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What are DNS Services?
DNS Services are domain name server (a.k.a. DNS) services for domain names. DNS services are used to translate domain names into the IP addresses of the servers for those domains.
More simply, DNS services are like a phonebook for the internet: they are used to lookup an IP address for a domain name.
What do DNS Services cost?
See price list.
Why would I need DNS Services?
DNS Services are required for every domain on the internet. They must be obtained separately from Domain Name Registration if the:
Note: all Domain Name Registrars are required to provide the names of DNS servers for each domain, and to allow the domain owner to change the names of those DNS servers; however, the default DNS servers may not allow the domain owner to set the IP address for the domain (e.g. the domain may just be parked).
What does each DNS Service purchase include?
Each purchase includes the use of both a primary and a secondary name server for a single domain name. Each purchase comes with a DNS Service account, which allows the domain name to be specified and MiniPortal to be loaded with the DNS Service account information.
Does each DNS Service purchase include a domain name?
No. You must purchase a domain name separately. Domain names can be purchased from a Domain Name Registrar or Reseller. You must be the owner of a domain name in order to use that domain name with DNS Services.
What do I need to use DNS Services?
MiniPortal, a Registered domain name, and the ability to set the name servers for that domain name are required to use DNS Services.
Can I use DNS Services with a static, or fixed IP?
Yes. DNS Services allow you to use a static IP.
Can I use DNS Services with a dynamic IP?
Yes. DNS Services allow you to use a dynamic IP. When used with MiniPortal, the IP is automatically updated in the DNS.
Note: dynamic IPs which change too quickly can not be used with DNS Services. If the MiniPortal Basic Access Test shows a different IP when run multiple times, then your IP is changing too quickly to use DNS Services.
Can I use DNS Services with a Router?
Yes. DNS Services allow you to use a router. When you setup your DNS Services Account, just specify how frequently you want your IP address to be updated with the 'Heartbeat' option.
Can I use DNS Services with a port other than 80?
Yes, but not transparently. For example, if you use DNS services with a domain named 'mydomain.com' on port 81, your domain would be accessed as 'http://mydomain.com:81'. There are a number of 3rd party 'port redirection' services available that will redirect access from one domain (on port 80) to another domain (on a port other than 80). These can be used for more transparent URL access to your domain(s) on MiniPortal.
What domain names does DNS Services support?
DNS Services supports domains from the '.com', '.net', and '.org' gTLDs (global top-level domains). It does not support subdomain names (e.g. first.last.name).
How many domains does DNS Services support?
DNS Services with MiniPortal versions greater than 1.3.0 supports up to 64 domains. Older MiniPortal versions support a single domain.
Once I add a domain name to DNS Services, can I later change it?
No. A domain name can not be changed once it is added to DNS services.
How do get a trial account for DNS Services?
When you download a Trial copy of MiniPortal and signup for a free subdomain name, a trial account for DNS Services is created.
Your subdomain name and MiniPortal are configured as part of the signup, so no additional DNS Services setup is necessary. Also, since no name server changes are needed, your subdomain is ready to use within minutes.
What can I do with the trial account for DNS Services?
The trial account can be used to create a subdomain name, and to get DNS support for that subdomain in the same way that a 'full' domain name would. Static and dynamic IPs can be used, and routers are also supported.
A trial account is a great way to check that DNS Services will work with your internet connection, router, firewalls, network configuration, and other hardware and software on your system.
How do I setup my domain name to use DNS Services?
You need to access the site where you Registered your domain, and set the name servers for your domain to:
Most Domain Name Registrars have a web browser interface to allow you to do this.
Important: even if it appears that the name servers have been changed, it can take 24-72 hours for name server changes to take effect across all of the DNS systems on the internet. Until this occurs, not all users will be able to access your web site.
How do I setup DNS Services?
DNS Services are setup by accessing your InstantServers DNS Services Account from the machine running MiniPortal. Use the link given on your sales receipt or use the MiniPortal Administrator (select the InstantServers->Account folder) to do this. Once you are logged in to your InstantServers Account, use the DNS Services menus to setup your domain, change Account information, and configure MiniPortal with DNS Services information.
Important: although DNS Services account information can be viewed from a web browser from any system, it is necessary to use the machine running MiniPortal when making DNS Services changes so that the MiniPortal configuration can be updated.
How do domain names, name servers, and IP addresses work?
When a user accesses a web site using a domain name, the domain name must be converted to an internet (IP) address in order to locate the machine hosting the web site on the internet. This is known as IP address resolution. IP address resolution in its simplest form has 2 steps:
Every domain name has two or more name servers assigned to it. The internet names of the name servers are chosen using the service which was used to Register the domain name. That service may or may not actually provide the name servers, but it will always allow them to be defined.
Once the name servers are found, they in turn are used to lookup the actual IP address for the machine hosting the domain name (DNS Services uses special name servers to support both static and dynamic IP addresses).
Once the IP address is known, the machine using that IP address can be contacted and the web site accessed.
What is the difference between Static and Dynamic IP addresses?
Static IP addresses do not change, but are fixed for the life of an internet service contract. Static IP addresses are typically found on high-volume commercial internet connections.
Dynamic IP addresses, however, change over time. Dynamic IP addresses are found on dial-up modems and many lower cost broadband connections.
How are static and dynamic DNS services different?
Static DNS and dynamic DNS services differ in that static DNS services only allow infrequent IP updates, which are typically done manually, while dynamic DNS services allow frequent IP updates, which are typically done by a program.
Static DNS services may also be very slow in showing updated IP addresses on the internet; it is not uncommon for static IP address changes to take 24-72 hours to take effect. Changes made on dynamic DNS services typically show up within a few minutes.
I can not access my domain after setting up DNS Services. What should I do?
Access the site where you Registered the domain, and check that the name servers for your domain are set correctly. The correct values are:
Note that it can take 24-72 hours for name server changes to become available across the internet.
I can not access my domain after setting up DNS Services and the name servers for my domain as above, and waiting over 72 hours. What else should I do?
On the machine running MiniPortal:
Verify that 'IP Updater' is running:
Verify that MiniPortal has DNS Service account data:
Verify that MiniPortal has DNS Service settings:
Note: if you have more than one domain, repeat Step 2 for each domain.
I can not access my domain after verifying IP Updater, DNS Service account data and DNS Service settings. What else should I do?
Verify that your domain name is configured in the MiniPortal web server.
I can not access my domain after verifying that the domain name is configured. What else should I do?
Run the MiniPortal Basic Access Test
Note: this link will prompt you for the domain name to check: https://instantservers.com/ur_perl/bat.pl?domain=1
I can not access my domain after running the Basic Access Test. What else should I do?
Verify that a firewall is not blocking access to the web server:
Check any operating system firewall:
Check any external firewall software or hardware:
I can not access my domain after checking firewalls. What else should I do?
Check the IP Updater log file:
I can not access my domain after verifying the IP Updater log. What else should I do?
Nearly all problems with DNS services are due to one of the following:
If you are still having problems, please contact Technical Support.