So, my host is moving me from one server to another, due to software upgrades. They migrated the data earlier today then just sent me an email saying I have 24 hours to change my nameservers. So the data they migrated is already out of date, because they didn't notify me until after they had migrated the data. So basically, it's a huge headache to try to ensure that the databases on the ecommerce sites are migrated properly. Seems like my host did a really lousy job on this...seems to me they could have done something to make it easier on me. Like maybe at the very least warn me ahead of time. One of my databases is 480 MB, so I can't transfer it via PHPMyAdmin very well. Any ideas to make this smoother? Am I right that my host should have done this differently?
You haven't really asked anything or said much.. But since your DB is so big, I would recommend transferring it via SSH, if it wasn't tried already.
I've just requested that my hosting company update the large database - I hope they will. The e-commerce databases, I guess the best option is to take the database from the old server and the database from the new server and compare them, and manually make changes where needed, because orders could end up on either server during the nameserver update process. So I can't just take the database from the old server and overwrite the database on the new server with it.
Well, from the get-go with live sites like yours, you should of turned off your site, and leave an offline message saying you are moving servers or back online soon. But as of now, your best bet will be to move the database from the old server and just upload it over the database that is on the new server. While doing this put your site offline, so no new data is loss.
If this is a move that is motivated by your host, they should be doing the move for you, free of charge... What is the reason for the move?
I think they needed to upgrade the OS on the server. In addition to not notifying me, they have mesed a bunch of things up. So far, they have mesed up all POP email, changed the php.ini files so that oscommerce does not work, done something so that POST requests do not work, and done something so that my sites with mod-rewrite don't work. I'm really disgusted.
You should be disgusted. I don't think the point is whether it was done for free or not, but they just plainly f**ed it up. Casually sending you an email regarding nameservers after the fact, hardly does you any good, especially for a live/rapidly changing web site
Upgrading the OS should not warrant a move to a new server.. Something sounds a bit fishy here.. If you are ever looking for a change.. We've been doing hosting for over 10 years now at http://hostinglizard.com Good luck!
Yeh, I sent them an email complaining, and they said that the data migration was done "earlier today" so that the databases should be up to date. What kind of idiot thinks you can migrate a database driven website one day and expect it to be current a day later? :-P I'm going to switch hosts, but it's gonna be a major pain to move all my sites (I have a reseller account).
Exactly right. If data has migrated to the new server, but your nameservers still point to the old server, then the old server is the one to continue being updated. What kind of specs do you need?
Well, I already have a second reseller account and a dedicated server, so I may just use those...I have 24/7 phone support with the dedicated server.
So...all my secure sites are still messed up. Why? Because my hosting company didn't bother to give the each a dedicated IP on the new server!