What happens when I turn multiserver off?


Verified User
Nov 21, 2006
One of my servers will be replaced later this year with a newer server for that I have to turn multiserver setup off.

What will happen? Does this affect DNS zones on both machines?

After I've turned it off - can I copy existing domains from the old server to the other "old multiserver" server?

DirectAdmin Support

Staff member
Feb 27, 2003

Flipping the switch to turn off the Multi Server Setup (MSS) doesn't immediately affect the dns settings. All zones on both servers will continue to sit there and respond dns queries for your domains.

What will happen if you do it too soon is, any changes added to box A wont' be transferred to box B, with MSS turned off, so you'll want to wait to the last moment..

If you're replacing box A with a new A, lets call the new one A2, then if you have all the dns information on box B already, then all you have to do, it setup the IP of A2 into the MSS settings of box B.... then login to ssh on B and type:
What this will do is rewrite all local dns zones thus triggering the outbound sync from B to A2.

So.. you don't actually need to turn MSS off on "A" ... just leave it until the box goes offline.. .then sync B to A2 once A2 is up and running.

If you want to move domains from A to B, and B is already hosting the dns zones.. then you'd have to delete those zones from B first, because DA uses the dns settings to determine if a domain exists on the sever or not. If you don't remove the dns settings from B before adding the users/domains to B, then DA will complain that the domain already exists on the server.

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