Re: Multiple web site redirection

On Thu, Dec 09, 2010 at 09:03:59AM +1300, Craig Reynolds wrote:
> I have two web servers, both serving a multitude of different sites and  
> domains, both HTTP and HTTPS.  Lets call them 1.1.1.1 and 1.1.1.2.
>
> We're leaving the hosting provider where they live, and they being  
> migrated to two identical servers at another, lets say 2.1.1.1 and 
> 2.1.1.2.
>
> As we don't control the DNS for the majority of these, it seems unlikely  
> that I can get dozens of clients to change TTL and A records at the same  
> time.

> What are thoughts about the best way to accomplish this?

Give the customers a customized mail telling them what they'll need to
change, and a deadline, if they don't make it, that's their problem.

Keeping things updated, in parallel, could be tricky, depending on
what they're doing/how they use things.

As previously suggested, you could proxy (in your httpd) from $OLD to
$NEW, maybe using something like migrated.client.hostingco.tld as
their new hostname, until they've sorted things out).

It might be useful to create a spreadsheet or similar for sites
migrated, and when there's been something done, so you can send
reminders, maybe when there are 15days, ten days, five days, two days,
and a "you're holding us up now", and finally a "you're disconnected
now" mails (assuming ~45days to handle change-over, but giving
customers 30days). You could also look at your network traffic graphs.

Renumbering will almost certainly require the co-operation of
customers, so get them involved, give them deadlines, and if they
don't do stuff, that's their problem. When their sites/email/whatever
ceases to work, I'm sure they'll fix stuff/come complaining.

-- 
"The only way for a reporter to look at a politician is down."
    -- Mencken