DNS Evaluation with intoDNS

Part of managing a server or even a single website is making sure the DNS is sound and in compliance with established networking and Internet standards. While you can evaluate each of your DNS entries manually, there are many services out there that make evaluation very easy.

One such service is called intoDNS, which is currently still listed as beta, but it functions very well. To use it, simply visit intodns.com and type your full domain name (excluding the “www”). Then, click “Report”. It will then scan your domain and report on a number of important issues: Domain Nameserver records, TLD parent check, CNAMEs, etc.

When your domain passes one of the tests, the service will give you a green circle with a check next to it. When there is an area of concern, you will receive a blue circle with an “i” in it. When you have an error, it will give you a red circle with an exclamation mark. All of the information is displayed in basic HTML so that you can easily print or save it.

Micro-blogging on your own domain with StatusNet

Twitter has become very popular in a short amount of time. With it, users can post short updates about what they are currently doing, working on, thinking, or viewing/accessing. For businesses, it is a good way to communicate with others who might not be in the same office or even the same city or country. The downside to this is that Twitter is used by so many others for other purposes, and users are often inundated with requests.

Running a micro-blogging server of your own might be very appealing, particularly if you only need it for a company’s business and do not want outsiders to view it. While hosted solutions like Twitter offer privacy options, you would still be trusting your security to a third party. StatusNet is a free micro messaging platform that powers the also popular Identi.ca.

You can host it on your own domain, share files, create groups, add plug-ins and applications, and access it via both desktop computers and mobile devices. It is a PHP application that stores data in MySQL databases. StatusNet is free software released under the GNU AGPL and is available for download directly from the project’s website.

Whois searching from the Linux command line

There are many web-based Whois search tools and even some desktop ones available for free use, but with the “whois” command on your Linux server, you can use it to perform more complex tasks and even automate the process. For example, you can type:

whois internetblog.org.uk

It will return the registrar, registration status, the date it was registered, renewal date, name servers, address of the registrant, and other important information. Now, if you wanted to automatically send that information to a file, enter:

whois internetblog.org.uk > whois-list

Now, you can continue adding to that list:

whois anydomain.tld >> whois-list

This will append the whois information from the second domain under the information from the first. You can use any Linux/Unix command that can be used to manipulate output to customize the results of your Whois search. For more information about “whois”, type: “man whois” from the command line.

Photo by http://www.anna-OM-line.com

InternetBlog: Best of 2009

This year has been a big one for both the domain and web hosting industries. Significant growth has been seen in the ccTLD market while more prominent TLDs continue to sell for record-high prices. A recession has brought more entrepreneurs and investment online, spurring heavy growth in the hosting and data center realm.

Here are some of the more memorable stories of 2009:
Read More >>

How to create subdomains in cPanel

A subdomain is an nice way to make a sub-section of your website stand out. For example, if your domain is “garbleygook.com”, and you want the “store” to be noticeable, you could create a subdomain called “store.garbleygook.com”. Creating subdomains in cPanel is much quicker and easier than trying to do it manually with Apache configuration files. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Login to your cPanel on your web server.
2. Scroll down to the “Domains” section.
3. Click “Subdomains”
4. Where it says “Subdomain”, enter the prefix you want before your domain name (i.e. “store”).
5. In the drop-down menu next to it, select your domain (i.e. garbleygook.com).
6. By default, cPanel will place the document root for the new subdomain under the document root for your default domain. If you want it called something else or stored somewhere else, modify that box, but be careful not to mix files unintentionally.
7. Click “Create”.

Once you have created your subdomain, you can modify the settings any time in the “Modify a Subdomain section”, simply by clicking on the document root path of the one you want to edit. It will take you to the file manager for that subdomain. Clicking “Manage redirection” will cause the subdomain to redirect to the URL of your choice.

What is a subdomain?

Question: What is a subdomain and why should I use one?

Answer: A subdomain is simply a word used as a prefix before a domain name. For example, if the domain is domain.com, a subdomain could be sub.domain.com. Typically, a subdomain would serve as an alternative to domain.com/sub, although if the user’s control panel permits, it could represent an entirely different user account.

