Ask your host which server your account is on, what operating system and PHP version it runs, and whether a current server is available. Then move on your own schedule, testing a copy first.

A site that never moved

A business signs up for hosting, the site goes live, and for years the invoice renews and the site keeps working. Nobody has a reason to look further.

Behind the account sits a particular server, with the software it was set up with: an operating system release, a version of PHP, a database, an encryption library.

Hosts add new servers for new customers. The older ones often keep running, with the customers already on them.

So a site that went live in 2008 may still be on a machine set up that year, running software of that age, while the host's sign-up page advertises something much newer.

The site works. That is exactly why nobody asks.

What an old server holds back

The fourth is the one that surprises people adding HTTPS. On older server software each certificate needs its own IP address, so the host may quote an extra monthly charge a customer on a current server would never see.

Why hosts leave accounts where they are

Upgrading a server that holds hundreds of live sites is risky. Some of those sites will break on newer PHP, and every broken site is a support call.

So a host may simply leave the old machine running, patched where it can be, until the day it is retired. Customers who ask are moved; customers who do not ask usually stay.

None of this is hidden, exactly. It is just never mentioned, because a working site rarely prompts a conversation.

How to tell which server you are on

The control panel usually gives clues. Many show the PHP version and the server's name on the first screen, and sometimes the operating system under server information.

A PHP version starting 5.2 or 5.3 is a strong sign. PHP 5.2 has had no fixes for years, and 5.3 stopped receiving them last August.

Whoever maintains the site can also check from inside it in a minute, without changing anything. And the host's support desk knows exactly, if asked directly.

What to ask the host

Ask in writing, so the answer comes back in writing.

Ask which server the account is on and when it was set up; which operating system release, PHP version and database it runs; and whether it supports current TLS and certificates that share an address.

Then ask the question that matters most: whether a current server is available on the same plan, and what moving involves.

Many hosts move an account at no charge when asked, sometimes onto a plan with more included for the same price.

A worked example

A boat storage yard beside a river keeps boats on trailers and racks over the winter, and runs a launch and haul-out service each spring and autumn.

Its website went live in 2007 with the host it still uses. This winter the owners wanted customers to reserve spring launch dates online and pay a deposit on a secure page.

The booking plugin they chose would not activate. Its own message said it needed a newer PHP, and the control panel showed 5.2. The host confirmed the account sat on one of its oldest servers, which could not be upgraded.

It offered a current server on the same plan. Their developer moved a test copy first and found that the old contact form script failed on the newer PHP, so it was replaced before anything went live.

The move itself took a weekend. The certificate went on without a dedicated IP address, and the reservation page opened before the first launch dates.

What tends to break in a move

Most sites move without trouble. The exceptions are predictable.

Hand-written scripts from years ago, especially those using PHP's old database functions, may stop working or print warnings on newer PHP. Old contact forms are frequent offenders.

Email settings can change with the server name, so phones and office computers may need updating. Scheduled tasks such as nightly backups need recreating, and the IP address changes, which matters if anything points at it directly.

A test copy first

The safe order is to copy the site to the new server, test it there under a temporary address, and only then switch the domain over.

Test whatever earns money: the forms, the booking or shop pages, the emails the site sends.

Then keep the old account running for a week or two after the switch, so anything missed can still be copied across.

Move before you are moved

Old servers are eventually retired. When that happens the host sends notice, often to whatever email address was on the account years ago, and moves everyone left on a date of its choosing.

A forced move on someone else's timetable is when old scripts break with nobody ready to fix them. A move you request happens when you have time to test.

The counter-case

A plain site of HTML pages, with no forms, scripts or shop, loses little on an older server. The PHP version hardly matters to pages that never use it.

And a host that keeps its older servers carefully patched may be less exposed than their age suggests. Whether it does is a question only the host can answer.

Even so, any site about to add a form, a shop or HTTPS should ask first. Find out which server you are on, and move to a current one on your own schedule.

This month

  1. Check the PHP version in the control panel.
  2. Ask the host which server the account uses.
  3. Ask about a current server on the same plan.
  4. Copy the site to the new server first.
  5. Test forms, shop and email before switching.
  6. Update email settings on phones and computers.
  7. Keep the old account for two weeks.

Step four is what keeps the move quiet. Problems found on a test copy cost an afternoon; the same problems found after the switch cost enquiries until somebody notices.

The encryption side of an old server is covered in FREAK and the old encryption settings on your server.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my server is old?

Check the PHP version in the control panel. Versions starting 5.2 or 5.3 suggest an old server, and the host's support desk can confirm when it was set up.

Why would a host leave me there?

Upgrading a busy server breaks some of the sites on it. Hosts often leave older servers running and move the customers who ask, rather than moving everyone.

What does an old server hold back?

Current PHP, operating system security updates, the newest encryption, certificates that share an IP address, and the newer database versions current plugins and shop software expect.

Does moving to a new server cost extra?

Often not. Many hosts move an account to a current server on the same plan when asked, though developer time for testing the site is worth budgeting.

What usually breaks when a site moves?

Old hand-written scripts and contact forms on newer PHP, email settings on phones and computers, scheduled tasks, and anything that points at the old IP address.

Should I wait for the host to move me?

No. Forced moves happen on the host's timetable, often with notice sent to an old address. A move you request happens when you have time to test.

West Coast Media Solutions Inc. provides web design, web development, hosting, digital marketing, and business consulting to organisations across Canada, drawing on more than twenty-five years in the field.

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