Setting Up Your Domain Name
From ZebraDots Support
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[edit] Overview
ZebraDots Website 2.0 is compatible with any domain name, whether it is newly registered or an existing domain name that you already own. However, for the domain name to work properly, you will need to tell the company you registered it with where the domain should point to.
[edit] Did You Register Through ZebraDots?
If you have requested that ZebraDots register your domain name for you when you set up your account, no further action is required on your part. We will take care of the changes for you.
[edit] Existing Domain Names
When you host with ZebraDots Hosting using an existing domain name, you will need to ensure that your domain points to our nameservers:
- ns1.zebradots.com
- ns2.zebradots.com
Until this change is made through the company you registered your domain name with, you will not be able to access your website through its domain name. Even once the change is made, it can take up to 72 hours for nameservers across the Internet to reflect these changes, so you should make them as soon as possible. Making this change means that all your email will be handled by our servers. If this is not what you want, then please see the section below which addresses this issue.
[edit] How To Make The Change
To change an existing domain name to point to our nameservers, you will need to contact the company that you registered your domain with. In most cases, they have provided a web-based management interface that will allow you to make these changes online in just a few minutes. ZebraDots cannot provide technical support for your domain name registrar's website. You must contact your domain name registrar for assistance with these changes.
[edit] Give It Time
Changes made to a domain name can take up to 72 hours to be recognized across the Internet. This is because the various Internet Service Providers update their DNS records at different intervals, and all of them must refresh their records before requests for your domain name will be fully directed to our nameservers. This may take a while, so act quickly and remain patient. In the meantime, use the temporary URL provided when you created your account to access and edit your website.
[edit] Using Another Email Service (Advanced)
If you want all mail sent to "info@YOURDOMAIN.COM" to go to another email service provider (such as a webmail service you purchased from your domain name registrar) then you will NOT want to merely redirect all domain requests as shown above. Instead, you will need to determine the IP address of your hosting server by pinging it (e.g. "ping mydomain.com.alpha.zebradots.com") and then log into your domain name registrar's website and add an A record for this IP address. Please note that this IP may change at any time, and it is your responsibility to make the necessary changes if you configure your domain in this manner.