Why migrate my hosting account to a new server?
SwissCenter is making new servers available that offer improved performance, better security, and support for the latest web technologies. The older servers are no longer up to date, which limits access to the latest PHP versions and updates for SSL certificates. Migration allows you to benefit from all the modern features and enhanced security.
How can I request the migration of my hosting account?
Does the migration require any action on my part?
No, the migration can be carried out without any intervention on your part, provided that the DNS servers for your domain names used on your hosting are those of SwissCenter. In this case, the IP address update will be managed automatically.
What should I do if my domain names use external DNS servers?
If your domain names use external DNS servers (not SwissCenter), you will need to manually update the DNS entries (A/AAAA/CNAME) so that they point to the IP address of the new server after the migration.
In order to minimize the duration for the IP address change to be effective, we encourage you, prior to requesting the migration, to lower the cache duration (TTL) for the relevant entries in your DNS management console.
What are the advantages of the new servers?
- Support for the latest PHP versions (up to the most recent)
- Hosting for Python and Node.JS applications
- Up-to-date SSL certificates
- Better security and performance
- Malware detection utility allowing you to scan your hosted sites on demand to detect possible infections following the exploitation of a security flaw
- Modern and stable environment
Are there any other changes during the migration ?
Yes, the old servers use MySQL 5.6.x, while the new servers use MySQL 8.0.x. In most cases, your sites will work without any problems. However, for very old or unmaintained sites, there may be incompatibilities.
What are the main changes between MySQL 5.6 and MySQL 8.0 that could cause incompatibilities?
Here is a summary of the changes most likely to affect old or unmaintained sites:
- Change of default character set: MySQL 8.0 uses utf8mb4 instead of latin1 or utf8mb3, which may affect data storage and display if your site is not prepared.
- Stricter SQL mode: The default mode in MySQL 8.0 is stricter, especially regarding GROUP BY clauses and division by zero. This may cause errors in queries that previously worked.
- Removal of certain functions and syntaxes: For example, old C-style operators (&&, ||, !) are deprecated and it is recommended to use the standard operators (AND, OR, NOT).
- Changes to spatial function names: Spatial functions have been renamed (e.g., PointFromText becomes ST_PointFromText), which may affect sites using these functions.
- Other deprecations and removals: Certain syntaxes and options are deprecated or removed, such as the use of AUTO_INCREMENT on columns of type FLOAT or DOUBLE, or the deprecation of using the MYSQL_PWD file for passwords.
What should I do if my site no longer works after migration?
If a problem is detected after migration, our technicians are available to help you find a solution. We recommend checking that your site is compatible with MySQL 8.0 before migration. If you encounter a problem, contact our support, who will assist you in resolving it.
Will the hosting control panel change after migration?
The control panel to manage your hosting on the new server will remain the same. New features only available on the new servers will appear in it.
What about the hosting of my email addresses?
Migrating to a new hosting server does not affect the hosting of your email addresses.
What is the turnaround time for migration?
In the vast majority of cases, migration takes between 2 and 3 business days after your migration request.
What is the cost of a migration ?
We would like to warmly thank our clients for their loyalty and trust. To offer you the best possible experience, this migration to our new servers is provided free of charge. We invite you to fully enjoy these improvements and remain at your disposal for any questions or assistance.