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Domain DNS

This page discusses HotDoodle supplied Domain Name Servers (DNS) and how to set them.

Manage and Administer the Domain

There are two parts to administering domains:

Administering the domain itself including its whois information and the name servers the domain uses.
Administering the Domain Name Server (DNS) records on that name server.

Both parts start with information from that domain's configuration form, use either of the below processes to get there.

Get to the Config Domains Screen

1. Log in at www.HotDoodle.com.

2. Click on the "My Stuff" page on the navigation bar.

3. Click on the "Get Domain" link to the right of the website name.

Steps: Get to the Config Domains Screen From the Website

1. From the HotDoodle Toolbar, click on the "Administration" tab.

2. Click on the "Configure Site" button.

3. Click on the "Site Publication" button on the Site Preferences Menu screen.

4. Under the Site Manipulation heading, click on the "Config Domains" link.

Administer the Domain Name Server (DNS) records

Once the domain is associated with a name server, there are DNS records on that name server that need to be administered.

What Domain Name Servers Do

Making a website and email work involves three components:

The domain name registered in one of a few world wide registries
The servers that deliver web pages and emails
The glue that associates the domain name with the proper servers. This glue is the Domain Name Servers.

Here is an example of how a page like www.bnitricities.com gets delivered.

When the web address is typed, the browser asks the Internet Provider for www.bnitricities.com.
The Internet Provider asks the ".com" registrar for the name server for bnitricities.
The name server looks up the machine address that matches "www" for bnitricities.com and delivers an IP address like 64.71.24.114.
Connected to the internet at address 64.71.24.114 is a web server that figures out which website to return to the browser.
If the request is to deliver email, the search is for the domains "MX" (mail exchange) address, which could be on the smae host as the web site or somewhere entirely different.

So, if the machine ever moves to a different internet location the name server records need to be changed. Unfortunately, DNS server records are not user friendly and are full of technical concepts such as ANAME, CNAME, and MX records. When using a HotDoodle nameserver, Hotdoodle will automatically take care of these records and will update them if ever necessary due to website relocations.

Opening the DNS records

In the domain's configuration screen discussed above is the link that will open the DNS records for editing.

When the manage DNS link is clicked, a new window opens in which the DNS records can be edited. Any changes are published by HotDoodle within 15 minutes, but it can take half a day or more before others notice the change.