I am about to switch my existing site to a new domain name, but I want to keep the old name working in case people try it--plus I'm adding a third alternate name that people might enter by mistake. There is only one "real" site, with only one name I am promoting--I don't plan to have multiple copies of the site files--but I'll have three domain names total.

I want all three to work--I don't really care how. In other words, it doesn't matter of the URL in the broswer bar changes to the "real" site or stays at the name they entered. As long as requests for a given file at any of the three addresses will work.

Cost is my main consideration here. I already have the 2 new names parked at 000domains.com, not connected to anything.

Two questions:

1. What is the best way to do this? My current Web host for the "old" name (Web2010) will "park" additional domains and point them at my main site, for a fee. I am shopping for other ways to do this, although I'd really like to keep my "real" site (soon to have a new name) at Web2010 since I'm happy with them. Is there any way to simply have one domain point to another at the DNS level? What is the cheapest/best way to have alternate domain names all work (preferrably without my switching hosts)?

2. To complicate things a little further, what if I also want email to any of the three names to automatically go to the "real" one? What is my best option in that case? (Web2010 will add email to a parked domain, but that gets even more expensive.) This is important, since my current domain name, which everyone emails to all the time, will soon be just an alternate to my new name--and I'm sure not everyone will update their address books with my new email domain.

The ideal would be way to have ANYTHING--http requests, FTP, email, whatever--that goes to the alternate domains get fed automatically to the real domain, without the real domain even knowing the difference. The other two domains would be aliases at the most fundamental level. But perhaps that is either impossible or expensive.

Thans for enlightening me!

Nagromme

If i'm correct in what your looking for, all you need to do is get your first domain hosted were you want, and then put the other domains on the first domains IP number...then the parked domains will take your visitors to the same site, and the email will work the same as well.

That sounds good to me--but who does that? My Web host? If so, perhaps that is exactly what Web2010 is charging for. They charge $30 per year per alternate (parked) domain name, plus $20 per year to make incoming email work as well.

For my two alternates, that comes to $100 per year on top of my usual hosting costs, name registrations, and the cost to switch my site to the new name. A bit steep for me--is that reasonable or can I do better?

I'd even settle for some service that just hosts a forwarding page, as long as some provision was included for forwarding mail as well. Or should I consider switching to a different host because of this? Web2010 has been more stable--and cheaper ($219.45/year)--than my last two hosts, so I hesitate to gamble on a new host--but I'd consider it for cost reasons. I would imagine some Web hosts would let you have alternate names pointing to the same IP for free. Or maybe can I point the names to my site's IP myself without involving Web2010? I'd worry about them changing my IP though, and I wouldn't know it....

Nagromme,

I think that I could probably help you out with the technical setup and financial aspect of what you're trying to do. Please e-mail me at info@thinkcomputer.com for more information.

Thanks,

Aaron Greenspan
Think Computer Corporation

http://www.thinkcomputer.com

Well, I'd hate to recommend you something that would violate your host's TOS, so be sure you aren't. One of the easiest ways to point a domain for free would be a service like bn3.com (process in a nutshell: you change your DNS to point to bn3's nameservers, then log into your bn3 CP and point your domain to the IP address of your site).

This won't make it so email sent to x@otherdomain.com automatically goes to x@maindomain.com, *but* you can set up forwarding on bn3, so that mail sent to x gets forwarded to your x@maindomain.com account. Basically, this would do it, for free, and easily.

Note: bn3 offers up to 20 free POP boxes, so if you have more than that set up for your domain, this might not work out for you.

Chicken, on that note of the POP boxes, you can get around it if you already have existing POP boxes on your original server by setting the DNS MX records to the same priority so that when mail is delivered, if it's not delievered to BN3's boxes, it will re-route to the original POP boxes on the original server.

(sorry, I bet I've confused Nagromme even more now :D - in which please ignore this part - I don't think you necessarily need it)

can you do this on bn3? I get the feeling he isn't controlling the DNS all that much, but yep...

Actually, to be very honest, I dunno - I've seen BN3 and everything but I've never quite tested them out... *scratches head*

From what I can tell (I actually do have a domain on bn3), you can:

1) Point a host name to an IP address
2) Redirect a host name to a URL (non-stealth)
3) Point the host name to free web space (hosted by bn3)

Seems to be about it (which ain't bad mind you)

When you say change my DNS, chicken, I assume that just means updating my domain record (with 000domains.com). If so, yes, I am in control of that. However, I'd still worry that my Web host might change my site's IP address sometime--it isn't guaranteed--which would break what I did with bn3.com until I caught on two months later!

