# Leaving old host questions

## audiodef

I'm leaving Godaddy and moving my site to my server with vr.org (which I've actually done already). 

Couple of questions:

1. While my hosting account with Godaddy expires at the end of April, my domain reg with Godaddy expires in 2013. I'm thinking I'll just leave the domain reg there. I shouldn't have any problems until I register my domain with another registrar... right? 

2. Should I expect to run my own email server on my vr.org account (kind of fun to think about, actually)? Does leaving a shared hosting account mean leaving behind email service for a domain, or is that tied into my domain registration with Godaddy?

I don't want to ask Godaddy either question, because I'm hesitant to deal with tech support staff there.

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## NeddySeagoon

audiodef,

Provided you can point your A record to your new IP with vr.org, it will all just work.

During your changeover, while your new IP propogates around the world, some visitors will get the old IP and some the new one.

This only takes a few hours.

If you want to run a mailserver, you need to add a MX record to your Godaddy nameserver. Don't set it up as an open relay - even accidently or it will just get banned. 

If you have native IPv6, you will need an AAAA record to direct readers with IPv6 to your site. Thats a long term project.

Almost nobody uses IPv6 yet.

If Godaddy provides a web based tool for you to manipulate your nameserver entries, its all down to you, otherwise you will need to deal with tech support to get changes made. That won't be often.

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## cach0rr0

 *NeddySeagoon wrote:*   

> 
> 
> If Godaddy provides a web based tool for you to manipulate your nameserver entries

 

they do actually, FWIW (i have a handful of domains with them)

it's a relatively straightforward web-based DNS control panel

@audiodef

when youre logged onto GoDaddy, if you click on Domains,  you'll have something that says "Total DNS Control" or some such

launch that 

leave the name servers as they are (since, until your domain expires, youll want godaddy as your NS host)

change the A record to point at new host

once you have a mail system set up (*cough* postfix *cough*), change the MX record to point at whatever hostname you've given your VR box.

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## audiodef

 *cach0rr0 wrote:*   

> 
> 
> once you have a mail system set up (*cough* postfix *cough*), change the MX record to point at whatever hostname you've given your VR box.

 

Gotcha.  

And thanks to Neddy.  

I'll check out postfix. I would have asked for a recommendation anyway.

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## audiodef

Speaking of postfix, I ran into this and was wondering how to get around it. I don't want to break php.

```

serverdef htdocs # emerge -pv postfix

These are the packages that would be merged, in order:

Calculating dependencies... done!

[ebuild  N    ] mail-mta/postfix-2.7.3-r1  USE="ipv6 mysql pam ssl -cdb -doc -dovecot-sasl -examples -hardened -ldap -mbox -nis -postgres -sasl (-selinux) -vda" 3,344 kB

[blocks B     ] mail-mta/ssmtp ("mail-mta/ssmtp" is blocking mail-mta/postfix-2.7.3-r1)

[blocks B     ] mail-mta/postfix ("mail-mta/postfix" is blocking mail-mta/ssmtp-2.62-r8)

Total: 1 package (1 new), Size of downloads: 3,344 kB

Conflict: 2 blocks (2 unsatisfied)

 * Error: The above package list contains packages which cannot be

 * installed at the same time on the same system.

  (mail-mta/ssmtp-2.62-r8, installed) pulled in by

    mail-mta/ssmtp required by (virtual/mta-0, installed)

  (mail-mta/postfix-2.7.3-r1, ebuild scheduled for merge) pulled in by

    postfix

For more information about Blocked Packages, please refer to the following

section of the Gentoo Linux x86 Handbook (architecture is irrelevant):

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?full=1#blocked

 * IMPORTANT: 2 news items need reading for repository 'gentoo'.

 * Use eselect news to read news items.

serverdef htdocs # equery depends ssmtp

[ Searching for packages depending on ssmtp... ]

virtual/mta-0 (mail-mta/ssmtp)

serverdef htdocs # equery depends mta

[ Searching for packages depending on mta... ]

dev-lang/php-5.3.5 (virtual/mta)

sys-process/vixie-cron-4.1-r10 (virtual/mta)

```

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## cach0rr0

you can safely unmerge ssmtp

normally applications end up pulling that in, because they need for a system 'sendmail' command to exist. For example, the php "mail()" function will/can be, backended to just call "sendmail blah" behind the scenes. Cron will do this as well, and it needs something to provide 'sendmail' command

