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Im transferring a clients website and they said they want to keep their mx records and such the same since theyre using google apps hence they only want to changed the A record not the nameservers...is that possible to just point the A record to the ip without pointing the nameservers?

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Yes it is. Have them log into their DNS control panel/portal and change the appropriate A records for the web site.

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  • (But if the DNS is hosted by the host they're moving off of, instead of their domain registrar or something, then they might need to move over to different name servers.) Jun 27, 2013 at 0:57
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Yes, changing only the A record is appropriate.

Depending on how fast you want the switchover to be you need to reduce the TTL on the website's A record prior to the move. This should be done well in advance of the record change so that cached records get updated. After the move you can increase the TTL to its original value. Keeping a short TTL during the move will allow you to make corrections quickly in case of error.

You may want to manage the experience during the changeover. This can be done by keeping the old site up until traffic stops, or replacing it with a proxy that uses the new site.

As noted, if the DNS services are provided by the existing web server provider you may need to move the DNS to a new provider. This will require updating the NS records both in DNS and with the Domain Registrar. Again, you should decrease the TTL prior to the move, and increase it after the move. I would move the DNS services before moving the site.

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