Big Milestone Completed (Drama Included)

Well, a few days ago I finished the migration of all of my hosted services to my own server. Yes folks, my very own server. Not a virtual server in somebody’s datacenter somewhere. My own machine, connected to my own T1 on my own router with my very own DNS server. The only services I pay for now are my T1 and my domain registrar.

It’s interesting because as I was about 2/3rds through my migration my web host informed me that they had lost the database for my oldest database-driven website. 6 years of data – gone! I could never accept that it was really gone. It just wouldn’t sink in. So since the database was destroyed what was keeping me from just migrating that site over to my new server? Nothing really. That website (and a handfull of satelite sites that ran off of the same db) was the last on the list to migrate. But all of a sudden, it became the most important one.

I got it all migrated over. It ran lightling fast compared to the performance at the old web host (as did every site I migrated). I called my web host to get the last backup they had (which they said was over a year old). When they were preparing to FTP the backup to me they realized what happened to the other one. The data and log files were named backwards (their fault). My data was not lost after all. They were just careless. So they FTP’d my database to me. I promptly attached it to my own DB server. Now that site was fully migrated over to my new server and no data was lost after all.  Whew! I felt safe and sound that my site was now running 100% out of my very own datacenter.

Over the next week or two I finished migrating all other websites, databases and email accounts over. The final step was to install a webmail solution for some of my clients that only use webmail for the email they have hosted with me (not Outlook, etc.).  Ahhhh . . . . What a nice feeling.

I received delivery of the custom-built server in February. I spent the next few months on the good ol’ learning curve. The hardest part for me was the one that I thought would be the simplest. Pop3 and SMTP. My problems all had to do with the fact that there is no way that SMTP can authenticate against POP3’s encrypted password file. I read every Google article that contained every combination of the words “Microsoft Server 2003 POP3 SMTP encrypted password file 550.5.7.1″ and others. The main problem is that most people are simply running Exchange. So most advise was specific to Exchange. The only idea that was feasible was to use an idea that did not seem ideal to me. In the end I needed a webmail solution so I bought and installed SmarterMail.  I am now running all SMTP & POP3 off of that. Everything now runs exactly as I envisioned it running.

Here’s a photo of my migration checklist from my infamous whiteboard complete with a list of skills that I had to learn to get it all done.

 Yes folks, it feels very good. Pro Net Labs Ltd. can now offer not only our software development services but also a number of hosting services. I’m more motivated to get on the ball and develop the content for the new company website now.

 Sorry I haven’t blogged in a while. I intend to put my thoughts on here more often. Thanks for checking in!