However, Postfix also provides this, so you do not need ssmtp. 

so, basically

```

emerge -C ssmtp

emerge postfix

```

Postfix is more under my area of expertise than apache, so, soon as you're ready to get that going, if you get stuck, chunk up a new thread, and we'll get crackin'  :Wink: 

My setup now is Postfix, sending to cyrus-imap (a custom ebuild actually, using the 'autocreate' patch, so I don't have to manually set up every mailbox; any mail that cyrus receives, if a mailbox does not exist, it will autocreate it - the downside of course being, if you get a huge influx of spam to invalid users, you can fill up a bit of disk - i have other mitigation steps for that!) via LMTP. I can do that sort of setup, or a setup with dovecot, and mailboxes managed via /etc/passwd, pretty well from memory.

One way or another, Postfix only handles the SMTP side of things, so obviously you'll need to decide on an IMAP or POP server. Cyrus-imap is fairly complex to manage, but also very powerful. Dovecot is, well, painfully easy to set up, but not quite as extensible as cyrus. I tend to avoid courier like the plague, but that's just me.

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## titanofold

Both of those packages do the same thing. If you want a full blown MTA, you can use Postfix. If you just need to be able to send stuff, use ssmtp.

Either way, they can't both be on the system, you have to unmerge ssmtp if you want Postfix.

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## audiodef

 *cach0rr0 wrote:*   

> 
> 
> Postfix is more under my area of expertise than apache, so, soon as you're ready to get that going, if you get stuck, chunk up a new thread, and we'll get crackin' 
> 
> 

 

OK. First... a bit of a snooze!

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## audiodef

 *titanofold wrote:*   

> Both of those packages do the same thing. If you want a full blown MTA, you can use Postfix. If you just need to be able to send stuff, use ssmtp.
> 
> Either way, they can't both be on the system, you have to unmerge ssmtp if you want Postfix.

 

Groovy. Thanks for pointing out the difference. I'll definitely need to do more than just send stuff.

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## audiodef

 *cach0rr0 wrote:*   

> 
> 
> Postfix is more under my area of expertise than apache, so, soon as you're ready to get that going, if you get stuck, chunk up a new thread, and we'll get crackin' 
> 
> 

 

Thread chunked! https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-6638261.html#6638261

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## Mad Merlin

 *audiodef wrote:*   

> 1. While my hosting account with Godaddy expires at the end of April, my domain reg with Godaddy expires in 2013. I'm thinking I'll just leave the domain reg there. I shouldn't have any problems until I register my domain with another registrar... right?

 

While I haven't dealt with them myself, I've heard that Godaddy plays shenanigans if you try and transfer a domain away from them. Any changes to your account (including preparing to transfer the domain) "locks" the account for 90 days or something like that, during which they'll refuse to transfer the domain. By no accident, this usually means people end up needing to register for at least another year's worth of service to actually transfer the domain away from Godaddy.

In summary: transfer domain registrar now, don't wait.

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## audiodef

 :Shocked:   :Shocked:   :Shocked: 

Thanks for sharing that. It seems like getting away from Blodaddy is the right move and I should get everything away from them tout de frickin' suite. 

 *Mad Merlin wrote:*   

> 
> 
> While I haven't dealt with them myself, I've heard that Godaddy plays shenanigans if you try and transfer a domain away from them. Any changes to your account (including preparing to transfer the domain) "locks" the account for 90 days or something like that, during which they'll refuse to transfer the domain. By no accident, this usually means people end up needing to register for at least another year's worth of service to actually transfer the domain away from Godaddy.
> 
> In summary: transfer domain registrar now, don't wait.

 

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## santhan

 *audiodef wrote:*   

> I'm leaving Godaddy and moving my site to my server with vr.org (which I've actually done already). 
> 
> Couple of questions:
> 
> 1. While my hosting account with Godaddy expires at the end of April, my domain reg with Godaddy expires in 2013. I'm thinking I'll just leave the domain reg there. I shouldn't have any problems until I register my domain with another registrar... right? 
> ...

 

1. Yeah you are right

2. Always, but if you move from the old to new, there is no issue to keep everything as it is.

3. COOl i used surf a lot if get some other registrar i would tell you

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