Successful Server Migration using the HOSTS file

When migrating your site from one server to another there are many factors involved in having a successful and transparent migration with no down time.

One of the tricks you can use to test your site after you have moved servers is to edit your Windows HOSTS file in order to ‘trick’ your machine into thinking that your site is actually somewhere else, even before updating the nameservers.

For example, you have your live site - sharpdeveloper.net on a server with IP address 72.52.15.51, but you are moving it to another server now because you have outgrown your original server.

Say you already have uploaded the files to the new server and as well populated your mySql or Sql Server databases.

Now, before updating the A record on the nameservers, you can update your local machine to point to the new server, say 81.51.11.51 by editing the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\HOSTS (its a simple text file, you can use notepad to edit it)

Simply add one line

81.51.11.51           sharpdeveloper.net

 

that way your local machine will know the new IP address and you can make sure the site is working perfectly before updating the nameservers to point to the new address.

Questions?