Changing url of a web site

[Thomas Dowling]

> >>>>> "Timothy" == Timothy Renick <timothyr at library2.websteruniv.edu>
writes:
> 
>     Timothy> Hello, I have setup a new server to run our web site.
>     Timothy> The url has changed on purpose.  Now what I want to do is
>     Timothy> to keep all of the old server urls active, however, have
>     Timothy> them all point to a page that states something like "Our
>     Timothy> URL has changed to ...."  I have made the new page, but I
>     Timothy> can't figure out how to make all of the old urls point to
>     Timothy> it.  The problem is that many people have bookmarked into
>     Timothy> the site and I want them to change their bookmarks.  The
>     Timothy> old site is running an older NCSA web server.
> 
> On your old server configuration file srm.conf, add a line like this: 
> 
> Redirect /oldpath/ new_URL
> 

Or you could add a line to srm.conf like this:

ErrorDocument 404 /we_have_moved.html

Then delete all other documents on the old server, and put the necessary
information (perhaps with a <META HTTP-EQUIV="REFRESH"...> command to take
users to the new home page after a few seconds).

You could get really fancy and do

ErrorDocument 404 /cgi-bin/we_have_moved.cgi

Where we_have_moved.cgi is a script that not only prints out the "We have
moved" statement, but does a <META HTTP-EQUIV="REFRESH"...> to the specific
document on the new server corresponding to the old one.

I believe that both of these methods will correctly give search engines the
"404 Not Found" line in the HTTP header that they can use to stop pointing
people to your old site.


Thomas Dowling
Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu