Web Hosting - Site Migrations to New Servers

In order to provide Web Hosting customers with the most up-to-date and secure hosting platforms, we periodically migrate existing customer websites from an old server platforms to ones with newer operating systems, web server versions and web hosting automation software.

Migration Process

Step 1:

Your test site is moved to the new test environment and a preview / future production location is set up on the new production environment. This allows you to check functionality of the future production site before the DNS migration occurs.

NOTE: For more accurate testing and checking of functionality with your applications (for example Shibboleth, WordPress, etc.) we will instruct you on how to update your local hosts file.  This will allow you to point your production domain to the new IP on the new server so that you can interact and test with the site as though it has migrated to the new servers.

Step 1 of account migration to new hosting platform

Step 2:

Once you've verified that the preview / future production site is ready to serve as the new production site, we'll schedule a production DNS change with the Campus Hostmasters, after which the migration is complete.

Step 2 of account migration to new hosting platform

Note:

  • Production DNS changes with the Hostmasters are generally scheduled 24 hours in advance to occur on a business day at 10AM or 2PM (other times can be accommodated if necessary).
  • The time-to-live (TTL) on the DNS records is then lowered to five minutes prior to migration, enabling the changes to propagate quickly. All DNS changes can be reversed in a matter of minutes if there are any unforeseen problems.
  • If you are interested in transferring your site to Web Hosting, see Web Hosting - Transferring My Existing Domain.
  • For information about maintenance mode options, see Web Hosting - Maintenance Mode for Migrations.