On Saturday 16th July between 00.00 and 06.00 BST we will be changing the IP addresses of our Windows and Linux hosting servers. This change is the final step to move all our systems to new and final IP ranges controlled by ourselves and issued directly from RIPE.
This change will not need to be made again for many years, if ever.
Customers who host their sites, email and DNS with us will need do nothing, we will make all changes and the changeover should be seamless with no more than a few minutes downtime to your site. All email will be diverted to offsite mail backups so no email will be lost, however POP3 and SMTP will be unavailable throughout the evening.
If you use MySQL or MSSQL on our Windows hosting platform, you will need to update the IPs you use to connect as the IPs of these servers will change. We would suggest you use mssql.active-ns.com for MSSQL or mysql.active-ns.com for MySQL to connect to your databases from your site, we will then make the changes for you and no changes will be necessary at your end.
Although we are working hard to make the move as smooth as possible, we have scheduled a 6 hour window, where your site may be only intermittently available.
How do I know if I host my DNS with you?
If you whois your domain
here you will see the nameservers listed at the bottom, if they are in this list we host your DNS and you need do nothing:
ns1.catalyst2.net
ns2.catalyst2.net
ns3.catalyst2.net
ns4.catalyst2.net
ns5.catalyst2.net
ns6.catalyst2.net
What happens if my nameservers are not the ones listed above?
We will be posting the new IP's of all servers a few days before the changeover, you will just need to get your current isp to change the DNS records they host to the new IP's.
You can of course update the nameservers to ours and enjoy a seamless changeover and mail backup services. Please contact support to get the correct nameservers for your type of account.
What is the plan?
We will be following the plan below:
00.00 - Switch off HELM and CPanel Access
00.20 - Update HELM and CPanel with new IPs
01.00 - Update DNS servers with new IPs
02.00 - Update servers with new IPs
04.00 - Update sites with dedicated IPs
05.00 - Test sites and control panels
06.00 - Switch HELM and CPanel back on.
While everything may not go to plan, we have experience of changing IPs several times and previously everything has gone smoothly, so all being well sites should experience no more than a few minutes downtime.
As always if you have any queries regarding this, please let us know -
support@catalyst2.com