Nameserver questions
From Novara Support Knowledgebase
What is a nameserver?
If you registered your domain name to leave it inactive you will not need to know what a nameserver is. However if you want to use your domain name for your website or email certain things must happen. Every domain name must reside on a host computer. This computer is called a Domain Name Server (DNS). Domain Name Servers are connected to the internet and use special software to translate domain names into the numerical addresses (Internet Protocol numbers) used by the Internet. When internet users enter your domain name into their browser bar, the Domain Name Server directs them to your web site. Without it, your domain name is invisible on the Internet. The nameserver operates on the basis of entries called zone files.
What are zone files.
Zone files contain the information needed to resolve domain names to Internet Protocol (IP) numbers. A typical zone file contains entries for;
1. What computer the website is on and how to get there.
2. Where emails for that domain name are to be delivered (the MX record) If any of these entries are incorrect you will experience problems with your service.
What does it mean to "Be Authoritative" for a domain?
If a hosting company is providing the records (zone files) for a domain they are "authoritative". A hosting company is made authoritative by their nameservers being specified in the Whois for the domain. If you specify our nameservers ns1.novara.ie, ns2.novara.ie and ns3.novara.ie for your domain name then we are authoritative for your domain. For further details see the entry on Authoritative and Recursive Nameservers.
Why do Register.ie/Host.ie insist on being authoritative for domains which they provide hosting for?
It all about being responsible to you, the customer, for the provision of a reliable service and needing the control to ensure this. If Register.ie/Host.ie are providing service to you it is understandable that you expect things to go smoothly. We do our best to ensure this by making sure that the entries in your zones files on our nameservers are correct and up to date so that people looking for your website are sent to the right place and people sending you emails are sent to the right place.
However sometimes customers make another company authoritative for their domain, for example if they registered the domain name with another provider and still use the nameservers of that provider. In this situation we would supply the information concerning the correct location for your website and email to this other company. However we have no control over ensuring that these are correctly entered in the record for your domain as this is controlled by the other company. If entries are not correct at all times you will experience problems with seeing your site and the delivery of email. What typically happens next is that the other company blame us for your site not being found and if upon investigation we find that we are not at fault we blame them! You, the client, end up caught in the middle. This is clearly unacceptable situation. This is why we insist that all clients using our services make us authoritative for their domain name, it gives you one point of contact.
Does making Register.ie/Host.ie authoritative for my domain name mean that I have to transfer my domain name to you?
No, although this is preferable, you can make us authoritative by simply entering our nameservers as authoritative for your domain name. This is done easily, using your control panel enter ns1.novara.ie, ns2.novara.ie and ns3.novara.ie as your nameservers and then send an email to support@host.ie to tell us 1. your domain name and 2. that you have made our nameservers authoritative for the domain.
I want to use different name servers from those supplied by Register.ie.
Simply log into the NCM and make the necessary changes.
What is the disadvantage of using my own nameservers?
If your hosting company do not ensure that the zone files are setup correctly for the domain name, the domain is added to the stalled list and the IEDR continue to check the zone files for two weeks. During this time the IEDR will not change the whois information for the domain until they are satisfied that the new name servers specified are properly configured. If the zone files are not setup in that period, the IEDR remove the domain from the stalled list and the application will not be completed.
I've changed my nameservers to those of my own hosting company, why is my domain still on the stalled list?
The IEDR test the nameservers supplied by yourself every evening to find out if they are configured for the domain or not. If your domain is on the stalled list the zone files are not correctly configured and the test fails and the IEDR do not change the WHOIS to the new nameservers because the new nameservers do not have the requisite zone files for the domain.
Please contact your hosting company to ensure that they set up the zone file details for this domain as quickly as possible. Please note that the IEDR will shortly stop testing the zones and remove your domain from testing on the stalled list. For further information please ring the Irish Domain Registry on 01 2300797, press 2 and ask to speak to the hostmaster.
What happens if I am using my own nameservers and the domain fails to move off the Stalled list within the specified period?
Once you have ensured that the problem which caused the domain to fail to move off the stalled list in the first place has been remedied(usually an error in the setting up of the zone files by your hosting company) please contact the Irish Domain Registry on 01 230 0797 (00 353 1 230 0797 from outside Ireland) and ask them to put your domain on the stalled list again.
Do I have to pay for nameserver changes?
Register.ie do not charge for the change of nameservers.
How Do I Repoint My Domain Name?
To repoint your domain using a change of nameservers(ie change the nameservers) we need the two new nameservers in the following format;
ns1.example.com
ns2.example.com
Your hosting company will provide you with this information. Please ensure that they have set the zones up correctly before requesting the change.
