changing hosts keeping same local mail server

[antoniuk]

I don't know if this forum is about Host Monster web hosting but if it is I have a question. I have already copied the website files and uploaded them to the new server. I have a site that currently hosted with another hosting company that the MX record points to our local micrsoft exchange mail server in our office to process e-mails. My concern is we want to continue to use our local server to process our e-mail. I am concerned about downtime and have been told that I will minimize the downtime by pointing the nameserver to the new host via the current registrar's dns settings. If I do this I am told that the change would take about 24 to 72 hours. Once that is completed I could then change the domain registerar if desired but the transition would take up to 7 days. What happens with the E-mail in the meantime? Keep in mind that both the new host and the old host will be pointing to the same Microsoft Exchange Server in our local office. Since both hosts are pointing to the same mail server why would there be any downtime. Does this question make sense?

[sjlplat]

If the MX records for both hosts are directing traffic to your local Exchange server, I would leave them as-is. Generally, the advice to redirect nameservers is intended for web hosting services.

[antoniuk]

What I meant is that the mail server we are using is not part of our hosting package it is an external Microsoft Exchange Server that is located in our local office. In the DNS control panel settings (host is also our current DNS registrar) with the current hosting company we have the mail servers addressed with the IP of our local Mail Server. We plan to set it up the same way with Host Monster. The plan is to first change the nameservers over one weekend and then transfer the domain registration the following weekend. Since the mail server is physically located in our San Diego office and has a static IP would'nt we always have access to our mail? I mean the Mail server name and physical IP address for the mail server isn't changing. If the mail would be continuous It would be nice to change the nameservers then a few minutes later after changing the registration with a DNS transfer. The problem is we can't have the e-mail down for longer than the weekend.

When I change the name server to ns1.hostmonster.com and ns2.hostmonster.com the dns will be directed to the new hostmonster server. The question I was actually concerned with was the mail. We want to keep using our local server to process our mail. If I go into the DNS settings within the Host Monster control panel I can have them directed to our local mail server after I change the name servers to the HM server. Basically I need to make sure the mail will be working on Monday after implementing the changes Friday night. I don't quite understand how the e-mail wouldn't be continuously accessable since non of the client side outlook setting are going to be changed and since both the new host and old host will be pointed to the external local mail server for the e-mail.

[shadmego]

If you are changing everything over to HM and do not plan on using your old host to point to the mail server, then when you set up your HM account, you will have to make sure to change your MX entries to point to your new mail server. Of course, doing so will require your mail server to be able to act as the MTA for your domain. I've set up plenty of exchange servers and none of them are set up to be an actual MTA. All they do is go out to a specified domain, log in with supplied usernames/passwords and pull email off the actual mail server into exchange. Outlook then checks the exchange server and users get their email that way.

If your setup is similar to this, then you will have to change your exchange setup to point to the new domain name, if that is changing. If the domain name is staying the same, then there is nothing to do. nce DNS propogates through the Internet, Exchange will already be setup to check that domain's email accounts.

So the question is, how is your Exchange server set up?

~regards