How To Transfer Without Downtime
From Site5Wiki
If you're looking for a simple, surefire process to follow in order to transfer a site from one host to another with no downtime whatsoever, there isn't one. Largely because of the challenges presented by DNS propagation, moving your site from one host to another in a completely seamless manner is difficult. Each web site is unique and, as such, must be considered on a case-by-case basis by its webmaster and developers.
The following information is meant to provide you with a general idea of how to approach site transfers. It is not meant to be a solution to the problem, and definitely is not at all guaranteed by Site5!
A common approach to moving sites involves following some form of the steps below:
- Signup for a hosting account at Site5 using the domain name that you would like to transfer.
- When your account is activated, upload a copy of your site from your current host to your new Site5 account (you can access your account using the IP address provided provided in your welcome email). You can also move your site files via SSH if your former host allows SSH access: http://wiki.site5.com/Move_Website_via_SSH#How_to_move_your_website_if_both_hosts_offer_SSH
- Update your domain name to use Site5's nameservers (through the control panel provided by your domain name registrar).
- Wait. Don't make any changes to the files on either copy of your site. For a period of as long as 72 hours, you want both your new site and your old site to be identical. This way, browsers being directed to either site will see the same thing.
- After waiting at least 72 hours from the time your domain name record was actually updated in the central Internet domain name database, your new site should be completely live!
Important: The above steps outline a general approach to use in attempting "seamless" site transfers between hosts. The steps are not "one size fits all" by any means, and must be custom tailored to your individual site. This approach is very generic and will not work, without complications, in most cases. Do your research before attempting a seamless site transfer!
[edit] Extra considerations for sites that use databases
Many sites involve more complex systems which provide the possibility of ending up with out-of-sync data. For instance if your site uses a forum with a MySQL backend, and the old and new sites aren't configured to connect to the same database, posts made to one site will not be recorded on the other site and vice versa. If you do end up with two copies of your site and/or data that are not in sync, merging them can be a difficult if not impossible task. If you require a seamless transfer and are not confident that you can do it on your own, please consult an expert for advice.
[edit] Non-web Services
Note that the above information only pertains to transferring web content. It does not attempt to address the issue of transferring email, databases or other services or data between webhosts!
Plan your site transfer well--there is no simple solution that will work for all sites!
