Need a host any suggestion?

You can certainly do it manually by copying/restoring the databases, and then transferring the public_html directory, but doing it using the full backup method will result in everything getting copied over...i.e. email addresses, forwarders, subdomains, databases, etc. It is a 1:1 copy of absolutely everything on your account.

Done but now getting 404 error when trying to preview the site before putting it live.
 
Done but now getting 404 error when trying to preview the site before putting it live.

Which method did you use? Also, how are you accessing it on the new server? Are you using an IP or did you change the domain to the new server already?
 
Which method did you use? Also, how are you accessing it on the new server? Are you using an IP or did you change the domain to the new server already?

Cpanel full backup. Im using ip/~username to access the site.
 
Im using ip/~username to access the site.

I don't really know how well that method works with xF, since the actual site/domain is set within the xF database. I'm guessing it's going to try using the domain name regardless, but not 100% sure on that.
 
I don't really know how well that method works with xF, since the actual site/domain is set within the xF database. I'm guessing it's going to try using the domain name regardless, but not 100% sure on that.

I have not pointed the domain yet to the new server. I would like to test the site first and see if its working correctly before publishing it. Im thinking about the friendly url being the issue here.
 
I have not pointed the domain yet to the new server. I would like to test the site first and see if its working correctly before publishing it. Im thinking about the friendly url being the issue here.

That will almost definitely be the issue. It doesn't really work well with the IP and friendly URLs.

What I would recommend doing is changing the DNS entries TTL on both servers to 300 (5 minutes). Ideally it should have been done a day or two ago, but that's okay. That way, when you switch to the new server, if something is messed up, you can just switch back to the old one. The longest anybody should be on one server vs. the other would be 5 minutes.
 
That will almost definitely be the issue. It doesn't really work well with the IP and friendly URLs.

What I would recommend doing is changing the DNS entries TTL on both servers to 300 (5 minutes). Ideally it should have been done a day or two ago, but that's okay. That way, when you switch to the new server, if something is messed up, you can just switch back to the old one. The longest anybody should be on one server vs. the other would be 5 minutes.

Im wondering if there is a way to disable friendly url without accessing the admin CP like altering the .htaccess file or run a query to disable it?
 
I have not pointed the domain yet to the new server. I would like to test the site first and see if its working correctly before publishing it. Im thinking about the friendly url being the issue here.
That will almost definitely be the issue. It doesn't really work well with the IP and friendly URLs.

What I would recommend doing is changing the DNS entries TTL on both servers to 300 (5 minutes). Ideally it should have been done a day or two ago, but that's okay. That way, when you switch to the new server, if something is messed up, you can just switch back to the old one. The longest anybody should be on one server vs. the other would be 5 minutes.

I wouldn't edit your DNS, there is really no need when you only want to test your site to make sure it works especially as some ISPs ignore the TTL.

You can edit your local hosts file pointing your site to the new servers IP address. This way, when you access https://your-site.com you (and only you) will be accessing the site over the new server and can freely test. When you are happy with that, you can just remove the line from your local hosts file and you should be serving to whatever server it is pointing to.

We have some docs on how you can achieve this here: https://www.a2hosting.com/kb/gettin...on-is-complete#Method-2.3A-Use-the-hosts-file

Also, you can try https://hosts.cx I am not sure if that will work with friendly URLs however it is a no config option so it might be worth trying this first (literally just enter your website URL and the new servers IP).
 
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I wouldn't edit your DNS, there is really no need when you only want to test your site to make sure it works especially as some ISPs ignore the TTL.

You should always edit your DNS TTL prior to making a server move. The hosts file is great for testing, but you aren't going to have all your users edit their hosts files. In the event you go live and need to move back to the old server quickly (for whatever reason) you want a low TTL.
 
You should always edit your DNS TTL prior to making a server move. The hosts file is great for testing, but you aren't going to have all your users edit their hosts files. In the event you go live and need to move back to the old server quickly (for whatever reason) you want a low TTL.

You can spin my words all you like but as you took it so out of context I'll clarify and by the way, at no point did I mention the site visitors should edit their local hosts file so not sure where that came from.

OP is asking for the best way to test his/her site on a new server. Your response to that was to edit the DNS pointing the site to the untested server. My response is purely a response to that, instead of having visitors potentially land on an error-prone server one way to go about testing is for the OP to edit his/her local hosts file and test.
 
You can spin my words all you like but as you took it so out of context I'll clarify and by the way, at no point did I mention the site visitors should edit their local hosts file so not sure where that came from.

OP is asking for the best way to test his/her site on a new server. Your response to that was to edit the DNS pointing the site to the untested server. My response is purely a response to that, instead of having visitors potentially land on an error-prone server one way to go about testing is for the OP to edit his/her local hosts file and test.


Not trying to spin your words at all. Simply adding that generally speaking, you want to edit your TTL in case things go wrong after the migration. Yes, the hosts file is a great way to test the site before moving it, but once you move it and get say 1000 users testing things vs. just yourself, it may need to be moved back to the original server until things can be sorted out.

As well, once the new server is ready, you don't want people stuck on the old server, especially when it comes to a forum. You can always forward people from the old to the new, but letting DNS handle that is the simplest means, especially in the event of problems following the migration.

Accordingly, I always suggest lowering the TTL for 7-10 days until the new server can be tested completely, in case a move back is required. That's all. Not saying you're wrong. Simply noting what has been common industry practice for over 20 years. ;)
 
I'll add another vote for HiVelocity. I've used several hosting services at all levels over the past 15-20 years and I have to say that HiVelocity excels. Good prices. Superb and fast support.

I would also warn about Digital Ocean. I have never used their hosting but I see a huge amount of spam and brute force attempts originating from Digital Ocean. "Bad neighborhoods" can hurt you.
 
I'll add another vote for HiVelocity. I've used several hosting services at all levels over the past 15-20 years and I have to say that HiVelocity excels. Good prices. Superb and fast support.

I echo those sentiments. Hivelocity is the best host I've used. I've had a dedicated server with them for years without so much as a hiccup, and their prices have been excellent.

Hivelocity (hosting) + @MattW (as server admin) + DNSMadeEasy (for DNS services) is the combination I would recommend to anyone who needs a dedicated server.
 
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