At 11:03 AM -0700 6/5/02, Warren Michelsen wrote: >At 12:10 PM -0500 6/5/02, Michael wrote: >>on 6/5/02 12:00 PM, Warren Michelsen at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> >>> As specifically regards email service, what tricks or hints can you folks >>> offer to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of email service when >>> moving an existing, functional domain from elsewhere to a new mail server? >>> >>> I'm acquiring a domain with a dozen or so email accounts (a law firm) and I >>> need to ensure that they can, to the greatest degree possible, >>>always receive >>> their email. >>> >>> What has experience taught you good folks? >> >>Set up accounts on the new server. >> >>Then make sure that they are consistently using something like >>"mail.lawfirm.com" for pop and smtp. >> >>Set up backup MX records. I would set your new mail server to be the backup >>for the lawdomain. Then when you switch any servers that have the old data >>cached will also know the mx address of your new server and will try it. >>Then after the switch take out the mx record for the old server and have >>"mail.lawfirm.com" point to your mail server. > >Hadn't thought of that. (Which is why I thought I'd ask.) > >Of course, both this and the previously-mentioned setting of TTLs to >a low value all depend on the cooperation of the existing host. If >she turns out to have a mean streak, she could actually set TTLs >very high just to ensure that the transition does not go well. > >Against that contingency, what can I do?
Step 1. Set up the zone file for the domain pointing to the existing hosts on a DNS server you control. Step 2. Change DNS registration to your name server. Old ISP is unaffected by the change so far, but can no longer control changes going forward. Step 3. Change the TTL and other SOA parameters. Make your mail server secondary. Step 4. Set up mail accounts on your mail server as needed by the client. Step 5. Change the router on your SIMS application to point the domain to your mail accounts and local delivery, and change DNS to make your mail server the primary mail server at the same time. Step 6. Let the client know to pick up their last round of emails from the old server, then they change their settings to pick up mail from your server. > >> >>I would switch them around 7pm on a Friday. > >Not having analyzed by own traffic patterns, is this really a good >time to do this? Not 2 AM or such? > >-- >"Your new computer's not gonna be a Mac? Dude, you're getting a Dull!" > >############################################################# >This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to > the mailing list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. >To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To switch to the INDEX mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -- Alex von Thorn http://worldhouse.com/alex/ ############################################################# This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the INDEX mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
