Managing & Changing DNS

What is DNS?

DNS stands for Domain Name Service. It is a service provided by a company (such as GoDaddy, Network Solutions, etc.) that controls where a unique domain name points to. On the day of launch, the current settings will be changed to point your domain name at your new Rayos Platform site.

How are changes to DNS handled in order to launch my site?

You have two options for managing the DNS changes required to successfully launch a site: You can manage the change yourself or we can do that for you. If you would like to manage it yourself, we recommend that you read the checklist at the bottom of this document and confirm that you have access to the proper interfaces to make the change. You should be prepared to edit the A record, edit existing CNAME records, and create new CNAME records.

If you would like the Rayos Platform Team to manage the change, you will need to provide the credentials for whatever service has control of your DNS, which is usually your domain registrar (where you bought your domain name).

In both cases, you will need to make sure you have access to the email that gets administrative notifications for your DNS. Several other setups will require that we send notifications to that email to get authorization.

Note: If you choose to manage your own DNS changes, the Rayos Platform Team will not be able to guarantee that the DNS changes will be made on the day of launch. We can only assist if you run into problems or have questions.

FAQs

What is my domain registrar?

Your registrar is the company that manages your DNS, and usually provides a self service interface for you to make changes to the DNS yourself.  Most likely, it is the same company you used to purchase your domain. Common registrars include GoDaddy, Network Solutions, Namecheap and 1and1.

Note: Your current registrar will continue to be your registrar after launch. The Rayos Platform does not provide DNS services or name servers.

What is a name server?

A name server is the actual hardware where the transaction happens each time a user requests your domain to load on their computer. In most cases, the registrar will use its own name servers. However, in some cases, a web host (the company that hosts your website) may set it up so that the registrar points to their name servers to manage that transaction. In this case, your DNS is actually managed by the company that controls the name server.

If you have that set up currently, you will have two options:

1. Continue to let that company manage your name server transactions (you will need to confirm that they will allow this) and either get access to their interface or make arrangements with them to manage all necessary changes.

2. Change the name server back to a registrar under your control. This can be done with your registrar company. You can change the name servers to use the default name servers that the company provides.

Note: This process can take a few days up to several weeks depending on the companies involved. It is best to make this change as soon as possible.

If you are doing a nameserver transition as part of your launch, it must be done at least 4 business days before launch. We will be happy to assist communicating with your current name server host about the change if needed.

What if I don’t know who controls my DNS?

If requested, your Rayos project manager will look up information for the Domain Name Service (DNS) that you use. However,  it is not always possible to tell where you actually manage your domain settings. If you have either forgotten who your provider is or are having problems with the current provider, we can help you facilitate a name server change to the registrar, so that we have the ability to  make changes on the day of launch. Ideally we will do this early in the implementation process in order not to interfere with a launch date.

What if I don’t remember the username and password for the interface that manages my DNS?

You can contact the support team at your DNS provider (phone and email options should be available on the company website) to retrieve your log-in credentials.

What if the company does not have a self-service control panel for my DNS?

Not every DNS provides a control panel for its users to update DNS records themselves. In these cases, you will need to contact your DNS provider’s support team to request changes in your DNS. We will provide you with the necessary information in order for them to make that change. It is important to carefully coordinate the DNS change with your project manager as there are technical tasks we must complete in order for the DNS change to take effect.

What is an A Record?

The A record is the file on the name server that controls what your visitors will see when they type in your domain name. Each domain name (i.e. www.mywebsite.com) is associated with an IP address, which is a series of four numbers separated by periods. An example IP address is 172.34.98.100.

The A record associates the domain name with that IP address.  Because it is cumbersome for human beings to remember a series of numbers rather than a website URL like publisherhub.com, the DNS serves to translate human-friendly domain names with computer friendly IP addresses.

What is a CNAME?

A CNAME is a type of resource record in the DNS used for a domain name is an alias for another domain. CNAMES are used to set up a CDN (see below) to allow site assets to be downloaded from different locations.

What is a CDN?

A content delivery network (CDN) is a system of servers that deliver web pages to a user based on the user’s geographic locations, the origin of the page and the content delivery server. Using a CDN improves the speed of websites with high traffic and websites that have a widespread audience. CDNs also provide protection from large surges in traffic.

How long does it take for my site to launch?

There is a setting in your DNS called the Time To Live (TTL) that indicates how often the company refreshes its data for public access. TTL is displayed in seconds, so a TTL of 600 would equal 10 minutes, which is ideal. Your project manager can let you know the TTL for your domain and can also arrange for a shorter TTL provided your DNS service has a console and we have the log-in credentials. If your DNS does not have a console, you can probably request a shorter TTL through your DNS support portal if the current TTL is quite long.

Will TownNews take care of my email after the site launches?

No, the Rayos Platform does not include email hosting. You will need to continue to host your email with your current provider or change to another service as part of launch. If we are administering your DNS changes, we will review your MX Record in your DNS settings to see who is hosting your email. If it is your current provider, we will flag this to you. You will then need to work with your DNS provider to set up email with them, if they provide that service. If they do not, they can direct you to a third-party service.

Can I cancel the hosting for my old site? What if I want to keep it up for a while?

You can cancel the hosting of your old site as soon as you launch the new site hosted on the Rayos Platform’s servers. If you wish to have access to the content and files on your old site, you should not cancel the hosting. You can create a subdomain in your DNS (such as oldsite.domainname.com) that you can point to the old IP address, or access that site via the IP address. As long as you continue to keep these files hosted with your old hosting provider, you will be able to access the content in a recognizable format provided you also continue to license the content management system through which you access the files.

 

 

DNS Checklist

1. Do you know who manages your DNS?

2. Do you have access to a self-service interface for your DNS?

3. Do you know what administrative email is associated with your domain name?

4. If you are updating the DNS yourself, are you comfortable editing the A record and editing and adding CNAME records?

5. Do you know where you email is hosted? Will you need to move your email services to a new provider after your new site launches?