Fall 2016 - Server Upgrades / Retirements

Started by Jason, September 01, 2016, 05:42:53 PM

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Jason

Update:  November 2, 2016:  The upgrades/migrations/retirements covered in this topic are all complete as of tonight.  Thank you!

This post was emailed to all customers on the impacted servers on 9/1/2016
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Greetings from Charlottezweb -- You're due for an upgrade!!

This post is lengthy but your action may be required to ensure your service(s) aren't disrupted.

I'm excited to announce an upgrade to everyone receiving this email.  If you're on this distribution, you have at least one account that's on one of our older servers.  This includes servers:  Avalanche, Blackice, Sandstorm and Wildfire.

Whereas these servers have been performing very well, their operating systems have reached "End of Life" which means they won't receive future software updates (including security patches) as of March 2017.

To stay ahead of this, we will be migrating you to a newer server over the next 1-2 months.


What's the plan?

1. We have 3 servers ready for accounts that we'll be using for these migrations. All three servers are MUCH more powerful than the four servers above that we'll be retiring.  Please see below in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section below for more specifics.

2. If you're ready now or would like to discuss timing, please contact me via a Support Ticket or direct email and we'll work out timing.  Whereas I'm devoting specific weekends to move sites, I'm happy to do a several per night on a custom schedule so please let me know if you have flexibility.  I will also be doing migrations this coming weekend (September 2-4) if you'd like to move in advance of the schedule below.

3. Otherwise, I will plan to do the migrations by server in the following order:

               - Wildfire  (The weekend of September 9,10,11)   *Server shut down on September 15*

               - Avalanche  (The weekends of September 16,17,18 and September 30-Oct 1,2)   *Server shut down on October 5*

               - Sandstorm  (The weekends of September 16,17,18 and September 30-Oct 1,2)   *Server shut down on October 5*

               - Blackice  (The weekend of October 21, 22,23)  *Server shut down on November 2*

Please note that if I don't hear from you directly, I will migrate you per the schedule above based upon which server(s) you have accounts.  I will email you details upon completion regarding the nameserver changes you will need to make, if applicable.  If these changes are not made prior to the server "shut down" dates above, you will experience a service disruption so I'd urge you to contact me if you have any questions.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What's required from me as a customer with an account on one of these servers?

Nameserver updates.  After your move is complete, you will need to change your nameservers on any domain name that points to your account on any of these servers.  I will provide instructions via email after I move your site.  If your domain name is registered through Charlottezweb, I can do this for you.  Otherwise, you'll need to do this yourself wherever you registered your domain name(s) after the migration and at least a few days before the server "shut down" dates to ensure your service isn't interrupted.

PHP/Coding checks.  If your site is using a script (WordPress, Joomla, forum software, etc) make sure it's up to date.  If you had a developer build your site, you will want to check with them to ensure it's able to run on the latest versions of MySQL and PHP, if applicable.

Check your disk space usage and clean out any old files, scripts, email, etc.  Sometimes I come across sites with installed scripts that haven't been used or updated in years.  In addition to this being a BIG security risk for your account, it also eats up your disk space.  The less files your account has that aren't needed, the quicker the transfer process will complete.

2. Will my site continue to work as it does today?

Your site should load much faster after the move is complete.  However, if you are running any outdated scripts or have custom coding that hasn't been updated in a while, you will want to check with your web developer to make sure it works with current versions of MySQL and PHP, if applicable.

3. Will I have to update my email settings?

Depending on how you check your email, you will likely need to adjust some settings.  If you are using encrypted/SSL connections to check your email -- which is the recommended way for security -- you will need to change the server hostname at minimum.  It is also possible that you'll need to change port settings.  The easiest way to know what to change is by logging into cPanel on the new server (once migrated), going into "Email Accounts" and then clicking on the "Set Up Mail Client" link next to a particular mailbox.  The resulting page will show you all of the mail settings you should use in your mail program.

