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General Overview / Records


Domains

Name of the website, i.e. www.theonlinepractice.com. A domain needs to be bought through register, i.e. Register, GoDaddy, Enom, Bluehost, etc.

Name Server

    • Servers that hold information for websites.
    • A domain name needs to be pointing at our NS to be live.


Name Server Change

This occurs when a client manages a domain registered in their personal account.  When a domain is entered into IIS for a name server change, an email is automatically sent out from our system with instructions for the client to follow. The goal is to change the name servers currently on the domain to the following:

*Always check the design ticket to confirm cloudflare nameservers

*If you talk to anyone about a nameserver change, open a ticket for the IT specialist for a ‘DNS Verification’ – if a client changes their servers and we do not verify it, it still may not be live*

Domain Name System

    • DNS “tells” the Domain (client's website) where the site is pointed

A Record

    • Used for domains for subdomains
    • Used for our mobile sites (mobile.domainname.com)
    • Record used to find the address of a computer connected to the internet from a name.
    • Mobile.domainname.com should be pointed to our IP address

Old Editor IP: 98.158.198.35
New Editor IP: 98.158.194.41

Records: Other Applications (E-Mail)

MX Records

  • Records that control how email is directed to a domain name (the nameservers for email)
  • Every E-Mail has MX Records
  • If records are not moved with a website from another company, all emails will be lost
  • Website to check records: http://www.mxtoolbox.com/supertools.aspx
  • Our MX Records: Priority 10 Host: mx.yourwebsitemail.com

Chain of Processes

Goal → Item That Needs Updating → Result

  • Dgdental.com → Nameservers → Live Website
  • [email protected] → MX records → Email with @domain.com
  • mobile.dgdental.com → A record → Mobile Website (old editor only/special use case)

domain records



Domains

Common Definitions

A-Records: These are used for domains and sub domains, and connect a domain to a specific IP address. An A-record must always point to an IP address, and if we change a client’s site to a different server, the A-records need to be updated as well.

IIS: The IIS is the part of our system that we use to monitor that status of a domain. This is also used to refer to the status of a domain in our system. For example, if the IIS is stopped, and everything else about the domain is configured correctly, the website will not come up when the domain is entered into a browser, and there will be a “This website is currently under construction…” message.

MX Records: These control how email is directed to a domain name. Every email provider has their own MX records and they must be entered to ensure that mail is delivered properly. We only need MX records from a client is they are moving their website to our services, but are going to continue to use a 3rd party email provider.

301 Redirect: A 301 redirect is used to direct traffic from one domain name to another. This would need to occur if a client is changing their primary domain; we would need to set up a redirect from the old domain to the new one.

Secondary Domain: This is a domain that is an additional domain that is pointed to a website, and is not the main domain that redirects are made to. This is an independent entity, but when it is entered into a browser, it will lead the visitor to the primary domain for the website. A second domain can also be used for marketing purposes, because of commonly misspelled words, and for multi-focused practices.

Name Servers: Domain records that allow a domain name to be pointed to a specific server. Our nameservers are: ns.rackspace.com, ns2.rackspace.com

Name-Server Change: This is a process the needs to occur if a domain is being managed by a client, but they have a website with us. In order to tell the domain that it should be showing the website that the client has with us, the nameservers need to be changed, to give it new direction.

EPP Code: An authorization key provided by a domain registrar when moving from one provider to another. The new registrar needs this code to begin a domain transfer.

Transaction ID & Security Code: these are codes that are provided to the client when they are moving away from one registrar to another. After the EPP code is plugged into the account that it was issued for, an email with a transaction ID and security code will be generated. These codes need to be entered by the new registrar, in order to officially accept the domain transfer.


Resources

TuCows: www. tucowsdomain.com

  • TuCows is a domain registrar. It can also be used to acquire information about current domain providers, including contact information. This site is also a good resource for learning about domains.

Whois: www.whois.com

  • An online search resource that can be used to find information about domains, including their location, registrar, their expiration date, and the nameservers that they are pointing to.

Who.is: www.who.is.com

  • A tool that is very similar to Whois, but it is formatted differently. Whois and Who.is can have different results, so it is important to check both if your findings appear to be wrong or confusing.

Whois History: www.domaintools.com/research /whois-history

  • This resource can be used to look into the history of a domain. Within this site, you will be able to see all of the different changes in location for a domain, the age of the domain, and the percentage of records published for the domain name.

GoDaddy: www.godaddy.com

  • This website, while mostly known as a location to purchase domains, is also a free and easy way to check on the availability of a domain.


Our Location

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Office Hours

All times in CST

Monday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Thursday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed