Having a problem with a new client's domain/DNS registration. They registered their website name on Monday with Register.com. Called me up Monday night needing a place to host it. Fine. Told them to go back to their Register.com account and changed their nameservers to point to mine. (I resell for Hostmatters, but have my own nameservers).

During the week I noticed the changes went through. If you type in my client's domain

http://www.laurawarfield.com

you go to her Coming Soon page under my account at Hostmatters.com. Fine.

I get an email this morning from my client. Seems that if you type in

http://laurawarfield.com

without the "www" you go to the Coming Soon page at Register.com!

Very strange. I checked the domain registration and the only nameservers listed on this domain are mine.

How could this be happening? Any ideas? And how do I get it fixed?

Thanks in advance.

Sean

I think the problem must have worked itself out. I tried both links and got the correct page.

This happens from time to time - usually works itself out, as James noted. Part of the issue is that the domain itself is picked up and pointing correctly (domain.com), but sometimes subdomains (www.domain.com is technically a subdomain) don't propagate until later. It's kind of an oddity, and I have yet to hear any rational explanation for it, since you'd figure the request would look at the complete $ORIGIN for the domain instead of just part of it.

I think it must be that the two domains (www.laurawarfield.com and laurawarfield.com) are propagating through the Network at different rates.

That's all I can think of now that James says he can see both pointing to the same (correct) site.

I tried it again and still have the same problem. I'm in New York. Will try it tomorrow and see if the problem continues.

Very interesting.

Sean