First of all, I am a newbie in this business so please bare with me and it would be greatly appreciated if you could help me out.
I have got a domain that I own (not from 000webhost.com) and currently have got myself a basic place-holder website designed and supposedly up and running. I did this by changing the server name on my domain registrar to be directed to here - webhost.com.
In the meantime while all this was happening, I also had set up a Google Apps for emails/calendar etc via my domain registrar site as they were providing free DNS services tailor made for Google Apps. However, it came to my attention that the free DNS services use their own server name; thus my website will not be working (and it was not).
I was told by them to get Google Apps to be set up from webhost.com and have my domain registrar to direct the server name to webhost.com.
So currently, I have the server names directed to 000webhost.com and believe the website should be up and running.
But I think I will be having issues with Google Apps.
Can anyone please advise or help me out in a simple language as this is all new to me.
Hi, is your site up and running? You said you believe it is. Have you signed up with google apps? It’s pretty straight forward once registered, just read carefully and follow instructions.
Hi there, ok what I did since posting this thread was to do more research as to what I can or need to do.
I found a thread that explains and discusses about using ip number to direct the domain registrars server to 000webhost.com
So what I did was, leave the server names as default (to my domain registrar) and use their prebuilt google apps settings and added ‘A’ record with IP address as shown on the Chanel of my webhost account.
My email sides are working perfectly but the website is currently down. Please help!!
So in your domain registrars members area you’ve added an A record, this should be enough for your site to work.
With google apps email you use MX records, not an IP, so I’m not sure what you’ve done there and normally email only works with a domain name using nameservers, not an A record.
It’s like it’s back to front, with what you’ve said your site should work but your email should not.
On my domain registrar, I have left the server names to be defaulted to their names.
Then I have added preset google apps MX details provided by the domain registrar
Then I have added two A records one with www.mydomain.com and one just as mydomain.com using the IP number given.
But I think the website is not still working and on my cpanel of 000webhost states it is not pointing to the correctly named server…
You think the site is not working or it’s definitely not working? The message in cpanel will say your nameservers are not resolved because you are not using nameservers, so ignore that message if you’re using A record instead.
With A records you will not be able to receive or forward email using 000webhost’s facilities. To do this you have to use nameservers.
Site is definitely not working because when I try it now, it has my domain registrars background with “this domain is currently parked” message and not what I had designed and was showing yesterday.
I am going to use google apps for email and hence have this problem…
I also read the other method which is to add MX details from webhost.com however I think it is limiting as you can’t change or add cName and a TXT record as per google apps instruction to have everything running…
Google and mx records will work, but not with your setup of using A records, you have to use nameservers.
Your site - have you cleared your cache? You could be looking at an old stored web page. What do you see when going through a proxy www.hidemyass.com
ok so if i understand correctly, its either of two options.
Option 1:
change the server name to ns01.webhost.com etc (this allows my website to work fine)
and within webhost.com cpanel add MX record for google apps to work (kind of except it wont let add cName nor TXT record for security purposes as recommended by Google) - have not tried this as yet
Option 2:
use present DNS system as described by my domain registrar for google apps and leave the server name as default by domain registrar (which works fine)
then add A record with IP address as provided by 000webhost.com for directing domain to here for my website (which does not work at the moment)
lastly, when i used www.hidemyass.com to view my site, then i do get to my site. however if i delete cache and history from my laptop or ipad or iphone and access my site as it currently is as per Option 2, it directs me to my domain registrars background with domain parked message…
what do i need to do? should i go with option 1 and try?
Option one works fine for me (I have tried this ;))
If you go with this option then you’ll have to wait for nameservers to resolve, usually just a few hours but can be upto 72hrs.
Option 2 you say works fine until you add IP, what works fine? email? with no nameservers? + it does work at this moment (you can see your site through www.hidemyass.com - there maybe other reasons why you can’t connect directly)
Have you deleted cache from all browsers?
I’d go with option one and atleast get your site up and running before setting up email. You can check namerserver propogation through this site - http://www.whatsmydns.net/
Type your domain, choose CNAME (if using nameservers) and click search.
with option 2, my website never worked. and my current setting is set as option 2 and from my laptop after deleting all of the cashe, through hidemyass.com it shows my updated website (which i added another entry to see if it makes any difference) but from my phone using not my wifi and just 3g, it does not work. so i think it is the problem with IP setting that i have done.
So what i will do is revert to Option 1 and then add the MX records on my 000webhost.com for google apps. and see if that settles down and get it to work on all devices.
But in your experience with adding MX records on 000webhost.com, do you not have any issues for not having the cName or TXT file to confirm no spoofing or whatever from google??
I can’t remember exactly how I confirmed my site with google apps and email, i think I uploaded an html file and then pointed my browser to it to confirm ownership, I didn’t use a txt file. No problems so far, for me if my site was worth spoofing etc then it must be worth moving from a free account to a more secure paid account if it’s attracting that kind of attention.
Do not confuse a txt file with a TXT record for your domain.
Among the many options that give google apps to confirm that you are domain own, is to add a TXT record to your domain. It can do from the configuration panel of your domain (on the web where you bought your domain).
On the other hand notes that the changes you make in your domain settings sometimes are not instantaneous and may take several hours to be effective.
thanks for your comments and advise so far. I have reverted to my Option 1 - that is to use 000webhost.com as my server name from my domain registrar. and within 000webhost.com I have added MX record - ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM for google apps to work.
So far it is working ok although I now have lost the www.mail.(mydomainname).com & www.calendar.(mydomainname).com which were set previously with google apps to access since I can not add cName records on 000webhost.com
I have to rely on gaining access to these by - mail.google.com/a/(mydomainname) which is not the end of the world… but still a hassle.
Wish I could add cName & TXT records from 000webhost.com to have my google apps working as perfectly as i would want.
any comments on these would be greatly appreciated.