[isp-dns] Re: Relocatiing servers with minimum downtime

[Len Conrad <LConrad@...]

> I have to relocate my mail servers from one network to another in the same
> city.
The easiest is to have somebody give you backup MX support where the 
backup  MX has a queue lifetime longer than the relocate time, say 1 day.

With the backup MX in place:

1. A day before the move, shorten the DNS MX hostame's A record to 1 hour, 
to minimize the effect of cached stale records.

2. On the day of the move, change you DNS MX hostname's IP from old to new, 
also with 1 hour TTL, essentially making the old machine off-line.  Mail 
goes to backup MX.

3. move the mailbox server, put it on-line at MX hostname new IP.

4. backup MX will unload stored mail on the old mailbox server at the new IP.

5. put your MX hostname's A record TTL back to 1 day.

Len


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