Part of Domain of One's Own maintenance may include server growth or server consolidation, depending on the nature of your project. Reclaim Hosting can certainly assist with this, but you'll want to make sure that communication goes out to end users as needed. When work happens to migrate accounts from one server to another, here are some details in mind:
- During migration maintenance windows, we do not expect site downtime unless it is an extenuating circumstance and you have been explicitly notified. Should something go wrong unexpectedly during scheduled maintenance, the initial changes will be reverted to bring everything back to its original state. From there, we will make sure you're notified, and we can work to schedule an alternative plan at a later date.
- During maintenance windows, we recommend that users do NOT make changes to their sites, as we cannot guarantee that these changes will be saved.
- You'll want to keep in mind that DNS information will change for users that are moved from one server to another. This won't really matter for the majority of subdomain DoOO accounts, but accounts with custom .edu domains or custom DNS records will want to prepare for this. (In most cases, Reclaim can try to work around these accounts and migrate the "easy" ones first.)
Depending on the project, notifying DoOO users of an upcoming maintenance window will be a crucial step. Here are a few email templates to consider, depending on whether DNS will need to be updated or not:
Server Growth - Maintenance
Dear {$client_first_name},
Our [project] user base has grown significantly and in order to continue to accommodate this growth, we are now adding a new server to our infrastructure. This will ultimately provide better performance on your [project] site. The maintenance will take place this [day], [date] from [time] to [time] ET.
During this time, your site will remain online. However, we ask that you please do not make any changes to your sites as we cannot guarantee those changes will be saved.
Thank you for your patience and understanding!
Best,
[signature]
Server Consolidation - Maintenance (Notice 1)
Hello {$client_first_name},
We hope this message finds you well. We wanted to let you know that on [day], [date] from [time] - [time] ET [project support] will be performing system maintenance on the server where your site is running. While we do not expect downtime during this window, we ask that you please do not make changes to your site during this time, as we cannot guarantee that those changes will be saved. Furthermore, if you have any custom DNS records in place, please note the following, as your DNS information will be changing:
Current DNS Information:
server.reclaimhosting.com
[ip address]
Expected DNS Information after [date] Maintenance Window:
server.reclaimhosting.com
[ip address]
If you have not set up custom DNS records, no further action will be required of you. If you ever need to make changes to DNS, please reference this guide. Know that you may also reach out to Reclaim Hosting Support with any questions.
Best,
[signature]
Maintenance - Migration Consolidation (Notice 2)
Hello {$client_first_name},
We hope this message finds you well. We wanted to remind you that [project support] will be performing system maintenance tomorrow on the server where your site is running. Between the hours of [time] - [time] ET on [day], [date], please refrain from making any changes to your site. While we do not expect downtime during this window, we cannot guarantee that any changes during this window will be saved. Furthermore, if you have any custom DNS records in place, please note the following, as your DNS information will be changing:
Current DNS Information:
server.reclaimhosting.com
[ip address]
Expected DNS Information after [date] Maintenance Window:
server.reclaimhosting.com
[ip address]
If you have not set up custom DNS records, no further action will be required of you. If you ever need to make changes to DNS, please reference this guide. Know that you may also reach out to Reclaim Hosting Support with any questions.
Best,
[signature]
For guidance on sending Mass Emails in WHMCS, check out the following guide: Sending Mass Email Blasts in WHMCS