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How do I transfer my shared hosting account to a VPS account with little to no downtime?

This FAQ is for those who currently have a shared hosting account with Modwest and wish to migrate their services to a VPS account.

By now, you should have already signed up for your VPS plan and be aware of the differences in support offered for our the plans. More information about that can be found here.

If you have signed up for your VPS and are ready to transfer your existing sites to it, then this FAQ will help you. Transferring your websites to a VPS account involves many aspects depending on the complexity of your website. Customers with little email, or static pages that are not database driven will find that the transition can be done in as little as a few minutes. Other customers will find that they may have multiple mailboxes, databases, and entire web applications to move. In order to do this, you will have to have a bit more familiarity with how to manage a web hosting environment. However, the process can be just as easy.

Here we will outline the necessary steps in moving your websites to your new VPS account. If this looks like a daunting task or you are uncomfortable with managing a server at this level, then you may want to reconsider migrating to a VPS account. However, if you are ready to get started, here are the steps that are necessary to ensure a smooth transition for both you and your clients.

Mirroring your configuration from your shared hosting account to your new VPS account
- Setup and register nameservers for your new VPS hosting environment
- If necessary, setup client accounts for your individual clients associated with your account
- For all domains currently on your shared account(s), create appropriate domains in Plesk on your VPS
- For all mailboxes currently on your shared account(s), create appropriate mailboxes in Plesk on your VPS
- If necessary, for all databases currently on shared account(s), create appropriate databases on your VPS

Migrating the data from your shared hosting account to your new VPS
- Recreate any custom DNS configuration(s) associated with your shared hosting account
- Move the web files from your shared hosting plan to your VPS
- If you access mail via IMAP or normally through webmail, move mail data from your shared hosting plan to your VPS mailboxes
- If you have databases, export any database(s) associated with your shared hosting plan and import them into your VPS

Test the new configuration

PLEASE NOTE: migrating your websites to a VPS is not something that Modwest supports. This guide is offered to assist you in migrating your services. It is up to you to ensure that your website(s)/application(s) work correctly in your new environment. Modwest highly encourages thorough testing of your configuration before considering your migration successful.
- Test your DNS configuration for each domain
- Test the domains on your VPS using a hosts file
- Test mail to your domain using webmail in your VPS to achieve local delivery
- Test any databases that were not adequately tested in step #2
Make your changes live by modifying your DNS hosted on Modwests nameservers

NOTE: due to the nature of DNS propagation, it may take some time before you and your users see your updated DNS entries
- Switch your MX record(s) for your DNS to point to your VPS to ensure mail functions properly
- Switch your A record(s) for your DNS to point to your VPS to ensure your web applications function properly

Switch domain name resolution over to your VPS
- Change your nameservers for all of your domains with their associated registrars

Discontinue your shared hosting service
- Email billing -at- modwest.com to close your shared account

If this looks like a process that you're ready to begin, then click here to get started. Keep in mind that a VPS is not for everyone, but hopefully we can provide assistance to you to aid the process of migration.

User-Contributed Notes
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