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Moving Mail hosting away from PlusNet for domain

Ian_at_pn
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Registered: ‎12-10-2021

Moving Mail hosting away from PlusNet for domain

We currently host domain "@ourdomain.co.uk" with Plusnet for email (POP3/IMAP) and have a website "www.ourdomain.co,uk" hosted externally (mapped via A/CNAME records in the Manage DNS section).

For various reasons we want to move away from Plusnet for email hosting ourdomain.co.uk, to MS 365 Business.  Now I understand MS does not cater for "transfer in" of existing domains, only buying new domains or authorising existing domain using Domain Connect, or a TXT record which Plusnet does not support.

I realise I will need to move the domain registration to another provider ,GoDaddy or similar, (which will then break email delivery to our Plusnet account) and then subsequently add this to the new Microsoft 365 account, but I want to minimise email delivery disruption to "@ourdomain.co.uk" in the change-over as much as possible.

Is it possible to do this in two stages, transfer out the domain to another host (GoDaddy etc)  but still use Plusnet for email "@ourdomain.co.uk" temporarily, with changes to MX records at the new host to still receive mail at 212.159.9.200, mx.avasin.plus.net.  And once this domain transfer is settled, then approach Microsoft and setup the new MS365 using their Add a Domain via Domain connect.

Or do we have to "bite the bullet" and accept business critical email down time as this two stage is process is enacted.

6 REPLIES 6
Gandalf
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Re: Moving Mail hosting away from PlusNet for domain

Thanks for your post @Ian_at_pn and welcome to our Community Forums.

Yep that should be possible. We'd raise a task with our NetOps team to change the IPSTAG of your domain to your new registrar which should be done immediately once we've picked the task up normally within 3 working days.

In some instances, the gaining registrar will request a 'handshake' to approve our request, so this may take a bit longer.

We can then leave your domain in our Domain Control System (DCS) so you can continue to use our nameservers, so in effect at this point we'd just be hosting the domain and not registering it.

Once you've found and sorted things out with your new host, if you let us know we can then remove your domain from DCS. 

Feel free to private message me when you'd like to get the ball rolling and I'll be happy to arrange.

From 31st October 2022, I no longer have a regular presence here as I’ve moved on to a new role.
Anoush Mortazavi
Plusnet
Ian_at_pn
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Re: Moving Mail hosting away from PlusNet for domain

Thank-you for the welcome and prompt reply,

For clarity, may I just confirm this process and using GoDaddy as an example/probable new registrar:-

1. With your assistance, we raise a ticket with Plusnet NetOps team, which will unlock the domain, set the IPSTAG to GoDaddy, but leave the domain in Plusnet's DCS, this will take up to 3 working days

2. We then confirm this transfer (they won't start the process until it's unlocked) with our new registrar GoDaddy, who will take ownership but leave the hosting with Plusnet

3. Then when we are ready to commit to a new MS 365 business mail service, Plusnet NetOps will remove the domain from DCS.

Questions:

At point 2, will we need to amend the MX records and CNAME/A records with GoDaddy, to map to Plusnet's email service and our external Web site host, or will this be done at point 3?

At point 3, will this take another 3 working days to enact?

We have a meeting tomorrow afternoon to discuss this, so any update before then would be much appreciated

pjmarsh
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Re: Moving Mail hosting away from PlusNet for domain

Hi Ian

The approach I'd take (and have taken previously though not moving from Plusnet, but another provider) is:

  1. What you've listed for number 1
  2. What you've listed for number 2
  3. Set up the DNS records you need in your new nameservers to match those that Plusnet have (this may be done automatically by GoDaddy, though don't take my word on that!)
  4. Add any new records that you might need (such as TXT records the MS365 need)
  5. Change the nameservers with GoDaddy to point to the other nameservers
  6. Wait a few days to be sure that's replicated (usually advised as taking 24-72 hours)
  7. Migrate to MS 365
  8. Then what you've listed as number 3, with Plusnet NetOps team removing you from their DCS

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

Ian_at_pn
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Re: Moving Mail hosting away from PlusNet for domain

Hi, Thanks for your thoughts and experience.

I assume you mean by your item 5 "Change the nameservers with GoDaddy to point to the other nameservers", to change these back to the default GoDaddy Name servers, they are currently set with Plusnet to :-

ns1.force9.net
ns1.plusnet.co.uk 195.166.128.17
ns2.force9.net
ns2.plusnet.co.uk 212.159.13.150

Gandalf
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Re: Moving Mail hosting away from PlusNet for domain


@Ian_at_pn wrote:

At point 2, will we need to amend the MX records and CNAME/A records with GoDaddy, to map to Plusnet's email service and our external Web site host, or will this be done at point 3?


As soon as we've handed the domain across to your new registrar, you'd be free to do this.

 


@Ian_at_pn wrote:

At point 3, will this take another 3 working days to enact?

Removing a domain from our Domain Control System is instant and it's something I can do. This though won't affect your domain, you can have your domain remain in DCS and not actually 'use' it. 

(Although for our own records we should really be removing if you move the records away to another host)

From 31st October 2022, I no longer have a regular presence here as I’ve moved on to a new role.
Anoush Mortazavi
Plusnet
pjmarsh
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Re: Moving Mail hosting away from PlusNet for domain

Hi Ian

As for your query on my point 5, yes that is what I meant, though it wouldn't necessarily have to be GoDaddy if you didn't want them to be.  My domains are registered with GoDaddy but I've set up the nameservers for them in Azure, though there are plenty of other such services as well.

 

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.