If you would like to cut costs or are no longer satisfied
with their current web host provider maybe it is time
to think about changing web host providers. Take time
to plan your transfer so that you won't lose any files
and data.
Web Hosting Change Checklist:
- Domain name:where is your domain registered?
- How do you login and change nameservers?
- Your current IP address________ and your new IP address____________
- Your login username and password for old web host__________
and new control panel or shell access via SSH username
and password __________________
- Make a list of email addresses including usernames and
passwords
- Make a list of databases, usernames and passwords
- make a list of installed software
Checkout your new web host control panel, get familiar
with how things work at your new host and to try everything
out, including sending test emails and uploading files.
Change Your Domain Record
Login to your domain registrar and change your name servers.
This usually occurs within 72 hours, often much sooner.
Dome domain registrars can transfer a domain within 2
hours, so check the new IP address often and upload files
as soon as possible to avoid website "downtime".
Transferring the Site to the New Web Hosting Provider:
Download files: Open your FTP program and enter the FTP
address at your old web host (e.g. ftp.yoursite.com).
Once logged onto the server, right click on your main
folder (normally public_html or www) and choose download.
Choose a local folder on your own computer to store the
files, Click OK, and watch all your files being downloaded
onto your computer. You will still have all your files
on the server too. Please downloads can take a quite abit
of time depending on the number and size of files.
Download databases: Login to your old web hosts Control
Panel Go to databases ( usually My SQl), and use either
phpmyadmin (usually located towards bottom of page) or
a similar program . Choose the databases you want to download
and click on "export". You will then come to
a screen information about the database. towards the bottom
of the page look for; "Normal or None", "GZip",
or "Zip". chose one and press download or submit.
Save this file to a folder on your computer. Repeat for
each databases.
Upload files to the new host: Using your FTP program
connect to your new web host. Right click on the folder
(e.g. public_html or www -- or if not present no folder
maybe required- ask your web hosting provider if you are
unsure) and choose upload. When asked where to upload
these files from, choose the folders and files to upload.
Upload databases: login to the control panel at your
new web hosting provider, go to Mysql, and use phpmyadmin
or a similar program. Choose the insert or upload option
and select the location of the database file you downloaded
before that is stored on your computer. Click "ok
or submit". During the import you will see some database
commands, but towards the bottom it will tell you if it
failed or was successful. Be patient, don't interrupt
this process, wait for the final statement telling you
if the import was successful. Repeat this process for
all of your Mysql databases.
Final Steps
Set up email address using your new control panel. Use
the "help" if needed to learn how to do this
at the new web host.
- check that all your software on your new web host site
is working properly.
- you might have to change config files if Mysql databases,
username or password are different from your old web host.
- If something doesn't work check the permission rights
of your scripts.
- Make sure that all links work.
Reccomended Web Hosting: http://www.site-webhosting.com
. Excellent Customer Service Plans for all size websites
$5-$20/month
About the Author
Geraldine Jensen is the owner of several ecommerce websites.
She is the publisher and editor of http;//www.familiesonlinemagazine.com,
which was chosen as Hotsite by USA Today in October 2004
due to it diverse opinions and good content. She was Webmaster
for a nonprofit organization for 10 years. Her newest
project is Today's Family Forum. she has personal experience
transferring websites to http://www.site-webhosting.com
