When you have just purchased your domain and rented or bought a server, they are not yet connected to each other in any way. For a name like «moydomen.ru» typed into a browser to lead to the resource you want, the domain has to be pointed to the server. In other words, parked on it. Below are the main ways you can point (park) a domain.
What do you do to point (park) a domain?
There are several ways to point (park) a domain. Let's list the most common ones:
- Point (park) the domain to an IP using DNS.
- Point (park) the resource using an A record.
- Park the site by creating nameservers.
In any case, you should upload the site to the hosting/server via an FTP client in advance. Otherwise, when the resource is accessed by its domain name after the domain is pointed, all that will open is the default ISP-manager placeholder page (assuming that control panel is installed on the server).
Pointing a domain via DNS
To point (park) a domain to an IP, choose the «DNS Management / Delegation» option in the control panel. Then enable the use of the DNS servers of the company that registered the domain name. After that, in the «DNS zone settings» menu, set the following parameters:
- On the first line, specify the subdomain (for example, www), an A record, and enter the IP address you want to point your domain to;
- On the second line, specify the subdomain «@», again an A record, and the same numeric value of the required IP;
- On the third line, specify the subdomain «*», again an A record, and the IP you have already set.
After that, all that remains is to wait for the DNS databases to update, which, depending on how quick your internet service provider is, can take from 20 minutes to several days. Once the database accepts the changes, your domain will be strictly tied to the hosting IP address.
Pointing a domain via an A record
The A record we already know is a pointer that maps an IP address to a domain name. An effective way to point (park) a domain is to adjust it in the current DNS zone.
What is an MX record
While trying different ways to point (park) a domain to a server, you may come across one more configuration parameter: the MX record. It is used to route mail, directing it to the specific server hardware that processes email.
The MX record has nothing to do with parking a domain name on a server's IP address.
What are nameservers
Another reliable way to point (park) a domain to a server is to generate nameservers. By creating «Name Servers» in your domain's settings panel, you can predefine the binding of the domain name to the IP address of physical or virtual hosting.
If for some reason you have no time to figure this out, or simply do not want to, you can always turn for help to our server administration specialists, who will get everything done in the shortest possible time.