Load balancing — A technique used to spread website traffic and resource usage evenly across multiple servers, so no single server gets overwhelmed.
Server migration — The process of moving a website (its files, database, and configuration) from one physical server to another.
Migrating Site — The status shown in your PBN.LTD dashboard when one of your sites is in the process of being moved to a new server. You can read about all the different site statuses in Understanding the Status States of Your Domains.
🔄 Why Does This Happen?
⏳ What To Expect During Migration
🚫 What Not To Do
⏱️ How Long Does It Take?
❓ FAQs
✅ Quick Summary
🔄 Why Does This Happen?
PBN.LTD uses a smart load balancing system across all of our servers. Every server has a finite amount of resources — CPU, RAM, and storage — and when one starts to come under heavy load (perhaps because of a traffic spike or resource-intensive sites), our AI automatically steps in.
Rather than letting your site slow down or become unstable, the system proactively moves sites from the heavily-loaded server to one that has plenty of available capacity. This keeps everything running smoothly for everyone.
⏳ What To Expect During Migration
Here’s what happens from start to finish when your site is being migrated:
| Stage | What’s Happening | Your Site |
|---|---|---|
| Migration begins | Files and database are copied to the new server | 🟢 Online — visitors unaffected |
| Switchover | Site restores on the new server, backend configs update | 🟡 1–2 minutes of downtime |
| Migration complete | New server is fully configured and live | 🟢 Back online, status returns to OK |
Your site stays online for approximately 99% of the migration process. There will be a brief window of 1–2 minutes of downtime during the final switchover, while the site is restored onto the new server and the backend configuration is updated. This is perfectly normal and expected.
🚫 What Not To Do
While your site’s status shows ‘Migrating Site’, it’s really important that you don’t attempt to make any changes to it. During this time, the following actions will be locked in your dashboard:
- Editing the site
- Deleting the site
- Changing site settings
This isn’t us restricting your access for no reason — it’s a safeguard to make sure your site arrives safely on the new server without anything being disrupted halfway through.
⏱️ How Long Does It Take?
Most migrations complete within a few minutes. The exact time depends on the size of your site (number of files, database size, etc.), but in the vast majority of cases you’ll see the status change back to OK very quickly.
❓ FAQs
Is something wrong with my site?
No — a ‘Migrating Site’ status means our system is actively looking after your site. It’s being proactively moved to a healthier server before any performance issues can arise.
Will my visitors notice anything?
For most of the migration, no — your site stays online throughout. There will be a brief 1–2 minute downtime window during the final switchover. Outside of that, your visitors won’t notice a thing.
Why can’t I edit or delete my site right now?
Making changes to a site while it’s being moved between servers can cause the migration to fail, potentially leaving your site in a broken state. The dashboard locks these actions automatically to protect you. Once the migration is complete and the status returns to OK, you’ll be able to make changes as normal.
My sites are frozen — is that related?
A migration and frozen sites are two different things. If your sites are showing as frozen, that’s typically related to your subscription or payment status or an issue with the site itself rather than a server migration. See Why Are My Sites Frozen? for more info, or if you’ve just made a payment and they’re still frozen, check out I’ve Just Paid — Why Are My Sites Still Frozen?
Do I need to get in touch with anyone?
Nope! This is entirely automatic and no action is needed from you. If after a significant amount of time your site’s status still hasn’t returned to OK, feel free to get in touch via the chat widget on our website.
How often does this happen?
It’s not a regular occurrence for most sites — migrations are only triggered when our AI detects that a server is under heavy load and determines that moving a site is the best course of action. It’s part of how we keep the platform stable and fast for everyone.
Will my site end up on a worse server?
Quite the opposite — your site is always moved to a server with more available capacity. You may actually notice improved performance after a migration.
✅ Quick Summary
• ‘Migrating Site’ means our AI is automatically moving your site to a less-loaded server — this is a good thing.
• Your site stays online for ~99% of the process, with just 1–2 minutes of downtime during the final switchover.
• Do not try to edit or delete your site while it’s migrating — it will be locked anyway.
• There’s nothing you need to do. The process is fully automatic and will complete on its own.
• Once done, your site’s status will return to OK and everything will be back to normal.