There comes a time in every server’s life when it is time to retire. This is known as the server’s EOL, or End Of Life. This is when the hardware is either deemed outdated or it becomes too problematic to keep fixing. In these cases, we will need to migrate our customers over to a new physical server. This article will cover frequently asked questions as well as a list of things you may need to change when a mass migration occurs.
FAQs
Will my primary domain stay the same?
Yes, the domains will not change. Since the migration is basically a clone of the file and account structures all cPanels will retain their primary domain name.
Will addon domains stay in place?
Yes, addon domains will stay in place.
Will my IPs change
Any Dedicated IPs that are on cPanel accounts will stay the same. These are normally in place for SSLs.
Will my databases stay the same?
Direct migration – The databases on the cPanel will be copied over exactly as they were on the original server. This means they will retain all data, naming conventions, usernames, permissions, etc.
Failover migration – The databases on the cPanel will be copied over exactly as they were on the original server. However the data that has been collected or changed on the failover server will not be copied over. It may need to be manually moved.
Will my SSLs stay the same?
Yes. SSLs are based on the domain name, dedicated IP, and server type. These should all remain the same during the migration so SSLs will not need to be rekeyed.
Will my logins for WordPress, Joomla, etc stay the same?
Yes. This data is housed in the databases on the account, which will not change.
Will I lose any emails?
Direct migration – No. Any email that was on the old server will be copied over to the new server.
Failover migration – Any emails that were received and sent on the failover server will not be copied directly to the new server. The emails on the failover server will need to be manually moved.
What may change
Below is a short list of things that may change during a mass migration.
Server name
If the server has a new name then all references to that name will need to be changed. For example if the old server is named ecbiz456.inmotionhosting.com and the new server will be ecbiz789.inmotionhosting.com, then any software referencing the server name will need to be changed. This also includes any secure references. Using our example above secure456.inmotionhosting.com would change to secure789.inmotionhosting.com.
Shared IP Address
Though we will do our best not to change it, there is a low possibility the shared IP for your cPanel accounts could change. Any software refernecing the main IP directly will need to be changed to reference the new IP. This will be able to be seen in your cPanel once the copy has taken place.
Software you may need to change for the above issues
The following is a list of software you may need to inspect. These may have settings that use the server name or IP address.
- Email clients (Outlook, MacMail, Gmail, etc)
- Any builder program that connects to the server (DreamWeaver, FrontPage, iPage, Premium Website Builder)
- FTP clients (FileZilla, Cyberduck, WSftp, etc)
The settings should be changed using the example format below:
| Old Server | New Server |
|---|---|
| ecbiz456.inmotionhosting.com | ecbiz789.inmotionhosting.com |
| secure456.inmotionhosting.com | secure789.inmotionhosting.com |
