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We created a new sub-domain (via A record) but it is not resolving for everyone. It's been working for me and some others for about a week, but others still cannot access the site. I don't think this is a propagation issue as we created the entry about a week ago. I've been able to ping and resolve the domain from various machines/networks/operating systems/ISP's, but some others cannot.

I've already had the people who cannot resolve the domain name flush their DNS, but with no effect. They can access the site directly via the IP but not the domain name.

This A record is pointing to a different server than the main domain. The registrar is Network Solutions, the host is Media Temple (dv).

Thanks in advance.

Edit: The domain is testing.nicpartnersinc.com. Also, the host is brand spankin' new and this is the first and only domain created on it.

Edit 2:

From location that can resolve domain

$ dig testing.nicpartners.com +trace

; <<>> DiG 9.4.3-P1 <<>> testing.nicpartners.com +trace
;; global options:  printcmd
.           355205  IN  NS  j.root-servers.net.
.           355205  IN  NS  g.root-servers.net.
.           355205  IN  NS  m.root-servers.net.
.           355205  IN  NS  c.root-servers.net.
.           355205  IN  NS  h.root-servers.net.
.           355205  IN  NS  i.root-servers.net.
.           355205  IN  NS  a.root-servers.net.
.           355205  IN  NS  k.root-servers.net.
.           355205  IN  NS  d.root-servers.net.
.           355205  IN  NS  e.root-servers.net.
.           355205  IN  NS  f.root-servers.net.
.           355205  IN  NS  l.root-servers.net.
.           355205  IN  NS  b.root-servers.net.
;; Received 488 bytes from 71.9.127.107#53(71.9.127.107) in 44 ms

com.            172800  IN  NS  B.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
com.            172800  IN  NS  F.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
com.            172800  IN  NS  A.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
com.            172800  IN  NS  I.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
com.            172800  IN  NS  K.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
com.            172800  IN  NS  L.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
com.            172800  IN  NS  J.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
com.            172800  IN  NS  H.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
com.            172800  IN  NS  M.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
com.            172800  IN  NS  D.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
com.            172800  IN  NS  G.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
com.            172800  IN  NS  C.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
com.            172800  IN  NS  E.GTLD-SERVERS.NET.
;; Received 501 bytes from 192.5.5.241#53(f.root-servers.net) in 45 ms

nicpartners.com.    172800  IN  NS  ns.compuone.com.
nicpartners.com.    172800  IN  NS  ns1.compuone.com.
nicpartners.com.    172800  IN  NS  ns2.compuone.com.
;; Received 151 bytes from 192.12.94.30#53(E.GTLD-SERVERS.NET) in 222 ms

nicpartners.com.    90000   IN  SOA ns.compuone.com. admin.compuone.com. 31 900 600 86400 3600
;; Received 110 bytes from 206.71.164.187#53(ns.compuone.com) in 35 ms
Justin Johnson
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  • Can you give the domain name so we can check the entry? – raphink Dec 21 '09 at 21:04
  • The location that can't resolve is a windows environment. I assume the equivalent is `tracert`? – Justin Johnson Dec 21 '09 at 21:48
  • The SOA record you got on the last part of "edit 2" dig means "NXDOMAIN" -- i.e, record isn't there. – Michael Graff Dec 21 '09 at 22:17
  • @Michael Sorry, should have specified. That is from a location that can resolve the domain. – Justin Johnson Dec 21 '09 at 22:19
  • Hate to burst your bubble, but no, it's not resolving it. The dig command you correctly used looks for a name called 'testing' inside 'nicpartners.com' -- and the SOA record at the end means 'it's not there' – Michael Graff Dec 21 '09 at 22:39
  • If it's not resolving, then how am I able to get to the site/ping the domain? I do not have the domain in my hosts file and I've flushed my own DNS cache multiple times. – Justin Johnson Dec 22 '09 at 00:09
  • Dig doesn't lie. What name servers are your clients (that work) using? Try a dig @ that host, such as "dig @1.2.3.4 ..." – Michael Graff Dec 22 '09 at 00:45
  • I didn't think dig was lying, that was an earnest question. Their nameservers are ns.compuone.com, ns1.compuone.com and ns2.compuone.com as shown by `dig nicpartners.com +trace` – Justin Johnson Dec 22 '09 at 02:02

