So, if any of you are still reading this instead of bolting in terror at those two words, you're a stronger person than me. We've got a server move scheduled for Wednesday, March 26th. The servers themselves will be down for about 2 hours, but the site will likely be inaccessible for longer. Because the new servers will have different IP addresses, it means that we have to update our DNS information (See below, if you want the boring details). The short version is that this means that the site will be inaccessible for each user for a slightly different amount of time. 99% of our users should be able to access the site again within 24 hours at most, though.

DNS Propagation and YOU.
What's that, Timmy? Your favorite website is changing servers, and you don't know how you're going to find it again? Fret not! You'll be accessing your tournaments again in no time, thanks to the space-age wizardry of DNS! DNS stands for the "Domain Name " and it's basically a phone book for the Internet. When you open your browser and type in a web address like "myleague.com", your computer's first step is to look that up in the DNS listing to find out the server's IP address. Once it has that, it seamlessly connects you to the website.

But Timmy, you're a bright young lad and I can see that you're already wondering: "Golly! But what happens when my favorite website moves servers and gets a new IP address?" What an insightful and well-timed question that is, Timmy! When a website gets a new IP address, they simply update the IP address associated with their URL. That way, users can just keep typing in the same web address as always, and the DNS server can still point them to the right place!

Unfortunately, Timmy, it does take time to get that DNS information updated. Each Internet provider has their own set of DNS servers, which cache the information about each site. So it takes a while for the cached information to expire, and the new information to propagate to every DNS server. The good news is that most DNS servers get the new information in less than 24 hours. However, sometimes it does take a bit longer for some servers, so you do just have to be patient in those cases.

Well, there you have it, Timmy! DNS propagation is as simple and wholesome as good old-fashioned apple pie!