Server Migration

Jul 16, 2008

We’ve been working recently to improve our server infrastructure, and as part of that work we will be performing a migration of all data to new servers. This work is necessary for us to be able to scale our services in the future, and to help make sure that the services we offer are on par with what is expected from a modern web hosting company.

Most customers will not have to do anything, but customer web sites will be unavailable while their data is being moved. Customers who do not use our name servers, or who have their domain names registered with a third party, may also need to manually update their DNS information. See below for more detailed information.

Migration Schedule

The migration will happen according to the following schedule (work will begin at 14:00 BST on each day):

  • July 21 — Name servers changed to new IP addresses.
  • July 23 — Customers hosted on PSH1 migrated.
  • July 24 — Customers hosted on One migrated.
  • July 25 — Customers hosted on Two migrated.

Customers wishing to find out on which server their sites are hosted can do so by logging into the Account Control Panel and clicking “My Sites” followed by “My Plans”, and then “View Details” next to the relevant hosting plan.

Services Which Will Be Unavailable

Some services will be unavailable while data is being transferred:

  • Customers will see a message in place of their web sites stating that maintenance is being performed.
  • Customers will be unable to send or receive email — incoming messages during this time will be delivered once the transfer is complete.
  • We will leave SSH and FTP available throughout the work, so that customers can access their data if necessary, but changes will be lost.
  • The Web Site Control Panel (cPanel) will not be available.
  • Our web site and the Account Control Panel will remain available, so customers will be able to use our support and billing system as normal.

We can’t provide an accurate estimate of how long these services will be unavailable, as this will vary per customer, but this is likely to take a minimum of three hours.

Customers Who Don’t Use Our Name Servers

Customers who do not use our name servers will need to update their DNS records on the relevant date with the IP addresses of our new servers. (If you don’t know if this applies to you or not, then you almost certainly don’t need to do anything.)

The new IP addresses are as follows:

  • Customers hosted on PSH1: 174.132.19.52
  • Customers hosted on One: 174.132.19.132
  • Customers hosted on Two: 174.132.19.140

If you have a dedicated IP address and do not use our name servers, then please contact us to find out which IP address you will be assigned.

We recommend that customers who manage their own DNS servers lower their record’s TTL a day or two before the scheduled data transfer, so that your site will be unavailable for as short a time as possible.

Customers Who Registered Their Domain Elsewhere

If you use our name servers, but chose not to register your domain with us, then you may need to update your name server settings with your domain registrar. This only applies if your registrar requires you to enter the IP address as well as the host name of the name servers. The host names are not changing, but the IP addresses will change to the following:

  • ns1.valcatohosting.com: 174.132.19.132
  • ns2.valcatohosting.com: 174.132.19.140
  • ns3.valcatohosting.com: 174.132.19.52

You will need to update this information on or after July 21.