Knowledge Base

HOME: Hosting Account Setup

Concerns relating to getting started with a new hosting account.

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1. I have an existing site that is to be moved to MetaPros. How do we move without the site being down?

The short answer...
First, open the new hosting account with MetaPros. You will receive the welcome letter with information on how to access the new account using the IP address instead of the domain name. Use the IP address to access your new site and get the new site ready for use. When the new site ready, then point the domain name to the new site, wait a week, and close the old account.

And some additional detail...

SITE ACCESS
If you are using the domain name to access any part of your existing site, realize that once the domain name is pointing to your new site you may not be able to access the old site any more. This would include browser access to your web pages, ftp access, administrative access, email access, etc.

It may be possible to access your old site using only the IP addess and not the domain name. This is assuming that the old site host uses a dedicated IP address for each account as does MetaPros. You may want test for IP only access to the old site now. Typically you can find the IP address used by a domain name by doing a ping to the domain. Type "ping yourdomain.com" at a command prompt. The IP address should be displayed. Then try using the IP address in place of the domain name wherever you access the old site (example: http://162.92.123.62)

POINTING THE DOMAIN NAME TO THE NEW SITE
Usually this involves contacting the registrar where the domain name is registered and having the registration info changed. If you requested "Transfer existing domain" when you opened the hosting account with MetaPros, we will attempt to start the change process. If you don't want us to start the process, then either don't select "Transfer existing domain" or add a note in the comments field of the order form to hold off on the transfer until you are ready.

Since there are many registrars and each has their own procedures for actually making the changes to the registration, we cannot get into the details of this process here.

Depending on the registrar and the methods that they use, it could take a day or two to get the registration info changed. Some registrars allow you to log in to an administrative interface and make immediate registration changes.

Once the registration is changed, the changes WILL NOT be immediately in effect at every location on the internet. Typically this takes up to 24 or even 48 hours at most locations. At some locations, due to the ISP's name server configurations, it may take up to a week for the registration changes to be in effect. To be safe, you should have both the old site and the new site in operation for at least a week after the registration changes are done.

EMAIL
Just the same as browsers may be pointing to either the old or new site during the transition period, email sent to addresses within the domain will go to either the old or new site during the transition period. You should be checking for email received at both locations. It may be helpful, providing your old service allows this, to have all email received at the old site to be automatically forwarded to another location, such as a free email account at yahoo.com, mail.com or hotmail.com.

AFTER THE TRANSITION
After the transition period, you should contact your old site host and have them close the account and remove the domain name from their domain name servers. This is important because if they (or anyone using their network such as other their other clients) send email to an address within your domain, it will go to where thier name servers direct and not to your new site.


Updated: January 16, 2001

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