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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    San Diego, California
    Posts
    50

    How to transfer your site without having downtime - FTP/cPanel Focused

    Switch your web hosting without having your web site go down

    1. Sign up for any web hosting package before cancelling your old web hosting account.

    2. Download your entire old web site using a FTP program, or using cPanel backup utility. Then upload your entire web site to your new web hosting account by FTP or using cPanel backup utility again. If you are using FTP, you will need to re-chmod your folders if you are running scripts.

    3. After you have moved all your files to your new account, you need to change your domain name's name servers. Make sure everything is working by using a temporary address at your new hopefully great web host before you update your nameservers. Then go to where you registered your domain name or email them directly. Update your name servers to the NEW name servers your new host emailed you when you signed up.

    <edit>

    4. After 24-72 hours your domain will be fully propegated and pointing to your new web hosting home.

    5. You can now cancel your old web hosting and your web site should be fully up and running on your new account.

    And that's it, after those 5 steps, your site is fully up and running with no downtime experienced at all. In all cases it's great to backup, cPanel has a great tool to allow it.


    <edit>

    Thanks Everyone!!
    Last edited by bear; 07-07-2006 at 06:24 AM.
    Jazzy Host - cPanel Hosting You Can Count on
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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Orihuela Costa
    Posts
    162
    Quote Originally Posted by Jazzy Host
    Download your entire old web site using a FTP program, or using cPanel backup utility. Then upload your entire web site to your new web hosting account by FTP or using cPanel backup utility again. If you are using FTP, you will need to re-chmod your folders if you are running scripts.
    If you use MySQL database go to phpmyadmin and export your db. Then go to phpmyadmin in your new web host and import the data.

  3. #3
    You forgot about the emails! There may be some leftovers at the old server for some time. You may have to use IP address to use POP facility.

  4. #4
    Great I'll learn to do your step.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    San Diego, California
    Posts
    50
    you can also do backups on your mysql by the cpanel backup function, but a FULL cpanel backup should include your dbs and everything...Thanks!
    Jazzy Host - cPanel Hosting You Can Count on
    Shared cPanel Hosting, cPanel Reseller Hosting w/ WHM, Managed Dedicated Servers
    24/7 Live Support/Quick Ticket Replies, 99.9% Uptime Guarantee - Monitored by 3rd Party for you to see
    Great Prices, No Setup Fees, Fast Setup!!

  6. #6
    Most webhosts would do the transfer for you if your old server uses cPanel. Ask them first and save yourself a lot of work.

    If you have a ded server you can use WHM copy feature.

    Anyway, do a full back up from cPanel first. It might help speed things up if you give your webhost the full back up of the site so they can restore the entire account on the new server exactly as it was on the old one (db and mail included)
    Patty
    _____________________________________________
    CybernetFX Webdesign | Webhosting | e-Commerce
    www.cybernetfx.com

  7. #7
    I'm a newbie, and find this interesting because I am not to happy with who I chose to host my site(s) so far.

    What I am wondering though, is how to change nameservers, as I have not had to do that yet (I am assuming thats because I registered the domain as part of the hosting package)

  8. #8
    If you don't have access to your domain management, you'll have to ask whoever registered it for you to change it.
    Patty
    _____________________________________________
    CybernetFX Webdesign | Webhosting | e-Commerce
    www.cybernetfx.com

  9. #9
    Thanks - I am assuming that I do have DM, as the welcome letter said to point my nameservers to the new domain, unless I had registered the domain with them in which case I didnt have to. The hosting company I use has cpanel, which is mentioned earlier in this thread, would I change nameservers from within that?

  10. #10
    No, you should have a specific admin area for your domain. Ask your host if you have that. Many times the hosts that offer this kind of package will manage the domains themselves.
    Patty
    _____________________________________________
    CybernetFX Webdesign | Webhosting | e-Commerce
    www.cybernetfx.com

  11. #11
    thank you id work

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    San Diego, California
    Posts
    50
    No problem, very happy people can get their stuff moved with this info! and yes most hosts will import your backup for you, thanks all!
    Jazzy Host - cPanel Hosting You Can Count on
    Shared cPanel Hosting, cPanel Reseller Hosting w/ WHM, Managed Dedicated Servers
    24/7 Live Support/Quick Ticket Replies, 99.9% Uptime Guarantee - Monitored by 3rd Party for you to see
    Great Prices, No Setup Fees, Fast Setup!!

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    38
    Here is an easy way to take Full Back up to your New Host Account, even before your Domain name server is resolved to New Name Server.