I'll look into that, though. Forwarding non-stealth to my real domain would be fine--I don't even care if subpages continue to work directly, as long as people get to the home page. I'd need email to get forwarded as well--that may be a separate issue. Looking at bn3.com, I'm not sure what exactly they do that applies to me--I have to research them more.

Your IP address could change, but I don't think this is something you shold worry about too much. Ifc it does happen, you cold change it (on bn3). If you are really concerned about it, then you should pay to have your host do all the directing.

By changing the DNS, I do mean at 000domains. And if these domains aren't working now, you may just want to set it up at bn3 (I believe you have to change the dns first), and see if it works forr you.

I'm not sure I can give you any more info than what I have already or more than what's listed on bn3's site, but if you have a question that isn't answered, I'll try. Since you aren't registered, the post doesn't appear below with all the other messages, so I forgot if you asked a specific question or not (sorry).

Ahhh, what they do that applies to you... um, ok. Well, they will allow you to set up a domain to either be forwarded to an IP address, or to a URL. You can set up boxes, which you can then forward to your actual boxes. This way you can get both x@maindomain and x@otherdomain mail. I'm trying to think of something else... ummm, well there's central-info.net which offers free DNS services, but that's a whole different ball of wax.

Arent we making this a little hard for him, dns is something he probally doesnt understand. Most registers will let you forward your domain somewhere for free. Just register your domain with someone who offers this and you can point your other 2 domains to the url of your choice. Seems like the simplest choice to me. Maybe Im missing something????

I can make DNS changes OK, but I have already registered with 000domains, and they don't themselves offer forwarding of a parked domain.

But I have signed up with BN3 to see what I can do with that. It turns out the services you have suggested are now hidden in bn3's fine print--they are promoting some customer service product instead. But you can still sign up for the old stuff if you hunt for it.

(Now I am going back to log in again and use the service--but I can't for the life of me find anything for the "old" srvices but a new user sign-up, which I already did earlier. No way to sign in as a current user (except for the customer service thing, which is a totally different system with separate sign-up). I must be staring right at it and can't see where to log in to the old stuff! If I can get back in, bn3 does look promising.)

Thanks, everybody.

The way you control your domain, is to log yourself into your mail as admin. Guess you missed that. As admin, you have the same functions that your users will have, *plus* a link at the top of the list (at the left), that says something to the effect of "admin".

Charles, yep, that would have been the easiest way, but he already registered the domain, so aside from bn3, got any other ideas?

Thanks chicken! I found out how to get back in after signing up--you have to click "Sign Up Here" and then go through the first two screens as if you are a new sign-up--then you can log in as an alread-registered user. Odd.

I haven't even gotten as far as you are describing yet, since my DNS record hasn't quite updated yet. But now I know what to do when it does....

I'm willing to pay for multiple parked domains--even the Web2010 $100/year if necessary--but I have a history of paying for needless 'net services so I am trying to be more informed this time!

Ahhh, you were stuck even before that point. I am sure they've changed things now that they seem to be going away rfom free email (which *was* their main offering not too long ago). Well, once you get it all going, just go to your mail login subdomain and login as admin, and the rest of the menus are somewhat self explanatory. There is kinda TWO admin pages (which might be a bit confusing at first), but you'll figure it out.

BN3 looks like a nice service--it does forward email and the domain URL, and I might use it for the new alternate name--the one I registered just in case people try it by mistake.

But it looks like BN3 won't work to make my old name point to the new name I am adopting. The reason: if you go to a specific page, like oldname.com/about.shtml, BN3 won't forward it--you get an error and get bumped to BN3's home page--makes it look like I'm out of business! Only the raw address oldname.com will forward, and too many people have bookmarked my current site's pages to take the risk.

So it sounds like 000domains may have been a mistake, and my best option may be to switch hosting companies now--to find one that forwards entire domains (with email) less espensively than Web2010. (I like Web2010, but I may be back here to ask for host recommendations.)

Thanks again--at least now I know I'm not overlooking an obvious option.