4.  What are the newer servers' names and specs?

We will be utilizing our most recent two servers (Landslide and Thunderbolt) along with Lightning that was added about 3 weeks back to handle these migrations.  All three servers utilize:

    Intel Xeon CPU's
    RAID 10 harddrive configurations for speed and redundancy (2 are SSD, 1 is SAS)
    32gb of RAM (the four older servers had 4gb each)
    Ability to "re-size" on demand

5.  I have additional questions or would like to follow this online.  Where do I go?

As always, feel free to open a Support Ticket in your Client Area or email me, or post questions/comments in this thread.

As always, I'd like to sincerely thank you for your continued business.  As these are our oldest servers I know that many of you have been customers for a decade or more.  I'm confident you're going to love the increased speed and performance these servers offer.

Your feedback is most welcomed.         

Cheers,
Jason Saunders

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Edit:  November 2, 2016:  Marking thread "resolved/completed" as of the final retirement tonight.  Thank you!
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Jason

Update -- I've migrated quite a few accounts over the last 4 days and they are working very well.

I've sent an email to all customers on Wildfire to advise that this coming weekend will involve the migration of all remaining accounts on that server:

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Greetings from Charlottezweb,

This is a follow up to an email sent last week available here:  (click to view online)

If you're receiving this email, you have at least one account on server Wildfire that has not yet been migrated.  We will plan to migrate your account this coming weekend if we don't discuss timing before then.

I have capacity to move some accounts daily this week in advance of the weekend if you have special needs.

As mentioned, once your account is migrated, I will email you the new nameservers to set on your domain.  If you don't make those changes within a few days,  you may experience a service outage when we shut down Wildfire on Wednesday, September 15.

I will be doing these migrations myself along with our datacenter's migration team so if you have any special needs, requests or questions, please let me know as soon as possible.

I moved many accounts over the last 4 days and the new server is working beautifully.

Thank you!

Regards,
Jason

Jason

#2
For the remaining customers on Wildfire who I have not coordinated with yet, we will be kicking off a final sync of data tonight at approx 10pm Eastern.  This process should likely take about an hour (perhaps less) to copy at which time we'll redirect traffic.

For customers with forum software installed, I will be putting your existing forums on Wildfire in "maintenance mode" to lock them down.  I'll turn off maintenance mode on the new server.

I'll update this post after this is complete tonight to advise you of new nameservers.

Thank you!

Regards,
Jason

Jason

The final migration for Wildfire is complete.

If you haven't been in communication with me already, here are the new nameservers you'd need to use:

ns13.charlottezweb.com
ns14.charlottezweb.com

Please let m know if you have any questions. 

Thank you!
-Jason

Jason

The following email has just been sent to the customers on Wildfire that haven't migrated prior to tonight:
-------

Greetings from Charlottezweb,

As a follow up to the last two emails, I'm happy to report that we've completed migration of all remaining accounts that were on server Wildfire to our new server Lightning tonight.

Your Action May Be Required.  If you manage your own domain names (external to Charlottezweb) you will need to update them within the next several days (I recommend by Tuesday evening at the latest) to ensure your site doesn't face any service disruption when Wildfire is turned off towards the end of next week.

For any domains you have that are pointed to your account(s) on Wildfire, the nameservers will need to be changed to the following:

ns13.charlottezweb.com
ns14.charlottezweb.com

Basically, for any domains you have currently pointed to Wildfire (ns27.charlottezweb.com and ns28.charlottezweb.com), you'll need to make the change.

If you have any questions, please reply to me (jason@charlottezweb.com) or open a Support Ticket in your Client Area.

Thank you!

Cheers,
Jason

Jason

I sent the following email to the customers who still appear to be using Wildfire's nameservers.  Action is required to ensure accounts don't go offline in two days.

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Greetings from Charlottezweb,

This is the final notice that you have one (or more) accounts on server Wildfire that will be shut down on Thursday evening.

It appears your domain name(s) have not yet been updated which means your site(s) and email may go offline in two days.

If you're using ns27.charlottezweb.com and ns28.charlottezweb.com as your nameservers on your domain name(s), you will need to change this as quickly as possible to:

ns13.charlottezweb.com
ns14.charlottezweb.com

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Here's the discussion on these migrations if you'd like more information:

http://www.charlottezweb.com/forums/index.php?topic=2089

Thank you!