4 Answers4

3

In DNS, propagation is based almost entirely on the serial number in the SOA record. If you don't change it, it will break. Some hosting companies let you make changes all over your domain, but then you have to click on a "publish" link of some sort to indicate that you are ready to commit those changes upon the world.

Also, by "subdomain" I assume you mean you are creating a record, not an actual subdomain. That is, you are adding an A record for testing within your domain, not a subdomain. The difference is only really important when you ask questions that DNS types like myself have to answer. A "subdomain" means NS records to delegate to another set of name servers. I am assuming you mean the misused term to mean "an A record."

For the people who can resolve the name, what do they see? The proper A record? If so, then I would think it is a propagation error; try seeing if you can bump up the serial number or add another record (foo?) and see if that also fails to propagate. If it does, well, call your DNS host.

Note that one of the three name servers serving your zone is down: ns1.compuone.com seems to not be up from where I am at least.

Michael Graff
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1

I just tested with dig and nicpartnersinc.com has only two name servers (which is not a lot), ns35.worldnic.com and ns36.worldnic.com.

Both reply authoritatively that testing.nicpartnersinc.com does exist, with IPv4 address 70.32.74.40.

So, it should work now.

bortzmeyer
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0

Need more info on the type of DNS setup: Bind? Control Panel? etc.

One thing that can happen with Bind: you modify some DNS information in a zone file but you forget to change the serial part of the SOA record for the zone. You save the file and reload Bind. But your DNS server won't notify slave servers in that case since the serial has not changed. You will get 2 servers serving different DNS information. The situation will stay the same until the slave server refreshes its info (based on the expire section of the SOA record).

qux
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@Justin -- Edit 1 and Edit 2 refer to two different domains. :-( Which domain are you having trouble with? The domain in Edit 1? Or the domain in Edit 2?

Assuming that the domain in Edit 1 is correct (nicpartnersinc.com), then the A record for testing.nicpartnersinc.com does exist ...

$ dig testing.nicpartnersinc.com a

; <<>> DiG 9.6.0-APPLE-P2 <<>> testing.nicpartnersinc.com a
;; global options: +cmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 52090
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 2, ADDITIONAL: 2

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;testing.nicpartnersinc.com.    IN      A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
testing.nicpartnersinc.com. 6892 IN     A       70.32.74.40

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
nicpartnersinc.com.     172492  IN      NS      ns36.worldnic.com.
nicpartnersinc.com.     172492  IN      NS      ns35.worldnic.com.

;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
ns35.worldnic.com.      106686  IN      A       205.178.190.18
ns36.worldnic.com.      135224  IN      A       205.178.144.18

;; Query time: 0 msec
;; SERVER: 192.168.69.70#53(192.168.69.70)
;; WHEN: Thu Dec 24 00:39:09 2009
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 139

Assuming that the domain in Edit 2 is correct (nicpartners.com), then the A record for testing.nicpartners.com does not exist ...

$ dig testing.nicpartners.com a

; <<>> DiG 9.6.0-APPLE-P2 <<>> testing.nicpartners.com a
;; global options: +cmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NXDOMAIN, id: 38580
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;testing.nicpartners.com.       IN      A

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
nicpartners.com.        8998    IN      SOA     ns.compuone.com. admin.compuone.com. 31 900 600 86400 3600

;; Query time: 0 msec
;; SERVER: 192.168.69.70#53(192.168.69.70)
;; WHEN: Thu Dec 24 00:42:03 2009
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 95

My hunch is that there is some confusion about which domain is meant to have the new A record for the host named testing.

Convict
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