Every time you visit a website you typically use a domain name along with other information in the URL. On the web, just like the rest of the internet, every connection is IP based and so this domain name must be “looked up” and converted to the appropriate “address”, the IP address. You may not know it, but every time you visit a website the first step is to contact a DNS server and “resolve” the current address before anything is sent. Of course this process has to be extremely fast, and so there are many more than just one place to get this information. DNS was built prepared for this need, and what it does is allow for this information to be spread around to countless computers around the world, each of which keeping it’s own list of domain-name to IP address conversions, and your own computer or networking equipment may even be keeping a short list of everything you have requested recently to avoid repeated lookups.
DNS is a crucial and somewhat complicated part of any website, without the correct configuration any range of problems could and often do occur.
Security
Security plays a part in every single account you create, and since your domain name and DNS records are the first thing every visitor needs this is one of the most crucial pieces you need to protect.
Registrars
The registrar you pick can make a big difference, each has a completely different interface for making changes, different policied, varied pricing, and feature-lists are never the same from one to another. We use 1and1.com because they offer rock-bottom pricing, reliable service, good customer support response time, and don’t make unusual changes to the interface. As an AllStruck customer you never need to touch a registrar interface again, we completely manage this process for you in order to guarantee reliable and speedy service. Working with any registrar is possible, when we do so all we ask is for the understanding that we are not in control over outside services and cannot offer the same guarantees on reliability, security, or response times.
Hosting Providers
In many cases your domain name registrar and hosting provider are either not the same organization, or often do not have an intuitive and merged system for managing domain names in conjunction with a web server. What’s more is that DNS settings must be properly configured for both.
Just like with registrars, hosting providers also have widely varying interfaces for making changes to DNS settings, one most chose a hosting provider knowing this and must use the correct procedures depending on this choice.
Transferring
Transferring a domain from one registrar to another can be tedious and complicated there are many regulations which can limit this action and it often can take more than one full week to complete. In order to transfer a domain it must be unlocked for transfer and can not be newly purchased or transferred within the last 60 days. If you need to complete a transfer for one or more domains be sure not to operate blindly, speak directly with a qualified support representative from both registrars and if possible join them in a conference call to ensure a smooth process on both ends of the deal.