Regards,
Jason

Jason

Quick update:  Wildfire was retired overnight per schedule.

Regards,
Jason

Jason

The following email will be sent to all customers on server "Sandstorm" in the next 15 minutes regarding the migration plan for this server.
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Greetings from Charlottezweb,

Per our previous emails, we're well underway with our migration schedule announced on September 1st here:

http://www.charlottezweb.com/forums/index.php?topic=2089

- Avalanche  (The weekends of September 16,17,18 and September 30-Oct 1,2)   *Server shut down on October 5*
- Sandstorm  (The weekends of September 16,17,18 and September 30-Oct 1,2)   *Server shut down on October 5*
- Blackice  (The weekend of October 21, 22,23)  *Server shut down on November 2*

We started the migration process for server Sandstorm on Friday morning.  All sites on this server were migrated for initial testing.

The way this process works is that we:

1. Transfer all sites in scope to the new server.
2. Test all sites on the new server to determine any obvious issues.
3. Schedule a final synchronization that copies over any data that has changed since the initial transfer.
4. Update DNS to redirect traffic from the old server to the new server.
5. Customers update their nameservers.

I've scheduled steps 3 and 4 to occur tomorrow, Sunday, September 18 at approximately 9pm Eastern.

If you have a forum, I will put your forum into maintenance mode on the old server (Sandstorm) just prior to the final sync and I'll turn off maintenance mode on the new server (Lightning).  Please do not turn off maintenance mode if you see it as this is how you'll know you're seeing the old server.

I'll email everyone after this is complete so you can update your nameservers.

If you have any questions specific to your site, please reply to me, open a Support Ticket or feel free to reply in the forum thread.

Thank you!

Regards,
Jason

Jason

We'll be starting the final sync and DNS updates for accounts on Sandstorm shortly.

I've switched customer forums on Sandstorm into maintenance mode to prevent cross-posting.

I'll update this thread and email all customers on Sandstorm as soon as this process is complete.

Thank you,
Jason

Jason

Per the post above, the Sandstorm final data-sync and DNS updates have been made.  The sites are already resolving for me and I've turned off maintenance mode on the accounts that had active forums.  Reminder:  If you're still seeing maintenance mode, you may still be resolving to Sandstorm instead of the new server.  Please don't turn off maintenance mode without checking with me first to ensure you don't lose posts between servers.

I will be emailing the following message out in the next 10 minutes to all customers with accounts on Sandstorm.  If Charlottezweb doesn't have access to your domain name(s), your action is required.

Thank you!

--------------
Greetings from Charlottezweb,

As a follow up to my last email, I'm happy to report that we've completed the final sync and DNS redirection of all accounts on Sandstorm to Lightning tonight.  Within the next 1-2 hours (if not already), your site's traffic should be pointed to the new server.

Your Action May Be Required.  If you manage your own domain names (external to Charlottezweb) you'll want to update them as soon as possible. If they are not updated prior to the planned shut down date for Sandstorm, they will go offline at that time.  (Currently this date is set for October 5 but if everyone is able to respond in the next week, it would help me tremendously if I can move that date up a week or more).

For any domains you have that are pointed to your account(s) on Sandstorm, the nameservers will need to be changed to the following:

ns13.charlottezweb.com
ns14.charlottezweb.com

Summarized, for any domains you have currently pointed to Sandstorm (ns9.charlottezweb.com and ns10.charlottezweb.com), you'll need to make the change.

If you have any questions, please reply to me, open a Support Ticket in your Client Area or reply to this thread.

Thank you!

Cheers,
Jason

Jason

A follow up email has just been sent to customers on Sandstorm that appear to still be using old nameservers:

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Greetings from Charlottezweb,

This email is being sent to customers with accounts on server Sandstorm that were migrated last weekend.  It's a follow up to a previous email sent at that time:

http://www.charlottezweb.com/forums/index.php?topic=2089.msg8863#msg8863

Your action is likely required based upon my records.

As a reminder, we moved your account(s) last weekend and they are being served by the new server "Lightning."  Right now your old server "Sandstorm" is still receiving your traffic and routing it to the new server.  When we retire Sandstorm in approximately two weeks, your sites will go offline if your nameservers aren't updated.

