OK, so I've got a new environment up and running and seemingly I have all of the little annoying issues figured out.

So, at this point, I'm wondering what the best way to move everyone over would be.

Obviously, there is DNS "lag" as it's propagated out to cached DNS servers. So, I'm going to run the server from an IP only basis for a day or two. Then I'll change the ubb config to reflect the hostname rather than DNS. This is working fine right now for the new environment.

I figure, there are two options:

• Put an apache redirect on the old server in the httpd.conf. This seems the most convenient for users.
• Simply shut down the "old" server from a ubb perspective and leave a link there to the IP of the new server.


Which would you do?

Well I just moved hosts last year. I think today the DNS lag is not as bad. Probably within hours at most for the majority.
But anyway I think I did the same as you are thinking.
Using a dedicated IP at the new site.
I just added a redirect to the New ip at the old site. Closed the board at the old site with a message that stated the move with a temporary IP address URL.

But I recall I had also submitted the new location in my domain registration before I started the move.

I never tried it but it was suggested:
If your new host allows remote access to the MYSQL database. Copy your DB to the new site. Just change the DB paths and login at the old site to the new location. Then if the user is at the old site it will be inserted to the DB at the new site .

Rapid DNS through NetSol makes most "dns lag" nonsense now adays... any .com/net domain should propogate within hours vs weeks like old...

I also changed my host recently. My forum members were informed in advance of the change and when it was going to happen. I had my entire web site and forums ready to go on the new server by the big day. Since it is advisable to close your forum when performing a database backup I simply closed my forum on the old server for good when I began the process.

I FIRST changed my DNS settings.

Then I backed up my database and made a copy on a disk.

Then I set up my database on the new server and set up my forums using the same version of UBB Threads. After I verified that everything was working then I upgraded my version to the latest one at the time. This all took only a couple of hours and after another check on how everything was working I opened my new forums. (went very well with advice from the gents here I might add)

Once the DNS settings propagated users began showing up. I think I was able to access my new site and forums within hours and by the next day many of the regulars started showing up in the Who's On-line list.

To me, simply closing the forums was the least complicated option and since my members knew what was happening there wasn't one single complaint. When they started logging in they knew the move was completed and I knew that the DNS settings were pointing in the right direction.

I was and still am using Network solutions for my domain registrar... this post just reminded that they charge WAYYYYYY too much and I need to find a new registrar for my domains.

Well, I'd advise against changing your DNS first unless you know how to access your data without using your domain name...

Me, I'd close forums and leave a message, backup data, change DNS settings, upload and open up shop on the new location, then wait for people to trickle in...

And BTW, you don't have to have NetSol as your registrar to take advantage of RapidDNS, they're in charge of the overall RapidDNS system for the .com/net tld's; which is the only good thing they do

If I recall FordDoctor you migrated to Lunarpages like I did.
So they charge like $19.95 per year using opensrs.
Maybe not the cheapest registrar around but it is integrated into the control panel for easy updates.

Wow, I only charge $16/yr for using eNom, with full dyndns support...

Yeah, we both landed on the moon and as I recall we were both trying a few different hosts before buying. I don't need OpenSRS. I can tell you that Network Solutions has been charging me $34.99/year for domain registrations. ***shame on me*** Lunar Pages will do the same for $9.95/year AND a one time transfer fee of $9.95 so as my domains are ready to expire I'll pull them over. I was given this price from the help desk - I see purchasing a new domain is $19.95 so I am a little confused at the moment... maybe new domains are $19.95 and renewals are $9.95? I haven't found any documentation clarifying this yet

All I can say is what I was told.
$9.95 per year for domain name registration.
Plus $9.95 for the actual transfer for the registrar.
Plus you have the option of 1 year free registration,Which I used.
When I moved the registration I was charged $9.95 only.
But the renewal says 19.95 so ???
Just make sure you start early on the transfer. If there is a issue releasing your domain name from the old registrar it may take several days to a week or so.
Looking at domaintools I see your name status as
Registrar Status: clientTransferProhibited
So you or network solutions will need to update that to a OK status to allow the transfer.

transferring out of netsol can be a pain; i wonder if they changed that in later years (I used to use them too lol)

I am aware of that but the way I have been doing things lately I might forget... but now that you mention it, I should go and change that soon whilst I am thinking about it. I actually have multiple domains there.

Gizmo,

I'm about to try the same thing. I've backed up the database already. When this gets moved to the new server, where is the command or control to import this backup?

Rich

Giz, Has a how to posted Here

You have been off line for a few hours now. Are you having problems?
Are you just moving or upgrading at the same time?

All I know is that moving my single personal domain from NSI to godaddy was really quite painless. Maybe it was the fact that I got 9 years of registration for $64 (a LOT less than I paid for my first year at NSI) that made it seem so painless.

I recall that there were two phone calls involved, but beyond that, it was pretty easy. (Funny how actually "talking" to people from the comfort of my desk chair is what I consider difficult...)

I've been trying the remote database suggestion (from my test box to the new host). Nothing like a crash course in mysql I guess. (Why couldn't this be something "easy" like Sybase ASE or Caché? ) That actually really seems like a great way to go.

I can connect via the command line mysql app, so I know I'm OK from a network/firewall perspective. I'm just having issues with UBB connecting. I'm only aware of a single config value I need to change in config.inc.php ('DATABASE_SERVER' => '[ip address]',) assuming everything else is the same including the username/password combo. I just get the rather cryptic message:




Odd considering I AM a forum administrator.

What am I missing?

Like I said I never tried remote access with ubb.
But your error message is a generic one from the language files If you have error logging turned on in the ubb you can view the actual error in cp>>logs

No worries. I don't expect you to know everything. (Isn't that Rick's job? )

It's actually a circular problem. UBB has to have mysql access for ubb to log the event - not to mention for me to log into the bb or cp - before it will log the error about why it can't get to the database...

