Alias www.domain.com and domain.com

Need a creative suggestion

[stcrim]

We are consulting for a site that can only be reached by using www.domain.com - and not just domain.com. We advised our client they may be missing up to half or more of those people who just type in the domain name. (they have a very simple domain name)

The client's web developer runs thier own name servers but does not seem to be able to solve the problem (or won't)

I was wondering if there is something simple we could recommend like a .htaccess file.

All of our web sites are wild carded and can be reached no matter what you put infront of the domain.com

Any suggestions or experience with this problem?

-s-

[jdMorgan]

stcrim,

What happens when you type in domain.com? If you get an unresolved host name DNS error message*, then it's a DNS issue, and you need to add an 'A record' to the DNS zone file.

If the domain resolves, but reaches a different page on the server, then changing the server setup (httpd.conf) or (possibly) using .htaccess may solve the problem.

* Depending on what's happening with VeriSign, you may not get an unresolved host name DNS error message, you may get SiteFinder.

Jim

[stcrim]

jdMorgan

When you type in domain.com it's 404 page not found.

-s-

[jdMorgan]

s,

Well, if it's a genuine 404-Not Found from the correct server (sometimes it identifies itself in the 404 page info), then that means that DNS is resolving to the host, and that the problem can be fixed in httpd.conf, and (again, possibly) in .htaccess.

It is possible that there is no host "alias" set up for domain.com, or that there is one, but that it redirects to a different or non-existent subdirectory of the account.

Jim

[isorg]

The best way would seem to be at the DNS level i.e. add a wildcard, or www subdomain alias.

If they are consulting you, then your job is to make a recommendation. After that, it is up to them and that web developer to implement or not as they see fit.