If you are using the following two nameservers on your domain names:

ns9.charlottezweb.com
ns10.charlottezweb.com

You will need to change them to:

ns13.charlottezweb.com
ns14.charlottezweb.com

Please reply back (or open a Support Ticket) if you have any questions.

I'd appreciate it if you could let me know once complete so I can mark you off my list.  I want to ensure nobody experiences any outage that can be avoided.

Thank you!

Cheers,
Jason

Jason

The following post will be emailed to customers with accounts on Avalanche within the next 15 minutes:

-------------------------

Greetings from Charlottezweb,

This email is being sent to customers who have at least one hosting account and/or domain name pointed to server "Avalanche."

Per our previous emails, we're well underway with our migration schedule announced on September 1st here:

http://www.charlottezweb.com/forums/index.php?topic=2089

- Avalanche  (The weekends of September 16,17,18 and September 30-Oct 1,2)   *Server shut down on October 5*
- Sandstorm  (The weekends of September 16,17,18 and September 30-Oct 1,2)   *Server shut down on October 5*
- Blackice  (The weekend of October 21, 22,23)  *Server shut down on November 2*

We will be starting the migration process for server Avalanche tomorrow morning -- September 28.  All sites on this server will be migrated for initial testing.

The way this process works is that we:

1. Transfer all sites in scope to the new server.
2. Test all sites on the new server to troubleshoot any obvious issues.
3. Schedule a final synchronization that copies over any data that has changed since the initial transfer.
4. Update DNS to redirect traffic from the old server to the new server.
5. Customers update their nameservers on their domains.

Step 1 above will occur September 28.  I will plan to test accounts over the coming days.  Based on our findings, the current plan is to complete steps 3 and 4 on Saturday evening -- October 1, 2016.

When we do the final sync -- If you have a forum, I will put your forum into maintenance mode on the old server (Avalanche) just prior to the final sync and I'll turn off maintenance mode on the new server (Lightning).  Please do not turn off maintenance mode if you see it as this is how you'll know you're seeing the old server.

I'll email everyone after steps 3 and 4 are complete so you can update your nameservers this weekend.

If you have any questions specific to your site, please reply to me, open a Support Ticket or feel free to reply in the forum thread.

Thank you!

Regards,
Jason

Jason

Reminder that per the post above, we will be doing the final data sync for server Avalanche and redirecting all traffic starting at approximately 10pm Eastern (New York time zone) tonight.

Once complete, I will update this post and email everyone on this server to update their nameservers.  This will need to be done in the next 3-4 days prior to the planned shut down of Avalanche around October 5.

Thank you!
-Jason

Jason

The migration for Avalanche is complete and the following email has been sent to all customers. 

------------------------

Greetings from Charlottezweb,

As a follow up to my last email, I'm happy to report that we've completed the final sync and DNS redirection of all accounts on server "Avalanche" to "Lightning" tonight.  Within the next 1-2 hours (if not already) your site(s) should be loading from our newest server.

Your Action May Now Be Required.  If you manage your own domain names (external to Charlottezweb) you'll want to update them as soon as possible. If they are not updated prior to the planned shut down date for Avalanche, they will go offline at that time.  (Currently this date is set for October 5).

For any domains you have that are pointed to your account(s) on Avalanche, the nameservers will need to be changed to the following:

ns13.charlottezweb.com
ns14.charlottezweb.com

In other words, for any domains you have currently pointed to Avalanche (ns7.charlottezweb.com and ns8.charlottezweb.com), you'll need to make the change to the ones above.

If you have any questions, please reply to me or open a Support Ticket in your Client Area.

Thank you as always for your continued business!

Cheers,
Jason


Jason

As a follow up to an email sent on September 25, I've just sent an email to the customers previously on Sandstorm that have not yet updated nameservers on their domain(s).  Sandstorm will be powered down to schedule on October 5.

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Greetings from Charlottezweb,

This is a final reminder that it appears you have at least one domain that is still pointed to server Sandstorm that will be powered down on October 5.  Your sites/services may go offline at this time if you haven't updated them.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,
Jason