Knowledge base

This guide explains how to transfer to Infomaniak data (Web, Mail, Domain, and even Cloud) currently hosted elsewhere. You obviously remain the owner of your data, without any loss or interruption!

Specific guides

Click on the link corresponding to your current host:

• Swisscom: complete guide to migrate Web, Mail and domain name

Guides for any other hoster

To retrieve any other data, follow the procedures below:

1. Guide to copy Web data (all PHP, HTML sites, etc. - for WordPress refer to this other guide)
    
2. Guide to copy Mail data (email addresses, mailbox content, etc.)
    
3. Guide to transfer the domain name (domain management, DNS zone, etc.)
    

You can also bring other types of data to the Infomaniak servers:

• Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. content: refer to this other guide
• Data on NAS Synology or QNAP: refer to this other guide

Why join Infomaniak?

By grouping your domain names, websites, and email addresses with Infomaniak, you simplify the management of your invoices and services. Moreover, your domains will automatically link with your site and email address. You will therefore not need to manually configure the DNS of your domains with another registrar.

Learn more about Infomaniak

• Infomaniak, the Ethical Cloud
• Infomaniak's eco-responsible approach

This guide explains how replace the main domain name associated with a Website hosted on Infomaniak in case you want to e.g. change the name of your activity or change the spelling.

Preamble

• It is not possible to simply change the spelling of the domain name concerned.
• The new domain name must be owned and installed instead of the current one by inversion (see below).
• You can also rename your product Web Hosting in the Manager Infomaniak but changing the name of a hosting has strictly no impact on the URLs of the sites.
• It is necessary to act on the domain name and if necessary to adapt the content of the site.

Change the domain name of the website

Prerequisites

• Prepare the new domain name (if necessary) You have to buy it.).
• If the desired modification is rather of the type "subdomain" to "main domain" (dev.domain.xyz → domain.xyz (e.g.) then become aware of this other guide.

To replace the domain name assigned to the site with another domain name:

1. Click here in order to access the management of your product on the Manager Infomaniak (Need help?).
2. Click directly on the nameallocated to the product concerned:
   
3. Then click on the chevron ‍ to develop the game Areas from this site:
   
4. Be aware of this other guide for link the new domain name to your site (read the prerequisites well):
   • It is this new related domain that will replace the current main domain name after the inversion you will perform below.
5. Once the new domain name is linked to your site, click on the action menu ⋮ To the right of this one.
6. Choose Define as main domain:
   
7. If necessary, delete the old domain name and its variants that have become domains aliases (and not the main areas).

If you are using a SSL certificate, it will be necessary update so that it includes the added aliases.

If you use the option IP dedicated, we have to uninstall it, and reinstall it After the inversion you will perform.

Adapt the content of the site to the new name

In some cases, the web application that is used to develop the site must undergo some adjustments to work with the new domain name. Click on the link corresponding to the development of your site to adapt the content:

• WordPress
• Joomla
• Prestashop
• application proposed in WordPress & Apps

This guide explains how to redirect a domain name directly to another or how to automatically send visitors to your website to another page address (internal or external URL).

Introduction

• To redirect traffic, you will need to act…
  • … or on the domain name itself (it must be hosted by Infomaniak and its DNS must be Infomaniak's as well),
  • … or on the code present in your pages (page .htaccess, homepage, etc.) if you have a website.

Act on the domain name

via Web Redirection Tool

The tool available on the Manager allows you to easily redirect the domain name (or subdomain) to the Internet address of your choice.

via DNS modifications or A record

Change the DNS of the domain name or modify its A/AAAA records to direct web traffic to another provider.

Act on the page code…

… via HTML code to insert

Insert this line of code between the <head> and </head> tags of your homepage (usually named index.html):

<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="5;url=INSERT-HERE-NEW-URL">

Replace 5 with the desired wait time in seconds (0 for immediate redirection).

The search engine Google indicates that it is preferable to use a 301 redirect on the server side (read more below). The W3C also advises against using it.

