Server Migrations, Updates and IP Changes

These steps are advanced and should not be undertaken unless you have a full understanding of the processes.

Due to changing circumstances, there may be times when you have to move your servers, update hardware or changes to their IP addresses.

Server Migrations and Updates

To ensure the email flow is not affected, we suggest moving servers one at a time starting with your secondary server(s), leaving the primary server for last.

The following information is required by our support team to facilitate any server migrations or updates:

  1. The date and time you request to move or update the server(s)
  2. This is important because we have to make preparations and mark the planned downtime in our monitoring system.

  3. Which servers are involved:
    1. Server Hostname
    2. Server IP Addresses
      1. Where the server's IP addresses are changing as part of this move, follow the steps outlined in IP Address Changes

When the server migration or updates are in progress as requested by our teams, the following steps are required:

  1. Shutdown your server
  2. Move it to the new location or replace the hardware
  3. Start up the moved/replaced server and verify it started properly
  4. If the verification test is successful, you can ask us to check if everything is correct. Once everything is working properly, repeat the steps to move the next server.

  5. Inform our support team that the change has been completed on your end

IP Address Changes

Changing the server(s) IP addresses is a complex multi-step process and should not be taken lightly. If all the servers are set to receive new IP addresses we suggest changing the secondary server(s) first, test (or let us test this for you) to ensure it is still working properly then proceed with the next server(s), ending with the primary server.

This process ensures that your email flow is not interrupted by this IP address change.

The following is required by our support team to facilitate any IP address changes:

This is essential because we have to make preparations and mark the planned downtime in our monitoring system. If a change to the IP addresses takes place without informing us, this will affect the operation of your Spam Experts cluster.

  1. The date and time you request to move or update the server(s) IP addresses
  2. This is important because we have to make preparations and mark the planned downtime in our monitoring system.

  3. Which servers are involved:
    1. Server Hostname
    2. Current server IP Addresses
  4. What the new IP Addresses will be for the servers involved and whether this is to replace an IP Address, or to add an additional address to the host
  5. Confirmation that the TTL (time-to-live) of your DNS server entries has been lowered prior to the move so the change can be propagated faster

When the IP Address changes are in progress as requested by our teams, the following steps are required:

  1. Set a DNS A record for the new IP address(es) of the server pointing to the servers primary hostname
  2. Set the reverse DNS (PTR record) of the IP(s) is set to the primary hostname of your server (this may differ from your MX record setting)
  3. Modify the network interfaces configuration (in /etc/network/interfaces) and save the file
  4. Do not restart networking or reset your server just yet, as we still need to make some changes from our side.

  5. Inform us that the IP has been added to /etc/network/interfaces, and we will make the required changes to your system
  6. When you give us permission to reboot the server or restart networking, we will do this remotely
  7. Alternatively, you can restart networking at a time agreed with our teams

  8. Change the DNS record for the existing primary hostname of your server to point it to the new primary IP address of the server

Please contact Spam Experts support to initiate the changes, and provide all necessary information to our support technicians.