What steps are involved in migrating a website to a cPanel server?

Hosting Migration Checklist 

Here is a list of information you will need to gather before you migrate your site to Chattanooga Online's cPanel servers. 

DNS - Domain Name Service

• domain registrar site address (e.g. http://netsol.com http://godaddy.com http://enom.com)
• domain registrar account username
• domain registrar account password
  • When the site is ready on the new cPanel server (see below) you will need to change your domains' nameserver entries:
    • ns1.virtualchattanooga.net
    • ns2.virtualchattanooga.net

Registered Domain Names

• list of all "parked" domains: domains that "point to" the primary domain
• list of all "addon" domains: standalone domains that map to a subdirectory of the main site
  • list of all subdomains
    (e.g. mobile.mydomain.com)
  • and the directory they map to
    ( / for primary frontpage /folder/ for subdirectory)

Hosting Account

• hosting account control panel site address
• hosting account username
• hosting account password

Database Account

• database hostname  (if not localhost)
• database name 
• database username
• database password 
• phpMyAdmin (or other admin tool) account username and password 

SSH - Secure Shell (ask your host if your account has shell access)

• ssh hostname
• ssh account username
• ssh account password

FTP - File Transfer Protocol

• ftp hostname
• ftp account username
• ftp account password

Email

• list of all email addresses
• mailbox addresses & passwords
• alias addresses and which mailbox they forward to

Hosting Migration Procedures

1. Transfer the site, or all of the site files for the old server to the new server.
   
   • If your account is currently hosted on a cPanel server, then we can transfer the entire site, databases, email accounts, etc. from server to server as a migration package.
   • If the site is not hosted on a cPanel server, but you have SSH Shell access, then we can create an archive file of the site, and transfer from server to server.
   • If you only have FTP accees, then we can manually transfer the files to our network center, and upload to the new server.
2. Test website files for proper function and permissions. This is particularly important if the site uses scripting such as PHP or CGI. If the site is on a cPanel server, then this step is usually not necessary.
3. Switch DNS to the new server by changing each domain's nameserver entries at the domain's registrar
4. Recreate email mailboxes and aliases (again, not necessary for cPanel sites)
5. Set up primary and alias email addresses in the Postini spam & virus filtering service

Email Delivery and Acces During Hosting Account Migration 

When you migrate your primary domain to our servers, our email system and all of the domains we host will see your domain as being hosted on our system, and will send email messages to the new server.

Thus, it is best if we do the migration at a time when your email traffic is low. It is also helpful if you have an external email account that can be used for communication to/from chattanooga.net in the interim.

If you have the ability to log in to check your current email addresses via an IP (numeric) address, or via a webmail address that does not include your primary domain name, you will not "lose" any email.

My website is not live on my computer!
My Email is not being delivered!
I am not receiving Email! 

No email messages are "lost". However, depending on when the many nameservers on the Internet actually switch over the physical IP address of your domain, some messages will go to the old server, and some to the new server. If you are concerned about this, you must ask your old host what methods will allow you to retrieve mail from your old hosting account after your DNS is switched to the new server.

Please also be aware that DNS changes will not occur on your local computer until your Internet Service Provider's nameservers get the new information, and your routers' and computer's DNS and/or browser caches are reset.