Site & Email Migration Workflow

When dealing with complex migrations, we find that it's easier to break up the migration into two sections. If you have choosen a Standard or Business Plan, the CloudAccess.net Support Team can help with many parts of this migration.

Site Migration

Step 1. Importing a Copy of the Site

By using our automated site import feature, you will be able to easily move your compressed site and database to the CloudAccess.net Platform.

Step 2. Testing the Site with your Alternate URL

Every site on the CloudAccess.net Platform has an alternate URL that is always accessable by logging into the Cloud Control Panel™(CCP) and selecting the "Overview" option below the "Application" tab when managing an individual site. Check this URL to ensure that the site is fully functional. Because Joomla and WordPress are built to use “relative paths”, there are rarely any issues related to using the alternate URL for testing.

Step 3. Scheduling the Hot-Cut (optional)

With sites that have ever-changing data, a “Hot Cut” may be necessary. This is where the database content is re-migrated at the last moment to ensure the site has the most up-to-date data when the domain is pointed in the step 4.

Step 4. Pointing the A Record

This DNS modification points ONLY the web traffic to CloudAccess.net. To determine the proper IP address within the CCP, select the "Overview" option below the "Server" tab. After DNS propgation, your site will be live on the CloudAccess.net Platform.

Email Setup (Optional)

Step 1. Add a new Email Addresses

Make a list of the accounts that need to be created including everyone's first name, last name, email address and password.

Step 2. Ensure Emails are Backed-up

Before moving your email accounts to CloudMail, it may be necessary to backup the existing emails in the accounts. The best way to do this is to make sure that emails are downloaded into a popular email program like Outlook or Thunderbird.

Step 3. Prepare Email Users for Transition

If you have a large number of people using the email for the site being transferred, it may help to compose a message to all of them where you include the time of the change and the new settings.

Step 4. Update DNS to Route to CloudMail

This step points the domain name to make the email route to CloudMail. At this time, it's likely that email users will receive errors while trying to connect to their email and will need to update their settings. Any past emails should remain in their email program.