Note: This tutorial is for customers who already have a web site online and are transferring that web site to the SimpleHost Server.

It is possible to have all of your web pages and email accounts working before your domain name begins to propagate at SimpleHost. This tutorial will instruct you, step-by-step, how to transfer your domain name to the SimpleHost Server with NO down time. This tutorial will also be useful for someone who is trying to get their web site up and running online for the first time.

Step 1

First, you will need to sign-up online for an account at SimpleHost. If you have not already done so, you can do so here. Once you receive your Setup Letter, you can proceed to Step 2.

Step 2

Next, you will need to read your Setup Letter. We understand you might be in a hurry to transfer to our services, but reading the Setup Letter will answer any questions you may have, that will not be discussed in this tutorial. When you are finished reading your Setup Letter proceed to Step 3.

Step 3

Next, we recommend that you read the SimpleHost "Getting Started" tutorials.

- Simple Start
- Understanding DNS

Step 4

Now it is time to setup your email accounts. This is important because you do not want to lose any email in the transfer process. After you are done setting up your email accounts they will not begin to work until your DNS has propagated to the SimpleHost Servers. But, if you do not set them up now, you will lose email when your DNS does begin to propagate to SimpleHost. To setup your email accounts, please read the tutorials section under "Managing Email Accounts" (for creating email accounts you would like) and "Configuring Email Software" (for configuring all the settings to receive your email). When you are done setting up your email accounts proceed to Step 5.

Step 5

It is now time to upload your web site to the SimpleHost Server. You will need to visit the tutorials section under "Uploading Your Web Site" and find the tutorial for which way you would like to upload your web site.

IMPORTANT: At this point, you will not be able to use your domain name as the FTP Host Address, because your domain name has not begun to propagate to the SimpleHost Server. Until your domain name does begin to propagate, you will need to use:

Example: "server".simplehost.com

In this example, you would need to replace "server" with the actual Simplehost Server your account is located on. Your "server" can be found in your Setup Letter.

Step 6

After you have uploaded all your web content, you can view your web site online at this temporary URL address:

Example: http://SERVER.simplehost.com/~USERNAME

In this example, you will need to replace SERVER with the actual Simplehost Server your account is located on and "USERNAME" with your username. Both "server" and "username" can be found in your Setup Letter.

Tip: It is important to view your temporary web site to make sure that everything looks like it should.

IMPORTANT: Since your domain name has not began to propagate to the SimpleHost Server, some of your links may not work correctly. This is normal if you used your domain name in that link. It is best to view each web page individually with your temporary URL address.

When you have completed Step 1- 6 proceed to Step 7.

Step 7

Change you DNS to the SimpleHost Domain Name Servers (DNS) and your web site will begin propagating to this SimpleHost Servers within 24-72 hours. You can read the DNS Tutorial if you need help.