What does it mean to ‘change the DNS’?

DNS stands for Domain Name Server. It is part of the technology that makes it possible for people to find your website when they type it into their browser or click on a link.

Without getting into a lot of technical jargon, the DNS is what points your domain name to the server where your website is located. If you change servers you must change the DNS so people can find your new site.

Changing your DNS is done through your domain registrar, the company you purchased your domain through in the beginning (and where you go to renew your domain name every year or so).

We have found that the most difficult part of this operation is finding your login information and where you are registered.

The latter can be determined by conducting a Whois Lookup. The Whois indicates who owns the domain (although this can be hidden) and where it is registered. It can be performed at any registrar and there is no charge. We use sibername.com:  (http://www.sibername.com/en/whois.php)

Finding your login information is another matter altogether. It is often the case that the person who registered the domain for your business or organization has moved on. Make a point to get this information at the beginning and save it in an appropriate location. There can be all kinds of complications trying to find it by other means. It you are having a problem we will try to help in any way we can.

Once you have logged into your domain name account it should be straightforward. Although every company presents the function a little differently, it should be easy to figure out as it is such a fundamental aspect of your domain name service.

The DNS usually looks something like this:
ns1.bridgelin.com
ns2.bridgelin.com

Simply change the information to the DNS you have been provided by your web developer and click save. Of course your new site should already be setup on the new server.

You should be aware that the change is not instantaneous and can take from 4 to 24 hours to propagate through the Internet. So keep that in mind when you plan to go live with your new site, especially if you are planning a launch. You want to give yourself enough time to make sure the DNS change has propagated – ideally a few days to a week in advance of your big event.

If you have any questions or need help sorting this out we'd be happy to help.


Dr Bridgelin Geek, Nerdologist