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I manage several websites, servers and domains and we recently migrated our DNS server after an emergency. Now some domains have their NS servers pointing to the wrong IP according to some (Internet) DNS servers. I thought the situation would resolve itself when propagation was complete but it has been more than 72 hours and the problem is still affecting these domains.

The domain name ismartdesign.com, for example, should resolve to IP 173.243.192.106 and has NS servers ns1.wizgousa.com and ns2.wizgousa.com. ns1.wizgousa.com correctly resolves to 173.243.192.107. However, if you use a website such as DNSWatch, which only does live DNS requests, you'll notice that the IP address for ns1.wizgousa.com is 208.71.11.178. This is the old server's IP and it has been offline since Monday June 30, 2014.

Some networks will resolve the problematic domains properly, some are still trying to reach the old server's IP. Is there any way I can speed up the transition? Will this even sort itself out by itself?

Note: I know our current DNS configuration does not conform to best practices (both servers in same class, etc.) and we have plans to fix all this once all domains work properly.

3 Answers 3

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Your DNS servers have not been updated. The X.gtld-servers.net all point to 208.71.11.178/179

You have to log onto your Registrar's control panel and update the nameservers there. Updating the nameservers on the nameservers themselves achieves nothing.

Your wizgousa.com nameservers are out of sync with the GTLD servers, and that has to be fixed by the registrar managing wizgousa.com

eg, "dig ns ismartdesign.com @a.root-servers.net" --> X.gtld-servers.net

"dig ns ismartdesign.com @a.gtld-servers.net" --> ns1.wizgousa.com (208.71.11.178) & ns2.wizgousa.com (208.71.11.179).

This is how DNS finds your nameservers, by querying the authoritative master servers, and their word is law when it comes to DNS.

Sadly, once you change your nameservers via the registrar's control panel, you have to (a) wait for them to update the gtld-servers - often not too slow fortunately but your milage may vary and then (b) you have to wait a full 48 hours before the last vestiges of your old nameservers will expire (ie, 172800 seconds)

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  • I agree with your explanation and I had figured as much. What I don't understand is that on the wizgousa.com's authoritative server the A record for ns1.wizgousa.com and ns2.wizgousa.com is the correct IP. Or are servers that start with ns1 treated differently?
    – Technoh
    Jul 7, 2014 at 19:59
  • Just to clarify, the way I understand it, a cacheless dig for ismartdesign.com should start at the root server, then the gtld server where the appropriate NS server would be returned. Then a query should be sent to that NS server's registrar to get the NS server's IP and finally that NS server should be queried directly. Isn't this the way DNS usually works?
    – Technoh
    Jul 7, 2014 at 20:02
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    Almost correct except for the query to the registrar. The TLD actually stores the NS records for your domain (not your registrar), just the same way the root server stores the NS records for the TLD. Else they could not be found. Each higher level points to one level down. Your NS in turn points "down" to the A records within your domain or even down to further subdomain NS records if you had them. If the higher levels did not hold the lower IP addresses you would not be able to locate them. The registrar has authority to update the TLD pointers because he is 'registered' with the TLD. Jul 8, 2014 at 5:01
  • To your first comment - no, NS A records are not treated differently because of naming. The issue is that the searcher needs to find your DNS servers in the first place. Hence the need that somebody higher up points to your NS so that they can be contacted. Your NS are authoritative because the owner of .com (the TLD) has 'delegated' the subdomain 'wizgousa.com' to your servers by pointing to them. The TLD is authoritative because the owners of . have delegated their subdomain .com to the TLDs. All domain names have the theoretical . at the end eg (wizgousa.com.) which are the root servers. Jul 8, 2014 at 5:15
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You seem to have mismatched glue records for the domain wizgousa.com. Those nameservers themselves are returning the correct information, if you know where to find them, but the root nameservers still seem to have old addresses for them.

To resolve this, the owner of wizgousa.com must update the glue records with the domain regsitrar.

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It appears to me that the problem is that the wizgousa.com name servers don't know that they're authoritative for ismartdesign.com.

The parent servers and Whois both seem to agree that the name servers are ns1.wizgousa.com and ns2.wizgousa.com, so the problem appears to me to be a lack of an authoritative DNS zone for the domain on the wizgousa.com name servers.


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