When you register a domain name you are normally given the choice of registering the name with the place where you purchased it or you need to provide them with the address of where your domain name will be registered. This sounds a little confusing so let's try this.
I use Namecheap for registering my domains, and IX hosting for my sites. I don't know for sure if the others work the same, but I suspect they do. So, the process I go through is:
1. Get domain name from Namecheap.
2. Go to my hosting company, IX, and set up my domain with my new domain name. During this process IX tells me which DNS servers I need to use. Normally, they will always start with "ns" and you should always have at least 2 DNS servers. So the names will be along the lines of ns1.ixhost.com and ns2.ixhost.com. Guess what the ns stands for?
You also are provided with the IPs for those servers. Not all registrars are the same. Yours might start with ns4 or ns6. The point here is to just familiarize you with the naming convention. Usually NS1 thru Ns9 will work.
3. Go back to Namecheap and click on Domain Name Server Setup. Follow the instructions to enter the 2 servers. If you don't do this you will not be able to get to your site using the domain name. This is one step many folks forget to do.
With Namecheap you always have the option of registering your domain names with them or you need to provide them with the correct addresses of the DNS servers you plan to use. I prefer to use my hosting company's DNS servers as opposed to where I purchased my domain name from.
Hopefully by now you should have a better understanding of domain names, IP addresses, and DNS and how they interrelate. The last section has some tips that you might find useful.
I use Namecheap for registering my domains, and IX hosting for my sites. I don't know for sure if the others work the same, but I suspect they do. So, the process I go through is:
1. Get domain name from Namecheap.
2. Go to my hosting company, IX, and set up my domain with my new domain name. During this process IX tells me which DNS servers I need to use. Normally, they will always start with "ns" and you should always have at least 2 DNS servers. So the names will be along the lines of ns1.ixhost.com and ns2.ixhost.com. Guess what the ns stands for?
You also are provided with the IPs for those servers. Not all registrars are the same. Yours might start with ns4 or ns6. The point here is to just familiarize you with the naming convention. Usually NS1 thru Ns9 will work.
3. Go back to Namecheap and click on Domain Name Server Setup. Follow the instructions to enter the 2 servers. If you don't do this you will not be able to get to your site using the domain name. This is one step many folks forget to do.
With Namecheap you always have the option of registering your domain names with them or you need to provide them with the correct addresses of the DNS servers you plan to use. I prefer to use my hosting company's DNS servers as opposed to where I purchased my domain name from.
Hopefully by now you should have a better understanding of domain names, IP addresses, and DNS and how they interrelate. The last section has some tips that you might find useful.
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ipwriter
Premium
Yea, you took a whole lot off my shoulders. This so practical. Wish the tutorials were more like this. Am actually looking up name.com and namecheap for my domain purchase after 1&1 had failed. I was looking to see if anyone has a testimonial on them. It's good to know you bought from namecheap. I guess, my concern is met. You get my gold for this, Fred. Thanks.
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