DNS error

[kimmer]

So today we cannot connect to our email, our site, or the site-log in pages. After 3 frustrating chat sessions (you'd be amazed how I managed to get those to work!), I'm told

... it appears to be a DNS issue, the admins are working on it now

and they say it'll be fixed by noon my time.   it's now 12:10pm my time. Maybe they mean noon tomorrow?

Anyhow, since this isn't the first time this company has had a "DNS" error, I'd like to know what it is. So a simple explanation would be nice, if possible.

[Paddy]

DNS=Domain Name Servers

Domain name servers translate domain names into IP addresses. Without them, the Interweb just doesn't work too well.

QUOTE

Your ISP provides servers that perform the DNS lookup function each time you access a name on the internet. Sometimes those servers can have problems which range from not knowing the names they should, to taking a long time to perform the lookup.

http://ask-leo.com/my_isps_dns_servers_are...t_can_i_do.html

You may be able to get around some of it by changing your DNS settings to use something like OpenDNS:

http://www.opendns.com/home/fastreliable

However, if you're talking about your DOMAIN and associated email, you'll likely have to wait until your host fixes whatever is wrong. You could try getting to your site via the IP address if you know it, though. If it's a domain host with these issues, I'd say it's time to look for a new one if this keeps happening!

[dolphin]

Here are some answers:

What is a DNS error?

DNS errors and fixes


I've had this happen many times...and this has worked for me in those cases:

Unplug your router for 10 sec., then plug it back in. This in effect resets it. I have always been able to get on the internet after doing this.

[kimmer]

Thanks for the info. I'm sick of this.

It was the domain hosting company that had the problem. They now have it fixed. I'd pull our site from them, but I'm still in the catch-22 hole with the registering company saying the domain is ours, and to move it I need info from hosting company; and hosting company says it's our domain and I need to get the info from the registering company. It's gonna be a battle I'll deal with some day, but right now I'm stressed enough over battling our contractor to repair our house (warranty), and a couple of other issues. Maybe next year?

[Paddy]

Kimmer, who is your host and who is your registrar? You should have logins and passwords for both and many now have pretty automated systems for moving. I have moved registrars and hosting many times on behalf of clients, so may be able to give some pointers if I know who you're dealing with. Some are downright horrid, of course!

As for where you move to - I've been pretty happy with Dinsol.com. Can't beat the price and features and they seem pretty responsive when you have questions or problems. ASmallOrange.com, our host here is also very responsive and if you don't need a lot of storage, they're very good.

[kimmer]

Hosting company:
Hostway
http://www.hostway.com/

Domain registrar:
DomainPeople
http://www.domainpeople.com/

I do NOT have a log-in or password for domainpeople, and that's where I bump into trouble. As far as I can tell, domainpeople is decent, and I'd leave the registration with them if I can ever get through this quagmire. We do want to move our hosting company as Hostway is expensive (they weren't originally), and no longer as reliable as they once were.

There's more info on this mess here:
http://www.techsurvivors.net/forums/index....&hl=hostway

Yes, I've been dealing with this catch-22 for 2 years now; but in between it's was Sneakers health, then mine, then a few other things and for the past 14 months the house battle. I need a break or maybe a brake!

[Paddy]

I'd suggest calling domainpeople (they do have a toll-free sales number) and explaining the situation. If your domain was registered through them directly, then you should have login info, and if you've misplaced it, then they should be able to help you.

[kimmer]

I've spoken with domainpeople on the phone. They tell me I need log-in info from Hostway.

We didn’t do the original registration with domainpeople, Hostway did that on their own whim without telling us ahead of time.

Okay, back to researching our legal standing on the house.

[Paddy]

Kimmer, when you got your Hostway hosting, did it include a domain name? If so, then that's how you got it - you probably signed up with them and told them you were going to use "xyz.com" and then they registered that. So, you will have to deal with Hostway, because at the moment, they actually OWN your domain name. That's why I tell people to NEVER, ever, register a domain that way. It can be the devil to get control of it. The attraction of a "free" domain name is undeniable and getting a domain name this way is a very common newbie mistake. It's all well and good...until you want to change hosts.

Tell them quite firmly that you want to move the domain registration and since they registered that name as part of your hosting package when you signed up, they will need to give you the information you need to manage your domain. They may try to charge you for this.

Is there no "manage your domain" portion of the Hostway control panel when you log in there?

Always, always, register a domain at a reputable domain registrar like GoDaddy or Netfirms (those are the only two I use) whose principle business is domain registration.