There is really no particular reason why you should definitely use a subdomain. It is mostly a matter of preference; however, it might be useful to you if you have other users on your hosting account who need their own web space. Having their prefix before the domain helps give the appearance that they have their own website.

Subdomains are typically configured through DNS records and/or Apache rewrite scripts. Assuming your control panel handles their creation, you will never have to worry about either.

Photo Source: SXC

Third-party DNS Services

Typically, when you register your domain name, the system automatically points your domain to your registrar’s name servers. If the registrar will also act as your web host, you do not need to do anything else. Often times, however, users seek web hosting from companies other than their registrars. The web hosting provider instructs them to change their name server entires for their domain to point to their servers.

Once you are using your web host’s domain name servers, they control all of your DNS entries. They will either provide you with an interface to manipulate them or require you to request changes from them. A third option is to use a third-party DNS service. With such a service, the user retains full control of DNS, and the name servers point to the thirdy-party provider.

The benefit of such an arrangement are that it is easier for you to control which components of your domain are used by your web host and which are used by other providers, such as cloud computing email and productivity services. It is also easier to make changes to DNS entries. The drawbacks are that you have to put your trust in a third-party provider, and you will need a fair amount of knowledge about DNS to get your site working correctly.

Deutsche Kreditbank wins at WIPO

Deutsche Kreditbank has filed and won a dispute at the WIPO over the domain DKB.com. This is not surprising, however, considering the name’s owner never used the name, could not be reached, and did not respond to the filing.

The arbitrator, John Swinson, decided that the name was being used in bad faith and ordered it be transferred to the bank:

[I]t does not seem conceivable that the Respondent has legitimate plans to use the disputed domain name in the future when the name has been dormant for such an extended period of time and where (as the evidence suggests) the Respondent no longer exists.

Simply because the domain wasn’t being used and the owner could not be contacted, the arbitrator ruled it was being used in bad faith. In a true court of a law, a similar decision probably would have been made, but the idea that a registrant can lose a domain for failing to develop it is a scary one for domainers.

Photo | Flickr

I Parked My Domain. Now What?

Scenario 1: You registered a domain you have been wanting for a long time. You knew if you waited, someone else might snatch it. But you just do not have time to create a website right now. Scenario 2: You have a client who cannot make up his mind. You register a domain for him, design his website, and collect his money. Three months later, he abandons his website, but you still hold the domain.

There are many scenarios like this, all of which leave you with a parked domain and no website. You could just let it sit there, but there are a few things you can do.

Portal: There are many services that allow you to create a portal with certain keywords related to your domain. It is a way to provide a service to others while also making some revenue from your site.

Ads: Many parked domains out there are just ad machines. It is a favorite tactic of cybersquatters, but it does actually have legitimate purposes. While your domain is parked, you might as well make some money from it, but do not expect a windfall unless your domain is highly prized.

Temporary Site: Make something up. It could be a one page “coming soon” announcement, but at least you will have a website. And if you are working on “scenario 2″, you might make it a “for sale” page.

Using DNS Records: A, CNAME, and MX

Sometimes managing a domain involves more than simply pointing the nameserver entries to your new web host’s servers. You might also need custom DNS records. For example, if you use cloud services, such as Google’s e-mail and applications services, you will need to configure your DNS records. Three common record types you will see are A, CNAME, and MX.

An “A” record, as the name implies, is the primary record. “A” stands for address, and it is used to map hostnames to IP addresses. For example, yourdomain.com would be mapped to 55.555.555.555. That IP address is your site’s IP address, either a unique one or a shared one provided by your web hosting provider.

“CNAME” stands for canonical name. While a domain can only have one “A” record, it can have multiple “CNAME” records. Each one represents an alias. This is the one that is usually used by cloud services to map one or more of your subdomains to their services, while keeping your “A” record pointing to your host’s IP address.

“MX” stands for mail exchange record. Simply put, it identifies your mail server. Usually, you would list the IP addresses provided by your web host here, but if you are using external mail services, just follow the directions that your service gives you.