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Switching Web Host


Moving a web site to a new host is not as difficult as you may think. If you follow the tips below carefully you should be fine and have your site up in no time at all.

First Off:

Do not get over excited when you see an extremely cheap hosting plan, look carefully at what the plan they provide and always read the terms and conditions for tricks or hidden fees. Define your own requirements before hand and look for a hosting plan that match closest to your soon to be old web host. A 24/7 support with phone support is a must! Try to find a host that uses the same operating system as your existing host. Get a web host that has a fast Internet connection and has fast servers and good up time (95.3, 99.0, etc)

Scripts:

Make sure if you use php, CGI, Perl or ASP that your new web host supports it. On php make sure they support all the php functions you need and make sure they have all the Perl Modules that you need to use or plan on using. Many scripts need Mysql, so check to see if they support that as well.

Backup:

Backup should be done regularly and not during any major change like moving your site. Make sure you backup everything on your site or you risk losing it all! Save all of your site's files on a disc or you could signup for a data storage service and they will save it for you.

Testing:

You need to be sure that your site is functioning before you cut off from the current host. It's always a good idea to get someone else to test out the new site, if you have more than one computer than use both computers and have a friend to take a look at it too, if you can get more than one person to test it do it. I would also suggest that you test everything from links to images three or four times to make sure things are fine.

Once all this is done you can switch your web hosting and go live. For the next 48 hours check your site often as you can because you never know what may brake or happen. If you do all the above you should be fine and good to go live!

Matt Colyer began as a SEO Specialist in 1997. He founded Superior Webmaster in 2004 as a source of articles and tutorials for Web site owners looking to improve their Web site.

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Managed Vs. Unmanaged Dedicated Hosting
"Unmanaged dedicated servers" - this is a pretty uninviting term to many, especially the non-gurus, but in most cases is not as "non-servicing" as it seems. In fact, I think someone one day soon, ( who knows maybe me ) will coin a new phrase to replace the term "unmanaged" - similar to how "used cars" is now "pre-owned" or how "apartment complexes" are now "rental communities". The truth is that unless you just picked a lousy provider or have unreasonable expectations, unmanaged hosting offers more service and support than most think. The Difference While exact definitions vary among providers, generally speaking managed hosting means your provider takes complete or near complete care of your server. This can include anything from basic system maintenance and patches to applications maintenance, security, monitoring, etc. Someone that needs dedicated hosting and wants to rely on their host for pretty much anything and everything regarding their server needs to strike a relationship with a managed service provider. Full blown managed services involve lots of skilled people hours. Not only that, since every managed customer is unique, it's hard for a managed provider to be overly systematic. For this - expect to pay a great deal more than today's budget server provider but if your needs demand it, and you choose a solid provider it should be money well spent. Unmanaged dedicated hosting obviously refers to dedicated servers with less, little or none of the skilled people support you'd expect to find in managed. You signup, you pay, and in a few minutes to a few hours you get a welcome email with IP address, login, FAQ's, etc. - Beyond that you are pretty much on your own. Relax - you are not really as own your own as it seems. First off, most unmanaged providers do in fact offer technical support, and most that we've seen is very good. If you choose unmanaged dedicated service you do need to have someone on your team that knows the technical side a good bit, but they don't necessarily have to be experts. While you may have to wait 12 - 24 hours or you may even have to pay extra for it, nearly all the unmanaged providers I know do have high level techs available to handle serious issues. In addition most providers give some sort of immediate reboot service. Unless you've been tinkering with some critical config files or have a hardware failure, a reboot can help with a range of issues. Lastly, unmanaged providers may not support you or whatever you put on your server after you move in, but they do stand by the hardware and software they sell you. If a hard drive crashes they are going to replace it for you (although you had better be doing your backups) and if your system crashes most will fix it for you. Summary The bottom line is if you've got mission critical needs and don't have the in-house staff to efficiently keep your servers performing the way they should, then you are going to need managed services. Even still it's a more cost effective route that hiring your own staff and most likely you will receive a higher, more consistent level of service. If your needs are more basic, and or you or your staff has the time and know-how to perform 75% - 80% of your server's maintenance then an affordable unmanaged service should do you just fine. Please refer following web sites for useful resources related to web site hosting: http://www.vipwh.com http://www.thehostingguide.com
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