What to Expect During a Site Migration

Posted on December 11, 2015 by David Singer | Updated: August 21, 2023

Category: Series | Tags: cPanel, Migration, Plesk

Reading Time: 5 minutes

The Migration Team at Liquid Web is dedicated to providing customers with an efficient and as uneventful a migration as possible. It is important that we work together to ensure an effective transfer of information. No matter if you are migrating from a current Liquid Web server, or from another host, we make it as simple as possible.

The Migration Request

Migrations begin by logging into the Manage customer interface and filling out our form in your Liquid Web manage account. Sending in a Migration Request will allow you to provide necessary details for the migration to begin. Once complete, a Migrations Specialist will contact you to schedule the migration.

If you do not have an existing server, one should be ordered before starting this process. If you do not have an existing server, an option to order one will be presented during the initial process.

Additionally, when attempting to select a source server (after a new server is ordered and configured), select the new server from the dropdown menu. If you get a message stating that a source has not been selected, click the button “Add a source” and select the new server from that list.

The Migration Timeframe

Most migrations generally take two to seven days, however, individual results may vary. The time required can change depending on the size and type of migration being completed. Most delays can be minimized by maintaining communication. Our team provides frequent updates to ensure we receive the data we need to complete the process.

The Migration Process

Step 1: Information Collection

Liquid Web will:

What we need from you:

Send the Migration Form to you through our ticket system. This form provides us with vital information to begin the migration.Some of the information we will need is:

Source server hostname and IP address
Destination server hostname and IP address
Domain(s) being transferred
DNS information and if you are able to modify DNS records

For External Migrations, we will need additional information, such as:

SSH username and password
cPanel username and password

Note: If currently do not have a server on your LiquidWeb account, you can create one during the Migration Request.phase

Complete the Migration Form completely and inform us of any special instructions before the migration begins.

In addition, please complete the following updates on your source server prior to the migration process.

Common updates are:

WordPress - install the most recent version
Update Plugins - delete any unused
Notify us of any third-party software installed that we may need to help with later

Please verify that your site is compatible with PHP version 5.5 as it is the lowest version of PHP supported by cPanel.

Step 2: Data Move

Liquid Web will:

What we need from you:

During this step, the Migration Specialist will begin the Initial Sync. The Initial Sync is where we access your source server and compare software versions, pull data from the server and restore your sites on the destination server.

The end goal is for your site to work the same way on the destination server as it did on the source server. If your site shows errors on the source server prior to Initial Sync, the same errors will appear on the destination server.

Please refrain from adding any new sites or changing functionality on current sites during this time. This will minimize the occurrence of any errors during the migration process.

Step 3: Validation

Liquid Web will:	What we need from you:
We will log into your site on the destination server and make sure that we are able to access all of your information. We want to make sure that your site is functions the same way in the new environment as it did on the source server.	During this step, we do all the work. This process gets the site ready for testing, where we ask that you test your site in the new environment. As soon as validation is over, we will notify you that we are ready for you to start testing.

Step 4: Testing

Liquid Web will:

What we need from you:

We will review any errors you send us during your testing process and fix any issues. We will also assist with installing and configuring Third-Party Software such as MongoDB or NodeJS, if needed.

Third-Party Software installation and configuration falls under our Beyond Scope Support.

Note: This is the part of the process which can cause the most delays - please keep an eye on your email for the notification for you to begin testing.

The only person who knows how a website should work is the owner. This is where we need you to complete a detailed testing of the site and report back to us if anything is not working. It is important that you check all pages, forms, links, and back-end access. Don’t panic if you see errors - these occur when there are differences in the server environment and completely normal during the migration process.

If you encounter errors, send us examples in your Migration Ticket so that a specialist can investigate and help resolve the issue.

Step 5: DNS Update

Liquid Web will:	What we need from you:
If you are registered with Liquid Web, our Migration Specialist will update the DNS on the new server so that you can update the IP on the Name Server Note: There is the potential for a 20 - 50-minute downtime during the DNS propagation at the end of the migration process. In many cases, downtime can be minimized by lowering TTL values, but each migration is unique and may carry with it additional downtime to address issues as they arise.	If you are coming from an external host, you will need to update the DNS. Please contact support for external hosts if you are not sure how to update your DNS. We will notify you when it is time to make these changes and work with you through this process to keep you update on any issues to minimize downtime as best we can.
Some migrations have the ability to complete a Final Sync. This is where we do one more transfer of data to make sure that any updates are included in the migration and that all files are up to date. Please discuss with your Migrations Specialist to see if your migration qualifies for a Final Sync of your data from the source server to the destination server.

If you have any other questions you may want to see our Site Migrations FAQ! Otherwise, if you'd like to build a custom solution and then start a Migration feel free to reach out to us. We can be reached via phone at @800.580.4985, a chat or support ticket to assist you with this process.

Learn More!

We pride ourselves on being The Most Helpful Humans In Hosting™!

Our Migration Team is filled with experienced Linux technicians and talented system administrators who have intimate knowledge of multiple web hosting technologies, especially those discussed in this article.

Should you have any questions regarding this information, we are always available to answer any inquiries with issues related to this article, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 365 days a year.

If you are a Fully Managed VPS server, Cloud Dedicated, VMWare Private Cloud, Private Parent server, Managed Cloud Servers, or a Dedicated server owner and you are uncomfortable with performing any of the steps outlined, we can be reached via phone at @800.580.4985, a chat or support ticket to assisting you with this process.

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About the Author: David Singer

I am a g33k, Linux blogger, developer, student, and former Tech Writer for Liquidweb.com. My passion for all things tech drives my hunt for all the coolz. I often need a vacation after I get back from vacation....