Guest Alison Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 I signed up for TCH hosting yesterday and am excited to be here--seems like great features, great support, etc. I also requested that the domain registration be switched to TCH. Well, I got my welcome email, uploaded all my files, set up my email, etc. However, I hadn't realized that switching the domain registration can be a process that takes up to a week. And because it's in progress, I'm unable to switch my DNS settings over to TCH's servers. When I tried to, I got a message telling me that no changes could be made because the registration switch had been requested. Whoops. Fortunately, I'm still online with my old hosting company, and I'll just keep my account active until this all gets taken care of. And TCH support has been great answering my questions. However, I'm wondering if there's anything I should be doing now. Should I just sit back and wait? Or do I need to be actively monitoring the registration switch process? I'm just very worried about potential downtime on the site when people can't access us or our mail. Thanks for any advice anyone may have. Quote
Lianna Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 As long as your old host site is still up and your mail is being handled through them, then things are status quo. As soon as the registration changes take place, then update your DNS for our servers. Make sure that everything is ready to go on our end and the transition will appear seemless to the visitors. They'll never know. Two suggestions: 1) To track the change in registrar, you can also do a WhoIs query on your domain name. Here's the page that I use. Just type in your domain name and check the registrar listed. As soon as you see Wild West Domains listed, you're with us! 2) Once you initiate DNS changes, it could take 24-48 hours for the changes to propagate. During propagation, be sure to check your email often! This will help ensure that no emails are left behind on the old host's server. Welcome home! Lianna Quote
TCH-JimE Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 Hi, I did exactley the same thing when I moved my .com from tripod (name with reg-1) to all with totalchoicehosting. The best thing to do is to have your site in both places whilst the transfer takes place, then the customers will never know the difference. Once its done, as alreay said, it can take a few hours to sink through the net. Its worth the patience just to have it all in one place! Jim Quote
TCH-Rick Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 One thing I did while transferring to a new host was to set up my old email server to forward all email to my permanent email address (provided through my ISP.) That way I didn't lose any email in the transition. Quote
Lianna Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 Good one, Ricky. That's a great solution if there are only a few email accounts. I recently transferred a client that had 30 something. Got any suggestions for making that easier? Lianna Quote
TCH-Rick Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 Good one, Ricky. That's a great solution if there are only a few email accounts. I recently transferred a client that had 30 something. Got any suggestions for making that easier? Lianna Ouch! That could fill a mailbox in a hurry. I only had 5 or 6 so I just redirected them all. I also added an entry in my HOSTS file to redirect my mail.xxxxx.com to the old server to collect email. It worked fine for me but I've heard others had problems with that method. I actually used that method to choose which server I went to while updating my Movable Type blogs and getting them exported from the old and imported to the new server. Seems there is always something you forget when trying to make a switch. I don't plan to switch again for a while. Quote
Guest Alison Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 Thank you! This is amazing--I am not used to getting such quick help. I am thrilled, believe me. This is really helpful info and makes me feel better about it. One follow-up: When the domain registration transfer does go through, at that point, will I still be able to make the DNS changes myself? Or will you guys have to do it for me (since then you'll hold the registration)? If I can do it myself, where should I go to do it? Quote
Lianna Posted January 28, 2003 Posted January 28, 2003 You should receive an email (which would go to the listed Administrative Contact for the domain) with all the details for how and where. And yes, you can do it yourself. (But we'll be here if you need help.) While you're waiting, you can review the TCH Domain FAQ pages. (Click Frequently Asked Questions link in upper left.) Lianna Quote
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