Hi,

would any experts please advise how one can switch registrars without losing any traffic or having the site go offline?

if it helps, I have multiple domains that redirect (301) to the main URL

thank you!

Changing registrars doesn't cause any downtime. Just be carefull not to change nameservers also.

Regards,

it doesn't? are you sure? I guess I've been misinformed then.

so how do you change nameservers without any downtime?

switch them one at a time?

like this:

ns1.newnameserver.com
ns2.oldnameserver.com

?

Changing nameservers is not the same as changing registrars. Can you be more precise on what you want to do? Are you moving your site to another host or are you transfering your domain from one registrar to another?

Regards,

it doesn't? are you sure? I guess I've been misinformed then.
You may have been misled into thinking that switching HOSTS (and therefore nameservers) also requires a change in registrar. The truth is, you don't need to *transfer* your domain to your new host, which is in most cases, a reseller of an accredited registrar.

ok, I guess I'm not being very clear.

here's the situation:

I have multiple domains pointing to the same site via 301 redirect. I want to switch my host and the registrar.

How can I do that to minimize or completely eliminate any downtime? that is, prevent the site from going down.

thanks

Changing a registrar won't affect the nameservers set at all. This is because the nameservers are set at the registry, hence moving registrar won't have any effect (unless, of course, when moving you select an option like "Park these domains for me" - I know that GoDaddy do this).

As for moving hosts (obviously, if you want to move hosts and registrars, do one and then the other; doing them both at the same time would get tricky)... simply create an account with the new host, backup everything from your old host and restore it on your new host. Then just change the nameservers over (at your registrar) to point to the new host.

And bam, zero downtime :)

You shouldn't use your webhost for registration services. They should be separate. Change your registrar first, then point your domains to your new (different from your registrar) nameservers.

thanks Tristran,
but wouldn't the changing of nameservers mean there would be downtime? doesn't it take a bit of time for them to change? I've heard anything up to 72 hours.

So do I change them one at a time?

for example, right now I have:

ns1.oldnameservers.com
ns2.oldnameservers.com

would changing them to this:

ns1.newnameservers.com
ns2.oldnameservers.com

then, when it is propagated, next to this:

ns1.newnameservers.com
ns2.newnameservers.com

allow for zero downtime?

or should I just change them with one fell swoop? that is both at the same time, once I have already switched my registrar?

thanks again!

There is a domain name propogation time, although it won't cause *downtime* - it'll just mean that, once you changes the nameservers, your domains will still point to the website on the old website for about 4-12 hours (usually). And then, without any downtime, it'll just suddenly change as your ISP refreshes its DNS cache :)