New Server for the ATX Community

[Eric]

I'm moving my sites to a new server this month.  Sticking with the same host, but I need a little more speed and flexibility.

I had planned on making the ATX Community one of the first few sites to go, but it looks like you folks are dealing with enough website-related turmoil for the moment, so I'll hold off and save this site for last.

When it is time to move, there will be some minor downtime--I'll need to shut down the site during the move which will take about an hour, and then it'll be another hour or two  (give or take) for the domain's DNS settings to propagate.

Inevitably, there will be one or two members who won't see the new site for an extended period of time because their ISP's DNS servers are garbage. In cases like that, I highly recommend using a 3rd party DNS service for your entire network.

• Cloudflare DNS (I use this for my home network (router configuration) and on my cell phone)
• OpenDNS
• Google Public DNS

I'll post again with an update as I get closer to the end of my site transfers.

[Catherine]

I know you will take good care of us, and I have NO idea whatsoever about all the DNS commentary.  

[Abby Normal]

2 hours ago, Catherine said:

I know you will take good care of us, and I have NO idea whatsoever about all the DNS commentary.  

I'm only basically familiar with DNS but I did install the Cloudflare android app and I may try updating my home modem with the Cloudflare DNS addresses.

[Eric]

2 hours ago, Catherine said:

I know you will take good care of us, and I have NO idea whatsoever about all the DNS commentary.  

DNS is like the phone book of the internet.  It ties names (atxcommunity.com) to numbers (67.255.188.166).  If your ISP has a crummy DNS server and doesn't refresh its phone book properly, every time you go to atxcommunity.com, you'll get the wrong number and see the old site on the old server.

When I start the migration, it'll be late in the evening. I'll shut down the site and replace it with a message that says something like "we've moved to a new server.  as soon as the internet does its thing, you'll see the site again" and then follow that with my contact info.  If 12 hours goes by and you're still seeing that, then your ISP has unreliable DNS servers.  Luckily, it's pretty painless to change two numbers in your router's configuration (although all routers are different so finding them can sometimes be tricky) so that you can use some nice, free, fast service from a 3rd party that you don't even have to sign up for.  As an added bonus, they'll respect your privacy more than most ISPs.

13 minutes ago, Abby Normal said:

I'm only basically familiar with DNS but I did install the Cloudflare android app and I may try updating my home modem with the Cloudflare DNS addresses.

I started years ago using Google's Public DNS because I had a crummy ISP.  Cloudflare's service is faster, and I prefer not to put all of my privacy eggs in one basket so I switched.  If there's some down side to using their service, I have never encountered it.

[Eric]

Alright, I'm feeling motivated.  I'm going to move the site later this evening.  The transfer itself will be very quick.  I probably won't start it until after 10pm eastern.

[Eric]

Done!

[jklcpa]

Thank you, Eric, for everything!

[Lion EA]

If only Wolters Kluwer could get things back online as fast as you do!

[GLJEANNE]

Thanks Eric, you're the best!!

[Catherine]

On 5/15/2019 at 12:38 PM, GLJEANNE said:

Thanks Eric, you're the best!!

Ain't he just?!?!

[Eric]