nameservers

[leffler]

If someone switches their website hosting to you, how long do you need to wait to set the new nameservers with your domain registration company? I guess most people know to wait before they cancel their old web hosting service. I just wasn't sure whether it usually took a few hours or a few days.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by leffler

If someone switches their website hosting to you, how long do you need to wait to set the new nameservers with your domain registration company? I guess most people know to wait before they cancel their old web hosting service. I just wasn't sure whether it usually took a few hours or a few days.

Nameservers should be updated once the migration of data is completed. Once the migration is completed, you can log onto your new server and check if all the data is being migrated and your websites are running fine from the new server. After checking this, you can update the nameservers of the domain names and once the nameservers get resolved from the new server, you can cancel the old hosting account.

[bastones]

In regards to changing name servers for domain names, it will usually take around 15 - 30 minutes for the name servers to propagate (definition: to spread and travel). This means when you set or change name servers for domain names, it may take a certain amount of time for ISPs around the world to refer to the new name servers instead of referring to the old ones in their cache (cache means "for storing or future use" - pronounced as "cash", it basically is a database of name servers so the ISP doesn't need to request the name server each and every time, so to speak).

That said, if it takes longer than 15 - 30 minutes, it may take a few hours for propagation. It is not rare to have to wait 24 to 72 hours for propagation to complete fully (or if you are specifically experiencing problems accessing your website via your ISP). Usually it takes 30 minutes, however .

Once you change the name servers, you may want to wait 30 - 60 minutes then try accessing your website. If others can access your website but you still cannot access your website, you may want to try resetting/restarting your router/modem for your Internet access as because you have accessed the site before the reason you still cannot access the website may be down to local cache on your side.

[GeorgieQ]

I had also wondered about the nameservers and switching web hosting companies issue. Thank you for explaining it all to us! It's good to learn something new and find out that "propulgating" is the actual word for when it's bouncing back and forth between the old and new web host servers.

[bastones]

Originally Posted by GeorgieQ

I had also wondered about the nameservers and switching web hosting companies issue. Thank you for explaining it all to us! It's good to learn something new and find out that "propulgating" is the actual word for when it's bouncing back and forth between the old and new web host servers.

No problem Georgie. A lot of terms like that derive from words that were used in different contexts before the Internet came along. If you look in a dictionary (or Google: define propagating) you will see the term means:

Breed specimens of (a plant, animal, etc.) by natural processes from the parent stock
- try propagating your own houseplants from cuttings

(of a plant, animal, etc.) Reproduce in such a way
- the plant propagates freely from stem cuttings

Cause (something) to increase in number or amount
- operational error includes those errors propagated during the digitizing process

Spread and promote (an idea, theory, knowledge, etc.) widely
- the French propagated the idea that the English were violent and gluttonous drunkards

And obviously, DNS propagation is where ISPs are referring to the new name servers for a particular domain name. Often the reason websites are inaccessible for a short period of time because of name server changes is due to ISPs (or local end-user) cache.