… via PHP code to insert

If the site page has a .php extension, insert this header function call at the very top of the file:

header("refresh: 5; url=INSERT-HERE-NEW-PAGE-URL");

… via .htaccess file

To redirect all traffic targeting your site (regardless of the page called) to another address, insert this into the .htaccess file at the root of your site:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ INSERT-HERE-NEW-URL/$1 [R=301]

To target the page that should be redirected:

Redirect permanent /ancienne_page.html insérer ici adresse URL de destination

Redirectpermanent, Redirect permanent and Redirect 301 are equivalent commands.

Here is another example of redirecting a sub-section to the homepage (this directive has the advantage of working with "deep links" unlike a permanent redirect):

RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule "old/path/url "/" [L]

Refer to this other guide on this topic.

This guide explains how to restore backups of previous versions of your files and other web data of your accommodation Infomaniak, and how to put in place an effective backup policy if the backups made available automatically and free of charge do not correspond or more to your needs in terms of availability or security.

Web hosting (Starter, Mutualized, Cloud Server)

Take note of these guides to restore automatic backups:

• of a whole accommodation (FTP + MySQL),
• of the specific files on hosting,
• of the Specific databases,
• of a Web application (Wordpress & Apps),
• of the Cloud Server SSH crons.

Take note of these guides to save and restore:

• accommodation with Swiss Backup and Acronis (simple),
• accommodation with Swiss Backup and Restic (advanced),
• WordPress with Swiss Backup,
• WordPress with an extension.

Also take note of https://faq.infomaniak.com/snapshot.

Accommodation v1 (old 60GB offer)

• View and/or download the automatic backup (versioning)of your data on your FTP space under /backups and /backup_mysql at the root of the domain (over /web).
• Restore this data.

Email

• Restore Messages from Infomaniak automatic backups.
• Restore contacts or events of the calendar.
• Save the current content of an email account:
  • in downloading current content in local,
  • in duplicate all current content to an emergency box,
  • in copying future e-mails as they arrive to an emergency box.

Domains / DNS areas

• Restore deleted DNS records from Infomaniak automatic backups.
• Restore one expired during the period of redemption.

This guide explains how to optimize the site you manage on a Web Hosting to make it faster and allow all visitors to browse it from the Internet without difficulty, regardless of their connection speed.

The role of the hoster

1. … your hosting server is functioning normally and has not encountered any issues in the last 48 hours.
2. … the network infrastructure has not experienced any disruptions in the last 48 hours.

The role of the site owner and the webmaster

Infomaniak does not intervene in the content of the servers or the development of websites. The creation or maintenance of a site is a different profession, although it is related to its activities since the tools and services that a webmaster uses to create websites are offered.

Analyzing the cause of slowdowns

Here is what you should do if you notice slowness with your site:

1. Follow the Google PageSpeed Insights recommendations to optimize your website... The points highlighted concern the design of the website and not the server configuration; refer to this other guide if the test result suggests enabling resource compression on your site.
2. In case of slowness from abroad, consider activating DNS Fast Anycast.
3. Install and configure a cache system on your site to avoid redundant access to databases and speed up the display of your site.
4. Consider a CDN.
5. Test the response speed of the server (TTFB).
6. Scan your hosting for viruses.
7. Purge the databases regularly and delete unnecessary entries.
8. Use the latest PHP version compatible with your site/CMS/Web application.
9. Avoid using images, counters, CGI, or media hosted by external providers, as if they are unreachable, your site will seem slow.
10. Disable any unnecessary WordPress extensions that consume a lot of resources in your CMS.
11. Keep your CMS/Web applications up to date regularly.
12. Implement a crawl delay for indexing bots, as some have a very "aggressive" operation; it is possible to limit their impact by implementing a Crawl-delay.
13. Check the possible error-logs which group all the errors generated by your site; by correcting these errors, your site will be more performant.
14. Check the slowlogs: they group the queries that take more than 5 seconds to execute; it is important to correct the queries listed in this file (SQL optimization examples).
15. Add a server cache system like Memcached (Cloud server only).
16. Increase the max_children value (Cloud server only).

If a problem persists...

