, it won't cost much to register a new .com just for this purpose.
Now, make sure that the DNS information for the parked domain at your domain name registry points to the new server.
Once you can see your web site under the parrkeddomainname.com address in your web browser, fully test it to make sure all the interactive routines - i.e. search routines, contact forms, forums, feeds, etc., work as they should.
Once you are 100% certain that it works properly, and you've got your email sorted out (see next bit) then you can organize to have the DNS for your main domain name changed to point to the new server.
Big Tip: Make a small change to the new home page so you can easily tell which site (old or new) you are looking at in your web browser. When you can see the change, it means your DNS has been updated.
Don't Lose Any Email
The problem with a DNS change is that it can take some time to go through - up to 72 hours or even longer for it to propagate across the whole Internet.
During that time, some of your customers will be seeing the old version of your site, and if they send you email, it can be delivered to the old server.
And you might not be able to check it because your ISP has updated the DNS and you can only see the new server.
At The Old Server, simply set up a forward or redirection to send all your mail to your existing ISP email account, or perhaps even a new Hotmail type address.
For the final time, in Outlook (or whatever email client you use) click on Send/Receive to get any mail that might be waiting on the old server. After this new email (to your old server) will come in through your ISP email box.
Next, set up your email accounts At The New Server. You should also set up redirects here to send any mail it receives to your ISP address. That way, if you're unlucky and your DNS takes forever to propagate, you will still get your new email.
Finally, when you are all ready to go, lodge the DNS change with your domain name registrar to point your main domain to the new server.
While The DNS Is Updating
If everything's been set up correctly, then while the DNS is updating, several things will happen:
1. Any email being sent to the old server will be redirected to your ISP email address.
2. Any email that's sent to the new server is also being redirected to your ISP address, so you won't lose any email during this period.
3. Your email client should keep checking the old server until the DNS change goes through. When that happens, it will most likely display an "unable to connect" error message.
4. Now, check to make sure you can see your new server in your web browser.
5. If you can, then change your email settings to the new server settings and check it works both sending and receiving.
6. Now remove the redirections from the new server.
Finally, in about another week or so, contact your OLD hosting provider and Close Your Account. It's an important step, but so many people forget to do it, until they get re-billed for another month (and lot's of luck trying to get a refund).
Article keywords: web hosting, internet marketing, home business, small business
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of besuccessfulnews.com, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.
.: New Web Hosting Articles
1). Virtual Web Servers: Perfect For Mid-Sized Web Hosting Needs
The internet has exploded over the last ten years with many people doing more and more tasks online everyday. As the internet continues to grow, the amount of space available for web sites to expand will shrink.
2). How to Make a Painless Move to a New Web Host
There are two things that can go seriously wrong when you move to a new web hosting provider. Follow this simple guide to doing it all without too many dramas.
3). Choosing the Best WAHM Website Hosting
This article will show you how to get the best bang for your buck when selecting webhosting for your website and business.
4). Web Hosting Options
There are more options for web hosting than ever. There are hosting plans and services to fit any budget. Another option is running your own server.
5). What to Look For When Choosing a Web Host
The purpose of your web site determines what you need to look for from a web hosting service. A hobby site has very different needs to that of a business site.
6). Dedicated Hosting is the Only Way to Go
Why use dedicated hosting? Is it better than virtual hosting? Find out what will suit your needs in this article.
7). Why Some People Prefer Canadian Web Hosting Over American
Canadian web hosting tends to be preferred over American web hosting. This preference is due to the features they offer.
.: Top Web Hosting Articles
1). Discovering The Personal And Professional Benefits Of Myspace
If you have been thinking of creating a website for your company, then you are already aware of the amazing benefits of having a corporate presence online. Tapping into the internet community is a proven way to increase your company's visibility, improve sales, attract new clients, and more. But have you ever wondered: if a website can do wonders for my profession, can it work magic in my personal life, too? Most importantly, is there a service that can benefit me both personally and professionally?
Chances are you have heard of MySpace.
2). BlueHost and Fantastico
BlueHost and Fantastico go so well together that they lend themselves to all sorts of timeless comparisons: Burns and Allen, Astaire and Rogers, Peanut Butter and Jelly or, more relevantly, MySQL and PHP. BlueHost is the web host, Fantastico is the feature; together, they can help you make your website do all sorts of incredible things.
Fantastico (full name: Fantastico DeLuxe) is the leading auto-installer for servers using the cPanel control panel.
3). How to Share?Transfer Large Files Via The Internet
The Internet is the fastest medium to share or transfer large files from one computer to another.
FTP has several advantages over HTTP and considered as a reliable communication protocol to share/transfer large files via the Internet. Through FTP service you can transfer large files irrespective of the content (text, image, audio, video, multimedia, etc).
4). 1and1 Hosting - Raising the bar
First, I have to admit. I'm a terrible customer. I'm a demanding perfectionist who rarely feels that he is getting his money's worth. This is especially true of hosting providers. In the past four years, I've had to change providers at least six times because I felt that I was not getting what I paid for. This brief commentary is somewhat of a treat.
5). 3 Differences between Shared and Dedicated Hosting
When it comes to making the all-important choice of what web hosting method to use the choices come down to shared hosting and dedicated hosting. There are so many arguments arguing for both shared hosting and dedicated hosting. Perhaps it is time to shed a little light on this web hosting dilemma.
First of all, let's deal with the all-important question of server access.
6). FTP Hosting - The Benefits Of Sending Large Files Via The Internet!
Still using FedEx or UPS as the medium of transferring files to your client? Try FTP hosting service, this is an authentic way to transfer files over the Internet. In this era of Internet technology it is necessary to implement advanced communication protocol in the business system to enjoy efficient client communication. You can contact with your client or vendor through World Wide Web within a few second therefore, it is necessary to implement a technology that can enhance the business process and can run over the Internet.
7). Four Critical Factors to Business Web Hosting Success
There are a number of business web hosting services over the internet. It is important when choosing a business web hosting service that you find one that caters to your specific business needs.