Switching web hosts
By
Staff
Switching Hosts
What do you do when your current web host isn’t
meeting your needs? It’s time to think about
looking for one that will. It’s not unusual for
businesses & consumers to search out better
hosts that provide more services and technical
support once their site grows and becomes more
popular. Webmasters are thinking ahead and
looking for hosts that can provide an effective
level of scalability or technical support.
Before you move, it's extremely important to
make sure that you have copies of everything
related to your site. Archive all content,
including Web pages, databases and scripts. This
should be done at regular intervals to prevent
data loss, not just because you are switching
web hosts. It should be a regular part of your
maintenance routine.
Regular backups and archiving will ensure that
all your data is stored and compressed in its
original directories, which is very important if
you want to retain the full-working integrity of
your Web site when you move.
After all your website integrity should be a
priority with you and it’s worth taking the
extra time regularly to prevent potential
disaster down the road.
Search for New Web Host
Once you have archived your site, you are now
ready to go in search of new hosting services
So, what should you consider when seeking a new
host? First, conduct your search using an
advanced search utility to make sure the
companies you consider offer exactly the
requirements that will fit your new
requirements. Make sure that the new service
that you select includes basic services that
surpass the service you had with your previous
provider. You don’t want the same old thing that
you have currently. It would be pointless to
change.
You need to seek providers that can offer you
more of something that your current provider
can’t give you. Maybe it is improved or
increased technical support, maybe it is a
service that you always wanted but don’t
currently have. Whatever the reason, you need to
get what you want at a price you can afford. You
don’t want to rush into making a bad choice only
to have to seek out another host down the road.
It’s important to keep this in mind.
Found a New Host, Now What?
Now that you have found a new web host who meets
your new demands effectively, you will need to
follow a process to ensure that you upload your
archived data successfully. When your new host
account is activated you will need to do the
following to ensure proper transfer of
information from your current host server to
your new host server.
·
You will be allocated an IP number from the new
hosting company.
·
Upload your archived Web pages, database and
scripts to the new host.
·
Take time to debug and test the new site from
the individual IP number.
·
Verify that all site functionality is operative.
·
Transfer your domain name service (DNS) servers
over from your old host to your new host.
Transitioning
from Old to New
During this DNS transition period, the
"propagation period," your Web site will be in
transition by both your new and old host. As new
DNS information about your Web site filters
through the Internet worldwide, it will take
about 1-2 weeks for the transfer to fully
propagate around the Internet. It is important
during this transition period to keep your old
site running in case you get visitors whose
ISP's name servers haven't fully updated yet.
You will need to check your e-mail from both
hosting providers because some regions of the
Internet will direct e-mail to your old host,
while other regions will start sending mail to
your new server during the transition. In
addition, both hosting services must operate
simultaneously during this period to ensure
stability of data transfer between the Web
servers during the period of propagation.
Once the transition period has passed, you can
cancel your account with the previous hosting
company. It is extremely important to make sure
to pull the plug on your old account ONLY
when e-mail stops arriving from your old
server. Then the transition will be truly
complete.
