User Guide

Userguide V5

What Domain Name Servers Do
Making a web site and email work is a three part process. There is the domain name itself registered in one of a few world wide registries, there are the servers that deliver web pages and emails, and there is the glue that associates the domain name with the proper servers. This glue is the Domain Name Servers. Here is an example of how a page like www.bnitricities.com gets delivered.

Your browser asks your Internet Provider for www.bnitricities.com
Your Internet Provider asks the ".com" registrar for the name server for bnitricities
Your name server looks up the machine address that matches "www" for bnitricities.com and delivers an IP address such as 64.71.24.114. It will also tell the world where to deliver email sent to bnitricities.com.
Connected to the internet at address 64.71.24.114 is a web server that figures out what to return to the browser.

So if the machine ever moves a different internet location the name server records need to be changed. Unfortunately, DNS server records are not user friendly and are full of techie concepts such as ANAME, CNAME, and MX records. (yeuch!)

Using HotDoodle Domain Name Servers

You can use any Domain Name Server with your HotDoodle site, but it will be easier for you if you use the HotDoodle name servers even if you bought the domain name somewhere else. Using the HotDoodle name server is easiest because we take care of setting those ANAME records and such to what is needed for your HotDoodle site and email operations. If you do not use our name servers then you have to enter these records yourself in the servers of the company that sold you the domain.

Using HotDoodle Nameservers

The HotDooodle nameservers are:

n1.hotdoodle.com
n2.hotdoodle.com

(There is no "n3.hotdoodle.com")

If you use the HotDoodle nameservers we take care of updating the information if it ever changes.

Using Other Nameservers

If you use other nameservers it is your responsibility for setting the "www.yourdomain.com" and "yourdomain.com" records to reference the "Your Site is Hosted on" IP address shown at the bottom of the Edit Domain screen.

Warning - Sites might be moved

A single machine cannot serve all HotDoodle sites and we may from time to time move your site from one server to another if a server has problems. While we use redundant hardware, the reality is that even with this machines do sometimes fail and the new machine must have a different address for various unavoidable reasons.

We will inform you should this ever happen, and we will inform you in advance if the outage is planned. It will be your responsibility to adjust your nameserver accordingly.

We also reserve the right to relocate sites if needed for performance or operational efficiency.

Using a Domain Purchased via HotDoodle with Another Service

Of course we hope you stay with HotDoodle, but if for any reason you decide to take your domain elsewhere we support your decision. (Unlike many services -- some even claim that the fine print says that they own your domain name, but that you can use it for a steep fee.)

Domains purchased from HotDoodle are supplied by OpenSRS, the largest whole seller of domains. You can go to their screens and set the domain to use the nameservers of your other service.

Getting to the Config Domains Screen

Domains are managed from the "Config Domains" screen.

If you are in the HotDoodle main site:

Go to the "My Stuff" page, find your site and
click Get Domain.

If you are within your site:

From the "Administration" tab on the toolbar, chose Configure Site.
then choose

Once in the Site Options screen,
click Config Domains

To Find your OpenSRS Username and Password

In the Config Domains screen find the domain and edit it.

In it you will find the OpenSRS username and password you first used.

Note: this screen also has a link for you to administer your HotDoodle nameservices. This is super-techie and is not recommended.

Administering Your Domain

To manage your domain, log in to https://manage.opensrs.net

Setting the Nameservers

Once logged into OpenSRS there will be a "Name Servers" tab. From here you can set the name servers to whatever is appropriate for the other service.

Transfering Your Domain

Domain transfer must be initiated by the service receiving the domain. To complete the transfer they will need an authorization code that can be found in the "Domain Extras" tab once logged into OpenSRS.