Backup Windows DNS

[Luke]

Hi

I have an account on a shared web-hosting server. I have set up my DNS
records to point to that server (the WWW A Record and FTP A record).

Last week the shared server failed and was offline for a considerable
time. I was wondering whether there is a way to put a backup IP address
for WWW into the DNS - so that if the server on the main WWW IP address
fails, it will automatically route to the Secondary WWW address for that
domain name.

Thanks

Luke

 

[Ace Fekay [MVP]]

In

Hi

I have an account on a shared web-hosting server. I have set up my
DNS records to point to that server (the WWW A Record and FTP A
record).
Last week the shared server failed and was offline for a considerable
time. I was wondering whether there is a way to put a backup IP
address for WWW into the DNS - so that if the server on the main WWW
IP address fails, it will automatically route to the Secondary WWW
address for that domain name.

Thanks

Luke

Not really.

You can actually create two www entries with different IP addresses, but
what happens is Round Robin will alternate the responses for queries, so in
effect half of the queries will get one of them, the other half the other.

If this is your shared server, you can get an extra web server and use NLB
to load balance to both. If the one is down, NLB will just offer the one
server that is up and running for incoming http requests.

If this is your ISP, there's not much you can do about it.

If you change the www IP address, that is assuming this is an external web
server and using an external DNS, by the time it propagates (24 to 36
hours), the other server will probably be back up.


--
Ace

This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties or guarantees and
confers no rights.

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Ace Fekay, MCSE 2003 & 2000, MCSA 2003 & 2000, MCSE+I, MCT, MVP
Microsoft MVP - Windows Server Directory Services
Microsoft Certified Trainer
Infinite Diversities in Infinite Combinations.
=================================

 

[Luke]

Thank you Ace.

That is not good. It means that DNS cannot automatically redirect my
visitors to a backup account ip address if my isp's shared server goes
down - and i am completely reliant on the stability and failover of my
ISP. Unless i pay thousands to have the data on my own dedicated server
- i will have problems.

Can you think of any way around this ? My ISP definitely wont modify
their servers on my request.

 

[Ace Fekay [MVP]]

In

Thank you Ace.

That is not good. It means that DNS cannot automatically redirect my
visitors to a backup account ip address if my isp's shared server goes
down - and i am completely reliant on the stability and failover of
my ISP. Unless i pay thousands to have the data on my own dedicated
server - i will have problems.

Can you think of any way around this ? My ISP definitely wont modify
their servers on my request.

DNS was never intended for that function. DNS is just a searchable database
of resource records. Fault tolerance for the resources themselves are a
separate issue.

Sorry Luke...

Ace