scutchen Posted December 11, 2004 Posted December 11, 2004 Hi TCH! I am acting as web administrator for the web site for my daughter's USAV volleyball club. I designed a new site for them earlier this fall, and it is live on their current host. Pearland Juniors Currently the site is purely static, and not very large. We run a few email addresses through it. Though as the season progresses, I expect to add photos from tournaments. And at some point, we might want to implement forms for collecting registration information and the like... I would expect we can make do with the Starter Plan. The current host is a friend with a setup he runs from his home, and we've had a few problems. So we're looking to go with a professional outfit. TCH has gotten excellent reviews from folks I trust on the dealmac.com forum. And I am very impressed with the level of communication and documentation that I see. And it certainly fits the budget. So this is my first choice. I know enought to build the site, but I'm not up to speed with managing and changing hosting. My director is the registrant, and knows virtually nothing about computers, so I will act as her agent. I know the first thing I'll need is the current domain name registration information. I did a Whois on our domain name and got the following: Registration Service Provider: Domain Direct, help@domaindirect.com 1-416-531-2084 http://www.domaindirect.com This company may be contacted for domain login/passwords, DNS/Nameserver changes, and general domain support questions. Registrar of Record: TUCOWS, INC. Record last updated on 19-Apr-2004. Record expires on 16-Apr-2006. Record created on 16-Apr-2002. Domain servers in listed order: NS15.ZONEEDIT.COM 69.10.134.195 NS18.ZONEEDIT.COM 65.125.227.35 I know I'll need to get the domaindirect account name and password from my Director to make changes there, and I'm working on that. But what I'd really like to have is a step-by-step guide on how to get converted over. I think I establish an account with you guys. Does my director need to do this to set up credit card info or some such? Can she do this but still assign me and my email address as your contact? I think the next step that once we have an account is that we get an email from you guys with loads of information. What is included? Then do I simply FTP the site from my Mac to the TCH server (I use Dreamweaver...)? Am I correct that during this time, I would address the site at TCH with a raw IP address? I'd also want to get email up, running and tested so that I can convert that over on the TCH go-live date as well. How do we handle moving an existing email address at our domain over to your mail server? During the transition, how do we keep from losing any email? We really cannot have a dropped email, as it could be important tournament info, and this worries me. How is this managed? Do we set up some kind of mail forwarding on TCH to the old host, and let it resend the email to us until we are certain that propegation has completed? Can we do this later on with our email addresses so that email to our host is redirected to an address that we use more often (like my earthlink email account)? I think then at some point, I contact domaindirect and tell them that I have new domain server info for them. They change the pointers to TCH. Now, here I'm confused again. While this propegates, some folks will get directed to TCH and some to the current host, correct? Just depending on which host their DNS is pointing to as the new stuff propegates? When do I know it's OK to contact the current host and say Buh-Bye? Am I missing any other steps? I know once we are up and running, we'll have a lot of questions about hit counters and cpanel stuff... And setting up more email. I can also see at some point maybe setting up subdomains for each team. Anyway, I hope this massive tome is digestible. I'm looking forward to moving over the TCH and to learning how to do it efficiently and effectively. Thanks for your help, ---Steve Quote
TCH-Andy Posted December 11, 2004 Posted December 11, 2004 Hi Steve, You seem to have it all sorted Purchase a hosting account here (the starter plan sounds reasonable - and you can always upgrade if needed). This can either be done by you, or your director (who can provide your details for communication - yes). Upload the account using FTP or Dreamweaver and (as you say) the IP address Set up your email accounts here in cpanel. Check your site looks OK, using the IP address Log into your registrar (tucows) and change the DNS to our nameservers During propagation check your email at both hosts (using the IP address). Alternatively you can forward all emails to your earthlink email address as you suggest. Check your stats on the old site (using the IP address) to monitor visitors (you are correct in that some vistors will see your old site, and some your new during propagation) Once visitors to the old site have stopped - you can say bye-bye to that host. If you want to transfer the domain name - do that at the end, once everything else is completed - but you don't have to. I think that has caught all your questions - but if I've missed one, please let me know Quote
scutchen Posted December 11, 2004 Author Posted December 11, 2004 Thanks, Andy. One thing we don't have at the current host is usage stats... We don't have a way to count hits or tell when visitors to the old site stop. Is there any way to monitor this from outside? Maybe looking for references to that IP address on nameservers or something? Quote
Head Guru Posted December 11, 2004 Posted December 11, 2004 All accounts include AwStats. Information can be found here: http://www.totalchoicehosting.com/web-host...statistics.html Quote
scutchen Posted December 11, 2004 Author Posted December 11, 2004 Oops... I wasn't very clear... My current host has no stats package running. Is there a way I can use some type of tool to tell when requests to the current web host stop after my new TCH site is propegating? Some type of external tool to look for requests to the current IP address... Quote
TCH-Andy Posted December 11, 2004 Posted December 11, 2004 As long as you don't mind adding a short script to your old sites files, then yes - that could be done. If you are happy to - let me know, and I'll find a short script for you to add. Quote
TCH-Andy Posted December 11, 2004 Posted December 11, 2004 I'm sure it was a slightly different word you used before Bill Quote
scutchen Posted December 11, 2004 Author Posted December 11, 2004 I've never implemented a script on a site... so I'll need to get some tutoring on what to upload where, etc, etc... I just checked the site and it is down this morning... Mad!!! Pearland Juniors =-=-=-=-=-=-= How easy is it to change billing info? Our Director is going to be at tournaments all weekend, and I'm thinking I could get a couple of days advance work in if I set up the account with her address but my credit card. Then she could change the credit card info to the club at a later date. Is that doable? I could just do the month-by-month plan at this point and I'm in for less than beer and pizza. I could do everything but the domain nameserver change (since I don't have her account info at Tucows.) Quote
TCH-Andy Posted December 11, 2004 Posted December 11, 2004 (edited) I can see the site - so it is probably just a routing problem if you can't see it. Changing the Billing is easy - so yes, my preference would be for signing up a a monthly plan - and as you say, it's only the cost of a pizza It looks as if the site has been developed using dreamweaver and templates - so adding a bit of script to the template - and updating the site is relatively easy. Edited December 11, 2004 by TCH-Andy Quote
scutchen Posted December 11, 2004 Author Posted December 11, 2004 Oh! I thought you meant like a Perl script running on the server as opposed to javascript in the page code. I should be able to handle that if you can suggest a script. Where does the script store its values? just in a text file on the server or something? BTW, I can get to the current site now as well... it was down for a couple of hours at least... The guy that runs the server will just take it down to work on it every now and then without telling us. Quote
TCH-Dick Posted December 11, 2004 Posted December 11, 2004 Sorry to get off topic, but just wanted to say Welcome to the Family. I see that you are in Pearland, which makes us practically neighbors, as I only live a few minutes away in Pasadena. I hope everything goes well with your transfer and don't worry about scripts and sort there are plenty of people willing to help here. Quote
TCH-Don Posted December 11, 2004 Posted December 11, 2004 Welcome to the Family Steve and your new home! We really are like family here. So if you need anything, just ask your new family! We love to help Quote
TCH-Bruce Posted December 11, 2004 Posted December 11, 2004 (edited) Welcome to the family, Steve! Edited December 11, 2004 by TCH-Bruce Quote
scutchen Posted December 11, 2004 Author Posted December 11, 2004 Thanks for all of the kind words! I'm off to sign up... Quote
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