Sunday 16 November 2008

FAQs on DNS Name Server

Q) What is a DNS name server?
A)
A domain name server is similar to a phone book. It tells the Internet programs (e.g. web browsers) where to go by translating the domain name into an Internet (IP) address. Every Internet Service Provider (ISP) has its own DNS servers. You need at least 2 DNS server names to specify who is hosting your domain or web site. You can find out the address of your DNS servers if you are hosting your web site with a web hosting company.



Q) Where do I get information about the DNS server for my web site?
A)
Typically, you will get the DNS information from your web hosting company. The DNS information consists of letters and/or digits separated by periods (.). Example: NS1.ABAC.COM

Q) How do I get to the page to change the name servers for my domain name?
A)
Click on the word “Manage Domain” on the left column of this page or go to https://domainpanel.com. Type in your domain name and password. Click on the word Nameservers under the View/Modify section. After changes have been made, click on Modify button at the bottom of the page. You may also click here to see how to change the DNS server information for your domain.

Q) Can I use other name servers besides those supplied by Active-Domain?
A)
Yes, you can use any name servers that you like, as long as they are already known to Verisign Global Registry.

Q) When I try to change my name servers, there is an error, why is this?
A)
The name servers might not be registered at the Registry, or you have entered the address of your name servers incorrectly. Please do not use the IP address of your name servers when you change the name server information of your domain in our Domain Manager. Use the hostname (eg. ns1.nameserver.com) of your name servers instead.

Q) How do I get to the page to modify or update my domain contact information?
A)
You need to log in to the Domain Manager (https://domainpanel.com), click on Contact Information link under the View/Modify section to change any of your domain contact information.

Q) I transferred my domain to your name servers today but my site is not coming up, why?
A)
Moving a domain name can take a couple of days. First, the central registry has to update their databases and over the weekends they can be a bit slow. This can take up to a day sometimes. Besides that, each and every ISP has to cache the new registry database and this can take a few days, although normally 1-2. Normally, a local ISP will only update their name servers once per day so even if Whois shows your DNS information updated, your local ISP may still be using yesterday's database. This always clears up after 1-2 days. The good thing is that it's usually only the domain name owner that will experience the caching delay. Normal site visitors that haven't visited your website recently will not have cached the old DNS information and will be able to get to your site even though you may not.



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