As a site owner, if you are a webmaster or have hired a webmaster who also cannot find the cause of the slowdowns, contact Infomaniak support in writing only after obtaining the following information:

1. Hosted site name.
2. Dates and times when the slowdowns were encountered.
3. Name of the potentially affected database / same for FTP account.
4. Your public IP address at the time of the tests (visible for example on https://www.infomaniak.com/ip).
5. Type of slowness observed (site display, FTP transfers...).
6. Issues (such as slowness) accessing the Infomaniak site intermittently?
7. Result of a traceroute to 84.16.66.66 and copy-paste the complete results (screenshot if necessary).
8. Result of a speedtest by choosing Infomaniak as the destination (speedtest.net — click on Change Server to select Infomaniak).

If your needs skyrocket…

If shared hosting no longer suits your site, you should consider moving to a Cloud Server. Your site can be easily moved to this type of server where it will be alone and on which you can install a cache engine, for example.

Thank you for entrusting Infomaniak with hosting your website.

Preamble

• Web hosting is a storage space available on a computer, also called "server", connected to the Internet and managed by a web host, Infomaniak.
• This storage space, made available to professionals and individuals, is used to install websites or other types of tools (CRM, extranet, intranet...) that must be accessible via the Internet.
• These guides allow you to quickly use the essential functions of your new product, your web hosting, which can accommodate several websites. 

Where to start?

1. Create a WordPress website
2. Build the site with Site Creator
3. Install a web application (ownCloud, Joomla, Typo3, Drupal, phpBB, Simple Machines Forum, Magento, Prestashop, ...)
4. Manage your FTP accounts/users
5. Manage and publish files on your hosting via FTP Manager
6. Manage your MySQL databases
7. Add a site or subdomain to your hosting (multisite/multidomain)
8. Link another domain name to an existing website (a.k.a. domain)
9. Preview your site even if your domain name is not yet pointing to Infomaniak servers

What about the domain name?

Web hosting, to be visible by the public on the Internet, must be associated with a domain name!

Is your domain name not managed by Infomaniak? Or is it in another organization than your web hosting? So get to know this other guide to configure DNS or "A records" to link the domain name to your web hosting.

In case of a problem

To solve a problem, please consult the Web Hosting Knowledge Base before contact Infomaniak support.

Click here in order to share a review or suggestion on a Infomaniak product.

This guide explains which protocols and ports can be used with Infomaniak's email services (Service Mail in particular).

Mandatory ports and parameters

When this is requested during a software or email application configuration, use only these parameters:

If you specify other indications, email errors may occur.

Other supported but not recommended protocols

• port 143 (standard port for receiving messages via IMAP)
• port 110 (standard port for receiving messages via POP3)‍
• port 995 (secure port for receiving messages via POP3s)
• port 587 (alternative port not recommended for sending messages via SMTP)
• TLS authentication on SMTP ports 587 and 25
• STARTTLS authentication for IMAP, POP3 and SMTP
• SMTP authentication (either LOGIN or PLAIN)

The Infomaniak API does not offer any email connection as IMAP and SMTP are the "APIs"; to this end, use a Python library such as https://docs.python.org/3/library/email.examples.html and https://docs.python.org/3/library/imaplib.html or any library using IMAP and SMTP.

To display emails from php:
imap_open("{mail.infomaniak.com:993/imap/ssl}", $email, $password);

The MTA-STS mechanism is not implemented or verified, Infomaniak using instead DANE which guarantees an encrypted connection under these conditions:

• The client sends an e-mail to a domain that has DANE.
• The client receives an email from an SMTP server that uses DANE.
• In all other cases, it will be a random connection that does not guarantee 100% that the connection will be encrypted.

This guide explains how transfer a Infomaniak product from one Organization to another.

Preamble

• You can move any product subscribed to Infomaniak to a Infomaniak Manager interface different from the one on which the product is currently located; it is therefore an internal transfer.
• Besides, if your user gives access to several organizations it's very easy to send to one of these the product of your choice.
• This operation does not train no interruption.
• The users currently having access to the selected products will not be transferred (therefore potentially no longer have access to the products).
• The Invoices of selected products will not be transferred.

Generate a transfer link

Prerequisites

• To be Administrator or Legally responsible‍within the Organization.

