|
The 1 to 3 day
propagation period - Understanding what happens
during this time frame
In short, patience is a
virtue. When you register a new domain name or
change your DNS settings, these new settings must
propagate throughout the world's DNS servers. It
also means that every ISP (Internet Service
Provider) in the world must update their DNS
records to reflect these new changes which, in most
cases, is done automatically every 24 hours, but
not always however...
Where do the Root Name
Servers receive their information from?
The Root Name Servers will
query "domain registers" several times a day.
Domain Registers, being entities such as Network
Solutions, and the newer OPEN SRS based systems.
The Root Name Servers will gather this information
from the many registers now in existence (such as
our SpiritOfProgress.com), and update their master
records accordingly.
Your ISP (where you have
your internet acount) must access the Root Name
Servers and update their DNS records, which reside
on their 'local' DNS server. This process is fully
automated and most ISP's will check the Root Name
Servers for updates every 24 hours. Be aware
however, that some lame ISP's will delay this
process for as much as 2 to 4 days in some cases.
If that happens, it will no doubt cause additional
confusion, as everyone else will be reaching your
new account on our servers except you. This is
because your ISP has not updated their DNS records
and/or have not cleared their DNS cache, which
means they'll not have your new domain name details
or will be still pointing your domain name to your
old server. If it's a new domain name you've
registered, then you'll receive a blank "Site Not
Found Page."
The DNS propagation
process is not limited to ISP's!
Just when you thought you
had it all figured out! Unfortunately, there's
more. The Internet itself must update/clear its DNS
cache as well. When we say the Internet, we mean
the numerous intermediate "points of access" you're
routed through before reaching your final
destination. For the most part, these intermediate
points of access consist of "Internet Routers" and
"Internet Caching Engines." These, too, maintain
their own DNS cache which assists them in routing
traffic/resolving URL's to the correct destination
IP's. Don't worry though, as Internet routers are
usually faster at clearing their DNS cache than
ISP's are.
What to expect during
this 1 to 3 day propagation period
In most cases, the
propagation process will take approximately 48
hours to complete. The first thing that happens is
the "World Root Name Servers" will check all of the
various "Domain Registers" for updates. The rest of
it is up to the many ISP providers throughout the
world who should be updating their DNS records (at
least every 24 hours), but a number of them will
not.
Side effects that can
be expected during the propagation time
frame
It's perfectly normal for
strange things to happen within the propagation
period. While we could provide a full list of all
the anomalies that can occur during the DNS
propagation period, we'll stick to some of the most
common scenarios that most people
experience:
HELP! My friends can
reach my new site, but I'm still being directed to
the OLD ONE!
This is a classic case of
your friend's ISP (who did update their DNS
records), but yours unfortunately did not. As a
result, your ISP is still pointing your domain name
to the old DNS record, which is your old hosting
account. Wait another day or two and if it appears
that everyone but you can access your new account,
then contact your ISP and tell them to expire their
old DNS cache records.
WOW!
http://www.mydomain.com was taking me to my new
account just a minute ago, but when I try it now,
I'm being taken back to my old hosting account -
what's up with this?
In all likelihood, your
ISP may be in the process of clearing their DNS
cache, and or updating their local DNS server
records. During this small interval, it's normal to
fluctuate between the new and old web site, as the
old DNS records may not have completely expired
from their cache yet. Give it another several hours
and it should be fine.
HEY! My new site
comes up for me, but my friends are being directed
to my old one!
Break out the coffee and
donuts, and consider yourself lucky. Your ISP is on
the ball and updates DNS records/ clears DNS cache
in short regular intervals. Your friends may be
using an ISP which is not as fast and/or efficient
at doing so. The only remedy for this is time.
Eventually, the other ISP's DNS cache will expire
and be replaced with the updated DNS
records.
What's going on with
my email? When I try to access it, I receive a
"host does not exist" or a "cannot authenticate"
error message.
This can happen for a
number of reasons, but in most cases it's because
your new DNS records have not fully completed the
propagation process yet. Consequently, you may be
trying to access your old email account on your
"old server", which you may have already cancelled,
or it's in a state of DNS flux, which means it
points to the new server one moment, and the next,
points back to the old server. Give it some
more time and it will eventually settle down.
|
