[server-admins] Colocation services quote - Phoenix

[Jonathan Marsden]

Troy,

On 1/11/2011 3:50 PM, Troy A. Griffitts wrote:

> Jonathan, your advice and offer to help is, as usual, very kind and
> extremely appreciated. Everything you've suggested sounds good to me.
> Can you take the lead on this and let me know what I need to do for
> you to make this happen?

OK.  Here's a quick first draft checklist; please do edit it based on
things you know about the server and what is does, that I don't know :)

Jonathan
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CROSSWIRE SERVER RELOCATION CHECKLIST (DRAFT 2011-01-11):

(1) Get me a list of all the domains we need to run DNS for

(2) Get me either access to the DNS control panel for those domains, or
complete current DNS zone files for each such domain

(3) Wait for me to set up DNS on my servers here based on that info

(4) Point DNS for each domain to 'my' DNS servers not the current ones
(usually via a web control panel at the registrar for each domain).
either you make these changes, or you tell me the username/pw info for
each domain account and I'll do it.

(5) Wait 30 minutes or so for the change to propagate, and then I'll
test that it worked.

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At this point, we (I!) have total control over all DNS entries for these
domains, and where they point.  They can be changed quickly as needed.
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(6) You and I need to decide which bits of the services for these
domains we will try to keep alive during the move, and how I can grab
all the files I will need from the current server to copy to my servers
for that temporary hosting.

(7) Wait for me to copy the files and test the temporary setup.

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At this point, we are ready for the main crosswire server to 'go away'.
You need to plan for making off-server backups, how you'll make
differential backups just before powering down the server at its current
location, etc. so if something bad happens in the physical move you do
not lose any data... (if you need help with that too, ... let me know!)
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(8) Tell me about 30 minutes before you need to shut down the main
crosswire server.  I'll point DNS to my temporary services here, and
test that the change worked.  Send out any bulk email notifications to
affected clients, if we need to do that kind of thing (do we?).  Put
someone reliable on #crosswire IRC as public relations/liason person for
this move, so they can field questions as they happen.

(9) Shut down all public services on the the main crosswire server
cleanly.  Leave SSH up :)

(10) Do your final final backup on that server, get the backup of those
very last few changed files off the server (over ssh, usually), and shut
the machine down cleanly.

(11) Do the physical move of the server (carefully!).

(12) Bring the server up for ssh access ONLY, at its new datacenter.

(13) Let me in to it to set up DNS on it.  Make sure we know its new IP
address(es), gateway, etc. and that they are documented off-server.

(14) When we think that DNS on the server is working, start up
publically accessible services on it too (web, mail, ftp, etc) and test
each one.

(15) When we think it is all ready, tell the registrar (web control
panels again) that primary DNS for the domains affected is at the new IP
address, with mine as a secondary.

(16) Test as the changeover back to 'normal operating' happens.  Watch
log files for anything unusual.

(17) Once we feel safe and secure, delete all the temporary files I used
on my servers.

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