To transfer a product:

1. Click here in order to access the management of product transfers on the Manager Infomaniak (Need help?).
2. Click on the button Transfer products:
   
3. Check the product(s) to be moved.
4. Get to know and accept the General conditions.
5. Click on the button Transfer.

The transfer has begun. From now on, Choices:

1. Copy the transfer link.
2. Send it to the email address of your choice.
3. Complete the transfer by selecting one of the Organizations to which your user is attached, and the selected product will be transferred:
   

Alternative method

In the case of transfer punctual you can also go directly to the dashboard of the product concerned and click on Manage (example on the image below) however this menu is not always present it is better to prefer the first method above which allows in addition Batch transfer:

Be aware of this other guide concerning Jelastic Cloud.

Receiving the product

Once a transfer is started:

1. Click here in order to gain access to the Organization that is to receive the product(s) (the user must have administrative rights).
2. Run the link obtained in the first step above.
3. Select the Destination Organization from the drop-down menu if necessary.
4. Read and accept the General conditions.
5. Click on the button Receipt of products (If the button is not clickable, make sure you have selected the Organization).

Find at all times an ongoing transfer from the bottom icon on the left side menu of the Manager Infomaniak:

DNS Fast Anycast replicates your DNS field around the world to reduce latency and increase the availability of your websites.

Preamble

• With DNS Fast Anycast, your domain's DNS are replicated within multiple Presence Points (POPs) in the world (list below).
• No matter where your visitors are located, they are thus redirected to the DNS server closest to them, which on average accelerates the speed of access to your site by 34% (DNS resolution).
• In addition, if one of your DNS servers is not available, the nearest server naturally takes over and your visitors can continue to access your site.
• The replication of DNS in your domain is automatic and no changes to your code are required.

Manage DNS Fast Anycast

Prerequisites

• DNS Fast Anycast is compatible with all websites, regardless of your host.
• All you need is a domain name managed at Infomaniak: transfer management of your domain to Infomaniak if necessary
  • Be aware of this other guide to manage external domains.

To access the DNS Fast Anycast option:

1. Click here in order to access the management of your product on the Manager Infomaniak (Need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product concerned.
3. Activate DNS Fast Anycast from the dashboard:
   

POP - 'Point of Presence'

By activating DNS Fast Anycast on your domain, your DNS will be automatically replicated at the following points of presence:

Network 1

New York, USA (2x)
Paris, France (2x)
Warsaw , Poland (2x)
Dublin, Ireland (2x)
Singapore (2x)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Stockholm, Sweden
Vienna, Austria (2x)
Frankfurt, Germany (2x)
London, United Kingdom
Dallas, USA
Los Angeles, USA (3x)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Sydney, Australia
São Paulo, Brazil
Miami, USA (2x)

Network 2

Hong Kong, China
San José, USA
Dallas, USA
Reston, USA
Chicago, USA
Seattle, USA
London, United Kingdom
Frankfurt, Germany
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Vienna, Austria
Toronto, Canada
Sydney, Australia
São Paulo, Brazil
Johannesburg, South Africa
Miami, USA

The points of presence are divided into two networks that are randomly operated when one of your visitors accesses your website.

Thank you for entrusting the hosting of your WordPress site to Infomaniak.

Preamble

• As a reminder, the WordPress site creation tool can be:
  1. hosted by the infrastructure WordPress.com (fee) and in this case Infomaniak is not concerned by the accommodation
  2. installed freely but manually by the user thanks to the archive offered by WordPress .org, Infomaniak is then the host of the website but does not manage any updates and does not list the application in the part Web Applications Manager Infomaniak; you will be in this case if you Repatriate an external WordPress to Infomaniak
  3. installed automatically by the tool available on the Manager and in this case WordPress is maintained (at the security level) largely by Infomaniak
• This third and final point is developed in this guide.

Install WordPress & Apps

Infomaniak facilitates the installation of the WordPress application (and other applications also):

• Install WordPress by the Infomaniak installer
• Access the WordPress management interface

Use WordPress

Although WordPress is one of the easiest CMS to use, it is necessary to tame. In order to help you in this process, here are external resources in several different languages to get started with WordPress:

• Essential bases to know to start well with WordPress
• Forum d'aide de la communauté WordPress francophone
• FAQ about backups / restorations
• Use a theme or extension ElegantThemes
• Free WordPress training made available by the site progresser-en-informatique.com If you want to go to the essentials, focus on the following modules:
  • understand the administration interface
  • how to properly configure WordPress
  • add content to your website