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What is DNS and how does it effect my Website?
Domain Name System (DNS), is a system that associates domain names (website names such as www.hostboy.net) with IP addresses a series of numbers that is the physical location of the web servers. Using DNS simplifies movement along the Internet by letting you use names instead of numbers.
Consider DNS as analogous to a phone directory, where the IP address is the phone number and the domain name is the name. Just as we use phone books to associate names with phone numbers, the Internet uses DNS to link website names with their IP addresses. The process works somewhat like this:
- When someone types enters a domain name (i.e. www.yourdomain.com) in their browser and presses enter, their request goes to their ISP's name server. This is similar to someone dialing Directory Assistance to ask for someone's phone number.
- Their ISP's name server contacts the Root Servers, a central location where name server information is stored, and gets the authoritative name server information for your domain. This step is like finding the area code of the phone number you are trying to get. NOTE: ISP's will store this information and regularly update (refresh) it from the root servers, so this step does not take place each time a visitor enters your domain name. The frequency of this update varies; larger ISPs do it a couple times a day, others every two or three days.
- Next, the ISP's name server contacts the authoritative name server (your web hosting server) for the IP address of your domain name. Think of this as Directory Assistance looking up the phone number once the correct area code has been determined.
- Once the correct IP address is obtained, the ISP's name server connects its browser with your website, much like the where the Directory Assistance operator connects you to the phone number you requested.
The only way to change the information on the Root Servers, and thus where visitors are directed when they enter your domain name in their browser, is by contacting your registrar and having them modify the name server information listed for your domain. Our Easy Transfer Wizard provides step-by-step instructions on how to do this. Returning to the Directory Assistance analogy, this is like contacting the phone company to tell them you've moved.
Why does the process of changing to the Hostboy name servers take so long?
It will usually take the registrar a day or two to update their records and begin pointing people to the ValueWeb name servers.
What are the DNS for Hostboy.net?
NS0.hostboy.net and NS1.hostboy.net
After making this change, they then update the record in a central file (the root servers), which is shared by all registrars. Depending upon how often they 'refresh' their name server database from the root servers, there may be some delay before an ISP can 'see' the update.
Another important note to remember when making changes to your site's files, some ISPs (especially 'content providers' like AOL) actually have a server that caches (saves) whole websites so that it can recall them rather than taking the time to seek out the site and download it. This can save users valuable download time but often doesn't allow them to see recent updates to the website. If you're using a similar Internet provider, you won't be able to view your changes until they refresh their files - usually every 24 hours.
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