Sparked Host LLC - BUFFALO TO ASHBURN MIGRATION NOTICE – Maintenance details

BUFFALO TO ASHBURN MIGRATION NOTICE - May 4th

We are preparing a full infrastructure migration from our current location in Buffalo, NY to a new data center in Ashburn, VA. This migration involves physically transporting all active servers and critical networking hardware. We want to ensure all affected clients are fully informed prior to the move.

Here is a full breakdown of what to expect:

1. Timeline & Transport

On Sunday, May 4th, our team of 4 will begin deracking servers at 2:00 PM EDT.

Once deracking is complete, we will begin loading all equipment into secured transport with proper packing.

Departure is scheduled for 8 PM EDT (12 AM EDT at the absolute latest), with the team driving overnight to minimize downtime.

Transport time from Buffalo to Ashburn is estimated to be 7 hours, this excludes any necessary stops and projected traffic.

Upon arrival in Ashburn, our team will immediately begin racking, powering up, and testing all systems. We have one technician stationed in Ashburn beginning on May 4th, who will be fully rested and ready to address any issues.

2. Downtime Estimate

We expect total downtime for affected services to be approximately 14 to 24 hours at the absolute maximum. This window accounts for travel, handling, hardware setup, and any necessary reconfiguration. The majority of services will return early in the timeline, this massly depends on the setup order of the transported nodes. Regardless of the estimated timelines, all clients should plan to be offline for the entire maintenance window. In addition, all IP addresses are planned to remain the same. Should changes be required, the affected clients will be notified.

3. Communication

We will be providing live updates throughout the entire move. This includes notifications when deracking starts, when transit begins, when we arrive at the data center, and when each major batch of systems begins to come online. Clients will be notified the moment their service is restored via technician notifications or Hetrix uptime alerts.

4. Service Impact

The following groups/nodes will be directly affected and will see downtime.

Budget Buffalo Nodes: b-buf-16, b-buf-18, b-buf-19

Enterprise Buffalo Nodes: p-buf-50, p-buf-59, p-buf-66

All Buffalo Dedicated Servers

5. How do I know if I am affected?

You can check your node ID in the settings tab on the Apollo Panel. If you're still unsure, please create a ticket to confirm your downtime before the move.

6. My server is in Buffalo, but my node is not listed or is excluded. What does this mean for me?:

A majority of Enterprise and Extreme or Extreme Plus Buffalo Game Hosting clients will be moved to Ashburn and upgraded to new hardware before this move. In addition, Budget and Premium VPS clients will be upgraded to new hardware during the migration. All IP addresses are planned to remain the same during this move. All Discord Bot clients will be temporarily moved to Ashburn to a new hypervisor to prevent downtime.

Buffalo Databases will be migrated to Ashburn before the projected downtime window to reduce any downtime.

More information will be sent out within the next 48 hours regarding transfers for the hardware upgrades. Most Buffalo clients will experience minimal or no downtime due to the upgrades.

7. Hardware Upgrades for Game and VPS Clients

Enterprise Buffalo clients will see upgrades to Ryzen 7700, 7900, and 7950X machines, resulting in a performance increase of up to 40%.

Extreme Buffalo clients will see upgrades to Ryzen 9900X machines, resulting in a performance increase of up to 12%.

Budget and Premium VPS clients will be upgraded to AMD EPYC and Ryzen 9900X machines, respectively. Clients will see a massive increase of up to 100% in performance boosts.

8. Dedicated Servers Component Upgrades or Adds

If you are a dedicated server client, this move is a perfect opportunity for any requested hardware upgrades, replacements, or physical installs. We will be on site with your hardware and can make any requested changes or upgrades with no remote hands cost. Please open a ticket BEFORE May 1st if you would like to schedule any modifications. Any requests made beyond May 1st will incur standard upgrade costs.

9. Questions

If you have concerns about the migration or need to make special arrangements, please reach out to our support as soon as possible. We plan this move to be as seamless as possible for everyone. We'd like to address any concerns you may have before we start. You can email me: paul.t@sparkedhost.com

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we upgrade our infrastructure to serve you better.