Getting your Web site up and Running

This page will provide the fundamental instructions necessary to create an Internet presence with your new VPS v2. The following information assumes you are setting up your first, and primary web site on your server. This is the site your primary domain name, or hostname, will point to. Files for this domain are stored in your ~/www/htdocs directory.

Moving Your Web Site to the VPS v2 Server

To move your web site from your current provider to your new VPS v2 server, perform the following steps:

1. Add your domain to the name servers that will resolve the domain name to your VPS2

   • Access the current DNS registry for your domain, and set the TTL (Time To Live) on the current DNS to 0.

   • Modify your DNS zone files to point the domain name to the IP address of the VPS2.

2. Prepare files for transfer

   • Configure scripts - It may be necessary to configure any scripts currently running on your website to work on your VPS v2 server. This may require installing software on your server, or configuring existing CGI files.

   • Create compressed archives of large, unused files before moving them to your VPS v2 Server

   • Resolve any dynamic content difficulties or database interaction issues. Any interconnectivity issues between your server and another database will need to be resolved prior to completion. We do not offer support for outside software issues. Any problems should be resolved first with the manufacturer.

3. Use your administrative user to copy content using an FTP client to /www/htdocs

4. Test the site using http://USERNAME.securesites.net. This is your default hostname, and points to your /www/htdocs directory.

5. Modify Domain Registration - Once you are sure the content is working correctly, you should submit a domain name modification request to your current domain name registrar. You must modify the Primary and Secondary Name Server information so the domain is resolved by your Primary and Secondary Name Servers.

   Nameserver 1 hostname:   YOUR-DNS-SERVER1.NAME
   Nameserver 1 IP address: [IP ADDRESS]
   Nameserver 2 hostname:   YOUR-DNS-SERVER2.NAME
   Nameserver 2 IP address: [IP ADDRESS]

   Contact your domain name registrar for more information concerning the modification of your domain name registration.

6. Test the site again using your domain name.

7. Wait one week to one month before you cancel your original server account to ensure the domain is fully propagated, and that you have uploaded all of your necessary content.