10 Steps To A Smooth VPS To Dedicated Server Transition

Are you considering hosting on a dedicated server?

Do you need more resources and complete control over your hosting environment?

Every website owner tries to ensure the smooth functioning of the website, and that seamless performance depends much on the hosting type. It is a brilliant decision to start a website with a shared server and later move towards VPS hosting. Unfortunately, a VPS cannot suffice if you are experiencing a higher traffic volume. Your website can take longer to load, and in worst cases, it can crash altogether, leaving your happy customers puzzled. For that resolution, you need MilesWeb’s VPS hosting plans.

It’s high time you move your website or application to a MilesWeb’s dedicated server if you think you cannot manage the traffic efficiently. Not only will your website load faster, but you will also be entitled to higher security with a dedicated server. Plus, you can enjoy the added benefit of move website for free.

Transitioning from a VPS to a dedicated server is not complicated if you are hosted with a reputed and experienced web host like MilesWeb. Here are the 10 essential steps you will go through during this transition.

Why Dedicated Hosting Is Better than VPS Hosting?

A virtual private server is a hosting service that uses virtualization technology and provides dedicated resources on a single server. A VPS is better than shared hosting, where all the help of a single server is shared among all the users, but VPS can’t match the dedicated servers in performance.

Resource Allocation

Regarding resource sharing, a VPS is better than a shared server. However, a VPS is just a modified version of a shared server. In reality, the users of a VPS have to share the hardware resources like processor, RAM, and storage of one physical server. The users of a dedicated server own that whole server and don’t have to share any of the resources with any other clients.

Security

In a VPS, other users are given space to host their websites. A security breach in the VPS is always possible if any user takes a virtualized server on rent to conduct malicious activities. If you don’t take steps to stop that hacker beforehand, the security of your website will be compromised. A dedicated server offers higher security.

Performance

A dedicated server will perform far better than a VPS. The user gets complete root access to the dedicated server and doesn’t have to care about other tenants, as in the vase of a VPS. If any user of a VPS uses higher bandwidth than allocated, the other websites hosted on that server can experience downtime. There is no scope for this in a dedicated server.

Ensuring A Smooth Transition From A VPS To A Dedicated Server

1. Choose the Right Dedicated Server

You have many dedicated server configurations to choose from. You have to plan about the factors like finalizing the number of cores and threads of the dedicated server CPU; how much RAM you need; the type of storage you need; bandwidth required; how many IP addresses will be enough. After you decide on the hardware arrangement, consider if you want to add any other attributes like DDoS protection, SSL certificate, or backup plan to your dedicated server. Those are added features, but they help you to keep your dedicated server secure from any security malfunction.

2. Check The Server IP Address

It is ideal to perform a check on the blacklist status of that dedicated server’s IP address you are about to buy. Some IP addresses are blacklisted if that specific server has been suspected of performing malicious activities like spreading malware or sending spam. If you find the IP address of that server has been blocked, you should not proceed with that server; as your communications from that server will be blocked, and email and other applications will stop working.

3. Keep Your VPS Hosting Temporarily Active

Don’t abandon your present VPS until you complete the transition. Continue running your services on the VPS until you have transferred your entire website data and applications to the destination dedicated server. Once you cancel VPS too early, it can cause problems if any issue arises during the transition process.

4. Backup Everything Before You Migrate

While you migrate any application or website from a VPS to a dedicated server, there is a high chance of data loss. To avoid this unexpected situation, you must backup all your files and databases before you start the transition. It’s a good idea to store them in your local drive, a remote place from the dedicated server and VPS. This way, you can restore your data if you lose any data during the transition.

5. Refrain From Making Changes While Migration

Ensure that you have completed all program updates, content changes, and other tweaks to your applications and websites before you start backing up your data from VPS. If you make any changes after backing up the data and lose any file during the transition, your backup can’t help to restore those changes in the VPS you made after backing up the data. It is advisable to wait until the transition process is completed.

6. Install The Software Before The Database

Moving the stuff correctly is essential for a smooth transition from VPS to a dedicated server. If you are moving your website, start migrating the website software (like WordPress and other plugins) first, then move your files and databases.

7. Transfer Your Emails

One big part of this transition is moving your Domain Name System or DNS from your VPS to a dedicated server. During the transition between servers, DNS will tell the other servers on the internet where you have moved your website and what is your new address to deliver the emails. Make sure you have shifted your email accounts to your new dedicated server before moving the DNS. If you don’t do that, they will reach your old email accounts and never get your new address.

8. Finally, Test Your Website and Applications

Once you have shifted to your new dedicated server from the old VPS, it is time to test if everything is working fine. If you face any unusual issues, check if you have imported all the files and changed the DNS. There is a chance of malfunction if you use any new operating system in your dedicated server. To be safe, you should test your applications and website at both the front and back end.

Use diagnostic and monitoring tools to make sure the server is running smoothly. Visit your website on different devices (android mobile and windows laptops) and do those actions you expect your visitors would do. Click on all the links and check if they are taking you to the correct destination; all the images and text files should be in place. Make a dummy purchase if you have an ecommerce website; send an email using your mail server; subscribe to the newsletter; and download a file from the website.

9. Transfer DNS

Once you are confident that your dedicated server is ready to launch and your website and applications perform well without any crash or glitch, transfer the DNS from VPS to the dedicated server. This will ensure that all your web traffic is sent to your new IP address.

Keep in mind that this process of transferring DNS can cause a slight downtime of at least 24 or 30 hours. Releasing a press release on your website for your users is a good idea to inform them of this beforehand. You can minimize the downtime hours by keeping your VPS account open and continuing to run your applications and website until the DNS transfer is complete. Any user sent to your old IP address can access the website.

10. Deactivate Your Present VPS Plan

After you complete the transition process smoothly, your old VPS is no use. If you don’t plan to use it to host any other website, it is no longer a good idea to pay for it. Therefore, you need to deactivate your VPS if you are no longer using it.

Conclusion

Migration from one server to another is a challenging pprocess. Many developers and website owners try to manage their old sservers. Mostly the owners of small start-ups without enough tech skills and an in house IT teams fall under this category. Transitioning from a VPS to a dedicated server is not a complicated process, but there are some essential aspects you should be aware of, and you are good to go.