DNS propagation query?

Question

Hi, this (to me) is quite technical.

I resell web hosting and recently moved to a more economical provider.

I purchased 2 dedicated ip addresses. 1 of them would not resolve at all and the other one resolved to a completely different website.

I enquired and was given 2 new IP addresses and was told that it should be working shortly.

That was yesterday and its still not working. I have now been told it could take up to 72 hours (which I have read elsewhere too). So at this point there is not really a problem.

However what I am worried about is this....

What happens if after 72 hours it is still not working, will I have to wait a further 72 hours as it looks like my new host does not really know what they are doing?

OR.... is there a way I can check the progress of my DNS update (i have tried the usual dnsstuff and dnscheck etc) or is there some way I can actualy confirm he has done what he says he has done.?

cheers

PS... its a .com domain if that makes a dif.

Answer 1

There are (or were) 5 'master' DNS Servers for .com Domains.

Find a tool that will query one of the 'masters' direct.

Answer 2

DNS propagation between the root (or master servers) is supposed to be very quick. Not sure the exact numbers.

I'm pretty sure the dnsstuff queries the root servers first, before querying your local dns server so once the root servers are changed dnsstuff should start showing the right IP address. Or in other words it isn't really affected by a propagation delay...

As to if you can check what the hosting tech has done, it really depends on what he has done. Has he updated the primary dns server for your domain? Or has he changed the ipaddress for your domain on his dns server? You probably need to get a bit more information about what actually has been done before you can take it any further.

Hopefully in 72 hours it will all be working :)