How
to Switch
There
are two things that must be done for a
new customer to transfer an existing
website to our hosting servers.
First, all the actual website
files--pictures, pages, scripts,
animations, database info--must be
transferred to our servers.
Second, your domain name registrar
(the place where you bought your
domain name or URL) must be notified
that the domain name should now point
to a new host.
This
may sound complicated. Don't
worry. Zitech Logic will do most
of the work for you. There are
only a few small things you will have
to do to help us with the
transfer. Don't feel like
reading? Just call us, and we'll
be happy to walk you through the
transfer process.
Step
1: Transferring Files
You
may already have, or you may already
be able, to download a complete backup
of your own website. If so, all
you have to do is provide us with the
files and notify your current host
that you will soon be
switching. It may take a
few days for your domain name to be
transferred, so you will probably not
want to cancel your current host's
services immediately.
If
you don't have a complete backup of
your website and don't know how to get
one, you may choose to give Zitech
Logic your FTP or FrontPage Extensions
password and username so that we can
download it for you. If you
don't know what your username and
password are, this information can be
provided by your current host.
On the off chance that your current
host does not allow you to have FTP
access or to download your own site,
Zitech Logic can, in some cases, copy
your site's files if you provide us
with your current website address.
Important:
You will also need to remember to
check your current hosting contract
before you decide to switch.
You may owe money to your current host
if you decide to switch before your
contract runs
out.
Step
2: Transferring Your Domain Name
It
may seem silly that your domain name
doesn't automatically transfer when
you switch hosts. And it is, a
bit. But because of the way the
domain name system works, domain names
are not automatically 'attached' in
some way to websites. Instead
domain names are said to 'point' to
websites.
ICANN
(The International Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers)
is the official agency in charge of
keeping track of who owns what domain
name and where they are supposed to
point. ICANN receives this
information from its domain registrars
(one of which is the site where you
originally bought your domain
name). When a domain name needs
to point somewhere else--like to a
website on a new hosting server--the
registrar in charge of keeping track
of that domain name must be
notified. They, in turn, notify
ICANN so that the official registry
can be updated and the whole system of
domain names is kept nice and neat and
tidy and organized.
In
many ways owning a domain name is like
owning a land deed. You own your
domain name, your 'Internet property',
in a similar way that you own a lot of
land. In the same way that land
deeds and sales must be recorded by
the county to make sure that no two
people can own the same lot, so must
domain name transfers and
registrations be recorded by ICANN.
Therefore,
when you transfer your website to a
new hosting server, you must always
notify your domain name registrar that
you need your domain name to point to
this new server. If you
don't, the domain name will continue
to point to your old host's servers
and, since you aren't hosting your
site with them anymore, your domain
name will end up pointing to an error
page.
If
you Know Where you Registered your
Domain Name
Go
to this site, log in with the username
and password that you created when you
bought your domain, and go
to the 'account manager'
section. In this section, there
should be an area that will allow you
to make domain name transfers.
Your registrar should provide specific
instructions on how to point your
domain name to your new hosting
account.
When
asked what servers you will be
pointing your domain name to, provide
the following Zitech Logic servers:
|
Name: |
IP
address: |
Primary
Server: |
NS.ZITECHLOGIC.COM |
216.97.64.18
|
Secondary
Server: |
NS2.ZITECHLOGIC.COM |
216.97.66.18 |
- •
Make sure to include the
"NS", "NS2" at
the beginning of the
abovementioned name server
addresses, as in “NS.ZITECHLOGIC.COM”.
- •
Some domain registrars do not
require the numeric IP addresses
of the name servers; in such a
case, you only need enter the name
of the name server, as in “NS.
NS2.ZITECHLOGIC.COM”.
If
you have any trouble with this, we
will be happy to walk you through the
process.
If
you DO NOT Know Where you Registered
your Domain Name
Don't
feel stupid. This happens a
lot. A lot of people don't
bother to write the information down,
thinking they won't need it
again. Just as often, the domain
name is registered for you by the
company that was your host. In
this case you may never have been told
which domain name registrar they used
to purchase your domain
name.
In
this case, you can find out your
domain name registrar by going to www.nsiregistry.com
and using the WHOIS function on the
right side of the page. This might jar
your memory a bit if you registered
your domain yourself. If your
current host registered your domain,
however, chances are they probably
didn't supply you with answers to the
security questions to complete the
transfer. Call us for
help.
It
goes without saying that if you want
to point your domain name to our
servers, you must notify us.
Zitech
Logic’s part of the domain-pointing
process is to create a zone file that
allows our name servers to recognize
your domain. If you ordered your
web hosting account online, a zone
file has already been automatically
created on our DNS servers. In
this case, you can complete the domain
name transfer completely online
without ever talking to us personally.
Note:
While we have provided this
information to ease your DNS
transition to our name servers, Zitech
Logic is not responsible for the
content listed in these steps, as we
are not the authoritative source of
this information. If you have further
questions please contact your domain
registrar or call us, toll free, at
1-800-754-2072 for help.
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