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I've recently bought a VPS with a view to hosting my websites on there instead of using the current shared hosting platform I'm currently using.

I've never had to configure domain names beyond just putting in the correct nameservers. Now though I have to add in A record etc and I've come unstuck.

So far, I have 5 records for a specific domain name:

  • A record - Name: www - IP: 80.xx.xx.xx
  • A record - Name: ftp - IP: 80.xx.xx.xx
  • NS Record - ns1.6sync.net
  • NS Record - ns2.6sync.net
  • NS Record - ns3.6sync.net

So when I put in my domain name with the www (i.e www.domain-name.co.uk) it takes me straight to the website and works fine. However, if i try and use the domain name without the www then the browser can't find the website.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm supposed to do. Am I supposed to change something on the server or do I have to change a record for the domain name on the DNS?

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  • 1. use ping to 80.XXX.XXX.XXX 2. there is management console using that find out service named running or not 3. if server running bind reload/restart the same then try loading a web page.
    – neolix
    Mar 13, 2012 at 12:13

2 Answers 2

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In the root zone of your DNS (ie the file where the domain has its records)

. (yes that is a dot) A 80.xx.xx.xx.xx or if you prefer

domain-name.xxx.com. (yes that is dot at the end!) A 80.xx.xx.xx

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  • Ok I've made the change, just wait for it to propagate now! Can I ask why you would put a . ? What does it do? Mar 13, 2012 at 12:29
  • Domain names follow a hierarchy where each level ends in '.'. The last one being omitted is simply accepted laziness. Try putting google.com. in your browser.
    – Kyle Smith
    Mar 13, 2012 at 12:49
  • Dots are VERY important in DNS. Omitting one where one must exist can create a real nasty problem if not corrected promptly. For example defining a host as just hostname IN A 80.xx.xx.xx means hostname.domain-name.com but doing hostname.domain-name.com (no dot!!) IN A 80.xx.xx.xx actually means hostname.domain-name.com.domain-name.com!! If such an error propagates then several days may pass before you recover.
    – ank
    Mar 13, 2012 at 13:16
  • A dot in DNS, loosely, ends a record. A dot by itself (or a @) refers to the definition of your zone (domain name, which is in the SOA record, the very first record in the file).
    – ank
    Mar 13, 2012 at 13:24
  • The dot after the domain name worked for me! Thanks :D Mar 14, 2012 at 20:44
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What ank is describing is the need to define both the www.domain.com A record and the domain.com A record. You only have the www record defined in your example.

What are you using for DNS? Some configurations will have you use an @ to denote the root of the domain instead of the .

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  • I'm using 6sync's domain name servers. I am considering using my own DNS'es at a later date, but not now. Mar 13, 2012 at 12:46

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