I currently have my website, with its domain name that's handled by the DNS manager, hosted on a linode that I had for quite a bit now.

Now, I've gotten a second linode, with a much more faster/secure setup and all the content for my website imported and working.

Now, I want to transfer the domain name from my first linode to the second one, basically making the live website move from the first linode to the second one, with as little downtime as possible.

I'm guessing that since nothing changes with my domain registrar, which is already pointing at ns1.linode.com, 2, 3,4 and 5, the changes would be within the DNS manager.

I also guessing that it has to do with the A/AAA records.

Also, if my understanding is correct, I would want to do this at the following time:
xx:14, xx:29, xx:44 or xx:59, for the least downtime, since the DNS manager updates such changes every 15 minutes.

As you can see, I sorta have an idea of what to do, I just need some guidance on how to do this properly, without breaking everything haha

Thanks,
Mathieu

If you are moving everything, could you not swap IP addresses between Linodes with little work?
I've been planning on doing that.

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--
Chris Bryant

I'm assuming that either you don't have any user-changeable content or that the databases etc on the two sites are already synchronised. If this is not the case, the whole thing gets a lot more complicated.

The key to avoiding downtime is to take account of DNS caching -- people will continue to access the old address after you make your DNS changes, because the old address will be cached by their ISP.

If you can, reconfigure your old site to redirect to the new site. Then, make your DNS changes, wait a week for them to propagate and then shut down the old site.

Alternative method:

• In the DNS Manager, set the TTL for your domain to something small (3600 seconds).
• Wait for the change to propagate (two days for users with sensible cache settings, a week to be safe).
• Make your DNS changes -- they should propagate in an hour because your TTL is so low.
• Once the changes have propagated, set the TTL back to the default.
• Shut down the old site.

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/ Peter

Setup a redirect on the old box (pointing to the new box) and then change the DNS.

If your user resolves/caches the old IP they'll get the redirect, if they resolve the new IP they get the new box.

Wait a few days for DNS to propagate, then remove the website from the old box.

Ta-da!

pclissold beat me to the post - how come this board's phpbb doesn't warn you when the thread you're commenting on has been changed like every other phpbb board I use?

@pclissold: Correct, all content is synchronised, nothing to worry about there.

About the redirect: What method/tutorial would you recommend, since the urls are not changing?

As for the
Alternative method:



My apologizes if my questions seems a bit dumb, this is my first time dealing with a transfer of this sort.

Thanks for the help!
Mathieu

Probably because I believe that's a phpBB3 feature ("beaten-to-posting") and from the looks of things this is probably still a phpBB2 site.

(It's possible that even in phpBB2 if you preview your post, the topic review at the bottom will be kept up to date, I'm not sure. But you won't get an explicit warning if there have been new posts since you started composing yours.)

-- David

Use a 301 redirect.


Yes.


Yes.


Yes.

_________________
/ Peter

I use 301 redirects on a regular base, to redirect old urls to new urls, but how does it work for an old to new server, when the urls don't change? I mean, what am I supposed to put in there?

Thanks.

Edit: Nevermind, I realized that if I go with the alternative way that you've suggested, the redirect won't be necessary anyway.

I'd still do the redirect.

People (and/or their ISP's) do funny things when it comes to name resolution caching.

You can set the TTL to anything you want, it doesn't mean people follow it.

With the redirect, you're covered either way, so people don't get lost no matter how they're DNS is setup.

I usually setup a alias on the new server (like www2.mydomain.com) along with www.mydomain.com, then redirect to www2 for people that hit the old box.