OK, not that anyone would ASSUME that there was a problem with UBB software from my post above...

However, I feel obligated to post my results *cough*or mistake*cough*.

I forgot I'd already upgraded my test environment to 7.5.x. So, our /ubbthreads directory was different. Once I downloaded a fresh copy, it just worked. I even shut off mysql on my system to verify.

So, things are looking good.

Thanks for the advice Ruben. I'm liking this approach more and more.

Okay so all you did was edit config,inc.php for the database server (IP)

No, that's not all I did, but that's basically all that was necessary.

Knowing what I know now, here's what I would have had to do:

• Have server A set up on the same version of UBB as server B.
• Change the security settings on server B to allow incoming mysql traffic from server A's IP. (First time I have found cPanel to be more value than detriment.)
• Change DATABASE_SERVER value in config.inc.php on server A.

That's effectively all I did and it works now. Pretty cool really. It should make the switch very easy now.

That assumes that you're using the default (3306) mysql port. I really have no idea where the db port is set or would be changed in UBB. Maybe that's just something that never happens in mysql, but I do it all the time with other db's.

So, in summary, here's the checklist/plan for the final migration and switch over:


• Verify security settings on new server will allow mysql access from old server.
• Drop and recreate an empty ubb database on the "new" server (easier than dropping all the tables.)
• Close the board on the old server.
• Double check I have all IP's from both old and new servers.
• Change DNS entries in authoritative BIND server to reflect new server.
• Tar up the uploads/avatar directory (everything else static hasn't changed since my initial setup).
• Start FTP'ing the tar file. (Compression doesn't help much here.)
• Follow Gizmo's checklist to migrate the database (including compression of the tar file. bzip2 works wonders compressing the .sql file.)
• FTP the file to the new server. (The first FTP should be complete by the time the bz2 compression completes.)
• Untar the files directory on the new server and check (aka update) permissions.
• Uncompress/tar and import the database on the new server.
• Update the includes/config.inc.php file to reflect new file system structure and location of directories and new username/password for ubb mysql user.
• Open the board on the new server.
• Change includes/config.inc.php on old server to point to new server (DATABASE_SERVER value & new username/password for ubb mysql user)
• Test. (Aka watch email waiting for complaints to come in.)

my eta: 1 Hour. Hopefully less.


Man, it looks so easy when I write it down like that.

Okay thats what I was thinking. I use cpanel myself and it looked like I had to add the ip from the remote site.
"Change the security settings on server B to allow incoming mysql traffic from server A's IP."
Of course I don't really have way to test that now. But very helpful anyway.
At least for the next move.(Shudder)

You can disable the security feature to 'not show' the sql error by setting "show_errors" to 1 in libs/mysql.inc.php

Well Giz every time I have mentioned that setting. Everyone beats me up.(Including you) LOL.
So I don't suggest it anymore.

I'll post back with the results (maybe this weekend?) when I get this moved.

Thanks for the help.My wife wonders why I won't move anywhere that doesn't have fibre (or at least 10Mbps U/D) to the home internet. I just use it and my home server for various and sundry things like this WAY too often.

I'll have to try the security setting one of these days once I'm done with this. I'm assuming that means that I could have seen the error that UBB was generating instead of the generic one - right?

Well what it does is display the real error message in the browser instead of showing the generic message you got. In lieu of turning on the error log. But then everyone including guests can see the error. Including paths,querys, ETC
So that's why everyone says don't do it. But it does work for debugging problems. Just need to remember to turn it off when done.

Yup - exactly what I needed. Good to know for future reference.

I doubt anyone would have jumped on you for mentioning it to me. We are talking about a test system connecting (or not connecting in this case) to another system that hadn't been placed in production yet.

But what do I know? I'm new here.

All I know is it works especially when a admin has not turned on error logs prior and gets the same message you got. At least they can ftp to the file and change the setting to see the real error.

Well, I reccommend against using it, and recommend ONLY using the MySQL logging option, but if you don't have a forum setup to use a mysql server you can't really error test...

But I highly recommend that you disable the option once you're done playing with it; you don't need your users seeing error messages that could potentially contain sensitive information about your server(s)

And I agree 100% Giz.
In fact when I use this feature I am usually in a rush to turn it off as quickly as I can.
But it is a very useful tool when needed.
I hope we keep this in version 8.

Well, in summary, I completed the move on Friday night. Everything went as planned.

Frankly, I was surprised at the speed of the DNS updates. Within a few minutes, my home bind instance was cranking out the updated info. I still went through the motions and updated the "old" machine to access the new database (and included a warning on the board that any attachments weren't going to carry over if you uploaded to the "old" machine after the cutover to the new machine - I wasn't in the mood to setup rsync just for that.)

The only issue I had (have actually) is that mail alerts suddenly aren't working - and they were prior to the refresh of the db and the uploads directory. I'll have to start a new thread on that one...

Anyway, thanks for the help. Mission accomplished.

Mail alerts meaning your main email address in the control panel?

Sorry. Private Message and topic alerts aren't working.

I'm just trying to read through the FAQ's and previous topics to see if my question is already answered prior to asking. You know... trying to do what I get mad at people for not doing.

I can send things from the command line just fine, so I know smtp is working on some level.

I checked in the conf file and SMTP is indeed set to localhost (as it should be). As I said, it was working. So, I don't know what I messed up.

Okay I just tried to register at your site using the URL in your signature.
No email confirmation sent.

Possibly the Mail mx records have not updated yet. But also some servers require the main email address be native to the site.
Like webmaster@bmwsporttouring.com not webmaster@hotmail.com

Control Panel » Primary Settings-General
Board Email Address:
All emails being sent out will come from this address.