BTW - out of curiosity, I looked up Hostway on webhostingjury.com, which is one of the few ratings sites out there that has REAL ratings by REAL people (as opposed to paid "ratings" like most website "ratings" sites) and they score really badly with a lot of very unhappy people. Granted - nobody has bothered reviewing them in the last year, but

http://webhostingjury.com/reviews/Hostway

Users at CNET were none too happy either (the review is 6 years old, but users have continued to comment and rate):

http://reviews.cnet.com/internet-access-an...7-31530075.html

[Xairbusdriver]

Although I no longer maintain the churches website, we used drectNIC.com to register our domain. I think they provide hosting, also, but I've never used them for that.

I couldn't find any way to actually search at webhostingjury.com, but it appears to be concerned almost totally with web hosting, not domain registration. But the registration is not what most people are concerned about and it certainly isn't where the "money" is, anyway.

[Paddy]

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Sep 20 2011, 04:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Although I no longer maintain the churches website, we used drectNIC.com to register our domain. I think they provide hosting, also, but I've never used them for that.

I couldn't find any way to actually search at webhostingjury.com, but it appears to be concerned almost totally with web hosting, not domain registration. But the registration is not what most people are concerned about and it certainly isn't where the "money" is, anyway.

There's a drop down menu on the left hand side - it says "Read User Reviews" - you can look up any web host that they have listed in the drop down. And no, they don't rate registrars.

I'm assuming that you meant http://www.directnic.com, Jim? They charge $15/yr. Netfirms are charging $7.99 a year for the first year, and $11.99 thereafter. GoDaddy has some nice deals - $7.49 on transferred domains for up to 5 years (if you pay in advance, of course). Nice. Otherwise, for those of us who are already there, $11.99/yr.

[Xairbusdriver]

Yeah, I saw the drop down. That's why I suspected they were concentrating on hosting. But I call that a 'poor man's search' techique.

Oh, yes, there are many cheaper places. I'm wondering how long the seeming glut of hosting services will last, however. The profit margins must be getting slim, although hardware is also getting cheaper. I suppose if one has good backups and plenty of redundant drives things will be fine. But it does put pressure on human service and I think that's part of kimmer's problem. Right now, I think most of these hoisters are staying in business because of the increasing proliferation of web sites by everybody and his sister! I suspect there will soon be a leveling off of these mom & pop sites as the economy stagnates and the "business" closes and or competitors squash the niche players. As a consequence, there will be less need for hosted sites. But the pressure on this business is nice, while it lasts, anyway.

Buyer beware!
--- A. Cynic
   

[kimmer]

We got our domain back when the net was slow, small, and mostly newsgroups. A tech savvy friend helped us do it all, and yes we had Hostway register our domain as that's the way most folks did small domains back then (GoDaddy and others weren’t around).

We're seriously considering starting fresh and moving to a totally different domain name. Once it's up and running, we'll advise folks of our new email addresses and slowly let our current domain name fade away.

This has been a frustrating experience, but it's small potatoes considering everything else we have, and are, dealing with in our lives.

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

it's small potatoes

Well said and so true.

[tacit]

QUOTE(kimmer @ Sep 20 2011, 02:46 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hosting company:
Hostway
http://www.hostway.com/

Domain registrar:
DomainPeople
http://www.domainpeople.com/

I do NOT have a log-in or password for domainpeople, and that's where I bump into trouble. As far as I can tell, domainpeople is decent, and I'd leave the registration with them if I can ever get through this quagmire. We do want to move our hosting company as Hostway is expensive (they weren't originally), and no longer as reliable as they once were.

You do need information from the hosting company, but not from Hostway--from the NEW hosting company you choose.

Here's how it works:

Step 1: Choose a new hosting company. I personally use Hostgator.

Step 2: Set up a new hosting account with the new company. Tell them you have an existing domain. At this point, it is *not* necessary to worry about what the domain is, or to point the domain to the new hosting company. They will create the hosting account, which you can access either by its IP address or by a temporary domain they give you.

Step 3: Upload all your Web files to the new hosting account.

Step 4: Get the information about your name servers from your new hosting company. Most of the time, you can get this without talking to them. With Hostgator, for example, when you log in to your Web hosting control panel you will see the name servers listed in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

Step 5: Give this information to your domain registrar.

Step 6: Wait. It usually takes about 24 hours for name server changes to go through. I usually wait about 72 hours.

Step 7: Cancel the old hosting account.

Boom! You're done. You do not need to talk to your existing hosting account people, nor need any information or permission from them to make this happen.