ns1.Example.com
ns2.Example.com
and his domain registrar complained about it with this message..
Failed to modify domain nameservers! Error: Example.org cannot be modified. Because ns1.Example.com is not registered in the registry for .org.
How does one register a .net nameserver to serve .org names..?
Thanks,
Sproket90
[edited by: Webwork at 10:24 pm (utc) on Mar. 16, 2006]
[edit reason] Charter [webmasterworld.com] [/edit]
Ask him if he had to enter IP addresses for the namservers. If so, that's the dead givaway that he was trying to register the nameservers.
He needs to SET his nameservers, not REGISTER them. Setting the namservers only requires the domain names of the nameservers - not their IP addresses.
In other words, he's trying to do this in the wrong place in the registrar's UI.
In MOST cases, there's no reason to register nameservers. If you aren't using your own domain servers, you don't need to do this, unless for some reason you want "vanity DNS".
I'm a bit surprised that he stumbled into this part of the UI, as many registrars actually make it rather difficult to find where you register a domain server...
At some registrars, these operations are found in completely different places in the UI. At others, the only difference between the two is whether you enter an IP address or leave the IP address field blank.
That said, there will be a (small) speed penalty for using a .com nameserver for a .org domain. An extra DNS lookup will be required. dnsreport.com, BTW, will note the lack of "glue records" for the nameservers. It's impossible for the parent to serve glue records, because the nameservers are in a different registry.
He can get around this by registering "vanity DNS servers" for his domain. (A .com can use .net domain servers with no penalty, or vice-versa. As well, a .org can use a .us and vice-versa with no penalty. Why? .com and .net share a common registry. .us and .org share a different registry.
To set-up vanity DNS:
1. Add A records to his domain, pointing to your nameservers:
ns1 IN A 1.2.3.4
ns2 IN A 2.3.4.5
2. Register these nameservers, using the same procedure he tried to use the first time.
3. He also needs to alter his SOA record, to set ns1.example.org. (note the ending dot) as the "origin" for the domain.
His nameservers are now ns1.example.org and ns2.example.org, which actually point to your nameservers.
This kills two birds with one stone.
Many experts recommend .com nameservers for a .com domain as it will save some time.
A .net will work just as well. Or vice-versa.
The real issue is whether or not glue records are served by the parent DNS server. Glue records are served if the DNS server's domain is registered in the same registry as the name being looked-up.
If they are in the same registry, you get glue records. (i.e. the parent DNS server is able to serve the IP address of the domain's DNS server, instead of just the name.) If they are not, you don't. In the latter case, an additional DNS lookup is required to resolve the domain.
The most common mistake I see in this regard are .org names that have a .com DNS server. Even one of the most popular geek news sites has made this mistake. .us domains will typically have this same problem as well, of course.
.com and .net use the same registry. .us and .org use the same registry. .com and .org don't use the same registry.
And, needless to say, if you have some odd-ball TLD, you've really got two potential DNS problems:
1. The DNS servers you get for free from the registrar may or may not be in a good geographic position for your audience. Users might see quite a noticible delay upon first access to your site.
2. If you do use a third-party or your web host's DNS, you almost certainly should set up "vanity DNS" so that you will have glue records.
dnsreport.com is a great resource for testing DNS configuration. It does have it's limitations - for example, it is located in Texas, so it's timing values are really only representative of what a user in Texas might experience. (And at a given data center, for that matter.) I'd love to see that site cloned in various locations. :)
Make sure your DNS is optimally configured, and you have a leg up. Research in increasingly showing how important the first few milliseconds of a user's experience are. You don't want that time to be spent staring at a blank window. :( I'd guess that up to 50% of all web sites do not have their DNS optimally configured.
DNS is a murky area largely ignored by most webmasters. It works "well enough" when either misconfigured or non-optimally configured and most leave well-enough alone.
