Server DNS Question
 

So when I add a domain name to my server, I've had it before where I could set the nameservers, then a day later or whatever after I'm sure they've spread around I can add the domain to my server and it would be working within minutes.

Right now I have a host telling me I need to wait 3-4 hours for a domain that was added to show up even though the nameservers were set to the right ones days ago. Why? Other servers it happened almost instantly. Does a zone file need to propagate?

bampppppp

my guess is they only reload their zone files once every couple hours.

I normally see it only take a few hours.

I've added domains at Amerinoc that have literally appeared instantly, yet others may take 2 to 12 hours. I'll blame Bell Sympatico (my ISP) for my inablility to reach my new sites before I blame Amerinoc/Phatservers.

It is the TTL [Time to live] in their nameserver configuration, you will probably have to wait it out.

If it is a new domain and you haven't accessed it with different settings before, they won't be cached. Any attempt to access it will be nearly instantaneous.

For domains that have been accessed before, if you change the settings it may take some time to propagate. The reason for this is that different machines on the Internet keep a cache of the info so they don't have to look it up again.

This time can be controlled with the TTL value (although not all DNS servers respect it). Some cache it for longer even if you tell them not to. So if you know in advance you are going to switch servers you can shorten the TTL (time to live) so the propagation won't take as long.

Also you can look into editing your "hosts file" (google it) if you want to enable a computer you have control over to see the domain before the change has propagated (or even existing for that matter). It can be useful for preview purposes or for showing a site to a client before it is actually live.

check your dns settings at intodns.com

if you need any assistance contact me
http://www.awmzone.com/services