DNS Services

DNS Services provide reliable domain name server (DNS) service for Registered domain names^1,2,3 used with static or dynamic IPs.

DNS Services are designed for:

• Domain names registered with a Domain Name Registrar (or Reseller) that does not support DNS, or
• Domain names registered with a Domain Name Registrar (or Reseller) that does not allow you to assign an IP, or
• Internet connections that use a dynamic IP address

Registrars that do not support DNS

Some Domain Name Registrars, particularly lower cost ones, register domain names, but do not have DNS support for them. In other words, the IP addresses of the 'Name Servers' for the domain can be set, but the Name Servers themselves are not supplied and the IP address of the domain can not be set.

A number of web hosting services also register domain names, but do not provide DNS support unless those domains are hosted with that web hosting service.

Registrars that do not allow an arbitrary IP to be set

Some Domain Name Registrars, particularly lower cost ones, register domain names and support DNS, but do not allow the IP address to be set unless a website is also hosted. In other words, the IP addresses of the 'Name Servers' for the domain can be set, but the IP address can not be set using the default name servers..

Internet Connections with a Dynamic IP Address

Many internet connections, particularly lower cost ones, do not have a static (or fixed) IP addresses. The IP is instead, dynamic: that is, it may be changed by the ISP from time to time. So even if there is DNS support for domain names, it will not work as soon as the internet connection's IP address changes.

The Solution: InstantServers' DNS Services

InstantServers DNS Services solves these problems by providing reliable and easy-to-use DNS support for domain names used with MiniPortal. DNS services work with both static and dynamic IP addresses. Routers are also supported by a 'heartbeat' function, which keeps domain names synchronized with a changing IP address.

DNS Services are priced on a 'per-domain' basis, and each purchase includes a DNS Services account. The DNS Services Account is used to setup DNS support for a domain name, and load the DNS account information into MiniPortal. DNS Services configuration is done using MiniPortal Administrator (more info).

Note 1: You must own a Registered domain name to use DNS Services. DNS Services do not include the purchase (Registration) of a domain name.

Note 2: The DNS Service supports domain names from the '.com', '.net', and .org' gTLDs (global top-level domains). It does not support subdomain names (e.g. first.last.name).

Note 3: DNS Services for MiniPortal versions greater than 1.3.0 now support multiple domains.