why do I need to do this?

david90

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I just regiestered a domain with namecheap.com and my webhost is 100webspace.net. 100webspace requires me to add ns record

dns1.100ws.com / IP: 66.40.52.56
dns2.100ws.com / IP: 66.40.66.176

to my domain.

What is purpose of doing this?? Is this a way for 100webspace to make sure that the domain is mine?
 
Hi,

Essentially what this does is tell your domain to look at these to ip address's and you will find the information that you are looking for. Your web host doesn't care so much that your domain is yours. It is more that it wants your domain to know where your website files are being kept so that your domain can be pointed in the correct direction.

I hope this makes sense to you.

Cheers!
 
"It is more that it wants your domain to know where your website files are being kept so that your domain can be pointed in the correct direction."

isn't this the purpose of "A" and not "ns" record?

when I add the ns record

dns1.100ws.com / IP: 66.40.52.56
dns2.100ws.com / IP: 66.40.66.176

to my domain @ namecheap.com, am I "transferring" my dns to my web host which is 100webspace?
 
Why do you need NS records?

There are (at least) two sets of records associated with each domain.
(Simplistically)

NS and (usually) A.

NS is where the name server is that will provide the A record, the A record is the actual address of the machine.

NS records are held by domain authorities, A records are held by your name servers, (we'll either yours or your hosting provider.

if you type www.test.com into your browser there are several steps used to resolve this, along the way a lot of DNS servers are saying I don't know, but ask here instead. or asking on behalf of, (which is why when you look up an address you get a non-authoritative answer).

you type test.com into the address bar.
and you machine says, "I don't know where that is, I'll ask the DNS server".
so your machine asks your local DNS server (usually your router) where is test.com, your router, says, I don't know, I'll ask my DNS server.
your switch asks the DNS servers that are set (usually your ISP).

your ISP says I don't know. (and then uses root hints to see what the DNS servers are for .com addresses) and then says why don't you ask a.root-server.net (for example).

this root server then responds with I don't know the address, but the name server listed for the site is this, why not check there, finally the name server for the site (which is just a DNS server) responds with test.com is here and gives an address, which comes back to you through the other DNS servers.

now, there are two ways a DNS server can work, either by saying I don't know, why don't you ask here, or I don't know, but I'll find out for you.

to show this in action:

go to the command prompt and type nslookup.

[In it's default mode, nslookup searches for A records]
type test.com

and you should see this response.
> test.com
Server: router.myhome.net
Address: 192.168.0.1

Non-authoritative answer:
Name: test.com
Address: 204.12.0.50
this tells you who the server for test.com is. but also includes the phrase "Non-authoritative answer:"

your DNS server has asked another DNS server which has provided the address, and it's just trusting that answer and giving you the address, but it is warning you that it's not the authority on that,



now type set type=NS
this changes the mode of NSlookup to search for name server records rather than A records

then type test.com you'll find that the following is produced.

> test.com
Server: router.myhome.net
Address: 192.168.0.1

Non-authoritative answer:
test.com nameserver = ns65.worldnic.com
test.com nameserver = ns66.worldnic.com

ns65.worldnic.com internet address = 205.178.190.33
ns66.worldnic.com internet address = 205.178.144.33

this tells you that there are two servers that hold the DNS information for test.com and that these are worldnic servers.

now type set tytpe=A (to change back to searching for A records).

and then type

server 205.178.190.33

(this changes the server that you're querying to be that server (the name server for test.com)).

then type test.com again and the response you get this time is
> test.com
Server: ns65.worldnic.com
Address: 205.178.190.33

Name: test.com
Address: 204.12.0.50
you have an authoritative answer, the name server has responded with the information that it is the authority on the subject of test.com and the name servers are at this address.
(that is why this time it does not say "Non-authoritative answer")




I hope that explains it a bit better?

you need name server records so that other people know what DNS server to query to get the A records that point to your site.


As for what to put into that box, have you also bought DNS hosting as well as a domain name? you'll need to enter the address of the DNS server that contains the authoritative A records for your domain name.
 
Why do you need NS records?

There are (at least) two sets of records associated with each domain.
(Simplistically)

NS and (usually) A.

NS is where the name server is that will provide the A record, the A record is the actual address of the machine.

NS records are held by domain authorities, A records are held by your name servers, (we'll either yours or your hosting provider.

if you type www.test.com into your browser there are several steps used to resolve this, along the way a lot of DNS servers are saying I don't know, but ask here instead. or asking on behalf of, (which is why when you look up an address you get a non-authoritative answer).

you type test.com into the address bar.
and you machine says, "I don't know where that is, I'll ask the DNS server".
so your machine asks your local DNS server (usually your router) where is test.com, your router, says, I don't know, I'll ask my DNS server.
your switch asks the DNS servers that are set (usually your ISP).

your ISP says I don't know. (and then uses root hints to see what the DNS servers are for .com addresses) and then says why don't you ask a.root-server.net (for example).

this root server then responds with I don't know the address, but the name server listed for the site is this, why not check there, finally the name server for the site (which is just a DNS server) responds with test.com is here and gives an address, which comes back to you through the other DNS servers.

now, there are two ways a DNS server can work, either by saying I don't know, why don't you ask here, or I don't know, but I'll find out for you.

to show this in action:

go to the command prompt and type nslookup.

[In it's default mode, nslookup searches for A records]
type test.com

and you should see this response.

this tells you who the server for test.com is. but also includes the phrase "Non-authoritative answer:"

your DNS server has asked another DNS server which has provided the address, and it's just trusting that answer and giving you the address, but it is warning you that it's not the authority on that,



now type set type=NS
this changes the mode of NSlookup to search for name server records rather than A records

then type test.com you'll find that the following is produced.



this tells you that there are two servers that hold the DNS information for test.com and that these are worldnic servers.

now type set tytpe=A (to change back to searching for A records).

and then type

server 205.178.190.33

(this changes the server that you're querying to be that server (the name server for test.com)).

then type test.com again and the response you get this time is

you have an authoritative answer, the name server has responded with the information that it is the authority on the subject of test.com and the name servers are at this address.
(that is why this time it does not say "Non-authoritative answer")




I hope that explains it a bit better?

you need name server records so that other people know what DNS server to query to get the A records that point to your site.


As for what to put into that box, have you also bought DNS hosting as well as a domain name? you'll need to enter the address of the DNS server that contains the authoritative A records for your domain name.

If I registered my domain with namecheap.com, then is namecheap the domain authority for the domain that I registered?

If I ask my ISP's DNS to resolve test.com, why doesn't it tell me the NS records so that I can use it to get the A record? In the example above, the root server tells me the NS record instead. Is this because only the root server knows the NS record?

Thanks for the lengthy reply.
 
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