    Old Host:

    1. Go to Control Panel
    2. Click on Back up
    3. Click on "Generate Full Backup"
    4. Choose "Remote FTP Transfer"
    5. Remote FTP Server: Type the IP address of your New Host Here
    6. Remote FTP Server User: Type the username of New Host Account
    7. Remote FTp Password: Type the Password of New Host Account.
    8. Click ok

    After few Minute... (Depending upon the File Size)

    New Host

    1. Go to Control Panel
    2. Click on File Manager
    3. On Home Directory, you will see the back up file, if not wait for some time and check again.
    4. Do not click on that backup file or try to extract it. It should be restored by your System Administrator.
    5. Submit a support ticket requesting a Cpanel restore. Give all detail. It is good to mention the backup file name and file size.
    6. Once you hear from that cPanel backup was sucessfully restored, you can change the Name server, so that without any interruption your will site will be up and running.

    This method also reduce the hassel of downloading files and uploading files by you. Through this method, all your Database Files, Web Statitics Report and E-mails will be restored to your New Host Account Automatically.

    Tips: It is good if you create the New Host Account Username same as the old Host Account Username. Password can be defferent.
    Which Host is Perfect?

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    CA/TX USA
    Posts
    964
    Remember that if you have forums or such you'll want to use an .htaccess file on the origin site to redirect users to the new site while it is propogating, otherwise you'll have at least some downtime.
    ██ UBERHOST
    NEXT GENERATION HOSTING
    Managed dedicated & shared hosting

  15. #15
    i am planning of moving my forum to a new host but during sign up, they would ask you what domain would you like to use right? can i put in the same domain that i'm currently using for my forum? how does that work?

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    38
    Yes you can give the same domain during sign up... Probably you may have option like " I want to host with an existing Domain"

    As kewlceo says, I don't think there will be downtime, Becuase when you do a Cpanel Back-up .htaccess files also included...

    The moment it Propate to the New Name servers, it began to function as it was in the old server..

    Linu
    Which Host is Perfect?

  17. #17
    Thanks guys thats really helpfull, I have to transfer someone else today.

  18. #18
    WHM has the feature of transfering sites from another WHM server. Contact your new host and ask them to setup for you. All you need to provide them is the ftp username and password.
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  19. #19
    An issue I had when moving a cpanel site by using the site backup/restore, sql backup/restore method : all the files got copied over, and the sql database too. The only trouble was that the SQL users didn't copy. So I had to go into mySQL, add the user and password. Digging the password up took a little searching, as I didn't know which file it was in. Sometimes it's in a config file, sometimes it's buried in a file in your /include folder.

    Before you start moving your traffic to the new server, test it by going to http://XXX.XXX.XX.XXX/~cpanelusername to make sure the script is connecting and everything.

    I've found that DNS changes are going through VERY fast these days. Mine have been taking an hour or sometimes less. One idea I had - when you change to the new nameservers. Go to the control panel of the old host you are moving from and put a redirect in and redirect to the IP address/~username of the new server. I think that should make sure everyone is looking at the new site from then on, unless you have absolute links in your website. I haven't actually tried doing this, maybe someone here can tell us if that would work...

    One more thing. I found that one of my DNS changes had still not gone through after 8 hours. I was somewhat concerned, went to GoDaddy to make sure the nameserver was correct. It was. Then I went to http://browsrcamp.com and got a screen shot of the site from their server. They were actually pointing to the new server....

    So I finally figured out that my DNS info was cached on my local machine. It was a guess, so I googled it, and found out how to clear it.

    Start
    Run
    CMD
    IPCONFIG /FLUSHDNS

    that will clear out your DNS cache. In my case, it did the trick, and I was able to see my new site.

  20. #20
    Recently transferred a domain from gkg dot net to 1and1. The nameservers transferred fine initially on 1and1's record, but when it propagated, they reset to 1and1's default inhouse settings and of course the site became nothing more than an ad for 1and1 until it was discovered much later. One more caveat.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    The English Lake District
    Posts
    97
    The method described is certainly a good way to do a planned migration, but it's still a good idea to have your own backups in case of an unplanned migration, or to restore a site that gets messed up for some reason. Site Backup CP makes it easy to back up from cPanel to your local computer, without having to log in to cPanel and do it manually each time.
    Julian Moss
    Tech-Pro.net

  22. #22
    That looks like interesting s/w.

    I was speaking about a name-domain change though. It was meant as a heads-up in those situations. Not something everyone would think to check.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Boston area
    Posts
    84
    Quote Originally Posted by kewlceo
    Remember that if you have forums or such you'll want to use an .htaccess file on the origin site to redirect users to the new site while it is propogating, otherwise you'll have at least some downtime.
    How does that part work? (My concern is with Wordpress blogs that might receive comments.)

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Buffalo, NY
    Posts
    2,638
    Quote Originally Posted by Curt Monash
    How does that part work? (My concern is with Wordpress blogs that might receive comments.)
    A better alternative would be to set the database on the old host to externally connect to the new host's IP address. This way anything database-driven would be written to the new host.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Boston area
    Posts
    84
    Quote Originally Posted by PE-Steve
    A better alternative would be to set the database on the old host to externally connect to the new host's IP address. This way anything database-driven would be written to the new host.
    Thanks, but how would I do THAT?

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