Let’s start with the basics, the basis of the system. DNS stands for Domain Name Service. What is DNS? It’s like the whitepage directory for the Internet. You supply a name, DNS supplies a number. The name in this case is specifically a hostname and the number is an IP address. Without DNS you would have to remember
Continue ReadingFTP sites (which stands for File Transfer Protocol) are great for file sharing and the ability to access and edit files remotely over an IP-based network. You can easily download music, videos, and other large files that would normally be impossible to share via email. The only trouble is many ISPs only offer dynamic IP addresses, making it nearly
Continue ReadingMany times, it’s only after a DNS has come under attack or after it has suffered unwanted downtime that we start thinking strategically about DNS. DNS is an integral component of your overall website strategy. Individuals and enterprises alike spend valuable resources creating and promoting their brands and forget about managing perhaps the most important aspect of it – their domain name.
Continue ReadingI just recently read a case that is currently being disputed in court. The claim? The complainant, TCR Business Systems, asserts that the Respondent (a former employee) registered a domain (under their direction) and the respondent is now claiming ownership of that domain. The problem? TCR says that the respondent was told to register the domain,
Continue ReadingCheck out these cool Easter eggs… Do you know one that isn’t listed? Leave it in the comments! Enjoy! Important Dates in History 1. Open the Terminal.app. You can find it in the Applications folder > Utilities or hit the command+space bar, this will open the finder in the top right corner of your screen.
Continue ReadingSince Easter is right around the corner, check out 6 cool Easter eggs for Windows 7… Happy Easter! 1. God Mode This hidden egg will conveniently put hundreds of settings from all over the os into one place. How?
Continue ReadingWe need your help! With over 15 million users worldwide, it is easy to see that we are doing something right. If you love our dynamic dns and managed DNS services, please head over to the SolveDNS website and leave a review for us.
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Want to run your own mail server at your house, office, etc, but can’t because your Internet Service Provider blocks inbound port 25? First, let’s talk about why your ISP blocks Port 25, and then I will tell you a simple, cost effective solution.
Why?
In an attempt to control Spam and viruses, most Internet service providers block inbound and outbound port 25, which means you could experience technical problems when sending email i.e. it won’t work. If ISPs didn’t block outbound port 25, a computer could get infected with a virus and then that virus could could send out thousands, if not millions of spam emails – infecting lots of other computers and networks too.
How to check
It is easy to check to see if your ISP blocks Port 25. You can call and ask the ISP if they block port 25 it is best to specify Inbound or Outbound. If you do not want to deal with having to contact the ISP you can test port 25 Inbound yourself. To do so you need to have a server running on port 25 and port 25 port forwarded in your router and firewall. Once configured head over to canyouseeme.org, type 25 into the box and click “Check your Port” You will have to do this from the location of your network that you want to check. If it comes back with an error, chances are high that your ISP is blocking port 25.
My ISP Blocks Port 25, What can I do?
Don’t fret…. There is an easy solution if you want to run an email server at your house and your ISP blocks port 25. No-IP Reflector is a cost effective workaround. Reflector allows No-IP to be the primary mail exchanger for your domain. When an email destined for your domain arrives at our servers, we forward it on to your inbound mail server, which can be on a different (and unblocked) port of your choice. Not only does Reflector allow you to run your own mail server from home, but it also does extensive spam / virus scanning, so you don’t have to worry about dealing with spam, which can be a serious headache. Reflector also includes greylisting and customizable RBL (Real Blackhole Lists) lists. Reflector will also hold all of your emails for a max of 7 days if your mail server is unreachable. Our servers hold your emails until yours is back online and continuously attempts to resend the messages back to your server. How sweet is that?
Also, please note that if your ISP blocks outbound port 25 you will need to use an outbound SMTP server such as Alternate-Port SMTP which allows you to send out through our servers using a different port. Our outbound servers also have a PTR record created which will help you send to major mail providers.
Do what was once impossible — run your own mail server. Plus, until the end of March, all* email services are 25% off. (not valid on renewals – new service only) Use coupon code: MARCH25 during checkout.
Name servers perform the critical task of translating domain names to the IP address needed to connect online. You can think of them like a phone book. They hold all of the IP addresses of all the domain names that are hosted on them. If it weren’t for name servers saving all of the records of domain names, you would have to know the IP address of every single website that you visit. Visiting the No-IP website would not be as simple as typing in www.noip.com into your browser, you would have to type the actual IP address http://8.23.224.107.
When you register a domain and host a website, you are able to choose who handles your name server records. If you delegate your domain to No-IP, our Plus Managed DNS handles your websites DNS. Choosing a managed DNS provider is a wise decision if you rely heavily on your website and hate the thought of experiencing any downtime. How much would website downtime cost you?
Related article:
What is DNS?
Thinking of registering a new domain name? One thing that people often forget to do, is to research the history of the domain name. I recently attended SMX West and Duane Forrester from Bing gave an example of a large company that had been complaining, a lot, that Bing was blocking their domain for no reason.
Turns out, Bing was blocking their domain, but it wasn’t because of things that the company was doing. The domain was being blocked because what had been done with the domain before the company owned it. The previous owners had been distributing Malware and Bing had, indeed, blocked it.
How can you learn about the history of a domain before you purchase one? There are a few red flags to look for. If you find a domain that seems almost too good to be true, it probably is. If the domain is cheap and a good one, chances are pretty high that it is cheap for a reason. Research is very important when buying a new domain name. You can use the trusty Way Back Machine to see what the domain has looked like in the past few years. You can also use the Domain Tools Whois History to see the ownership history and blacklist history.
The last thing you want when starting a new website is to be excluded from the SERP for reasons uncontrolled by you. Also be sure to follow our 6 tips for choosing the right domain name.
Have you ever registered a domain name only to find out later that it had been used inappropriately before? What did you do to resolve the issue?