Subdomains. HELP!

[Haibane Shadsie]

*Catches breath*

Okay, so I got my own domain back in March. I paid up for a year. I built two subdomains... Devotion for my fanart, and Paper Eagles for my webcomic, Paper Eagles.

For a while, they worked fine. I was informed last week by MillyFan that the sites were not working... so, I think it's just a temporary glitch...

I decide that I wanted to try updateing Paper Eagles today... I go to my site, and it's not there. My main rhlem.net domain works, but my two subdomains do not.

I went to my control panel... I got my domain from CyberPixels... I mess with things... still doesn't work.

I'm currently re-downloading the folders with those two sites and all their content to my harddrive, just because doing them were SOOOO much work... I'm going to try re-uploading them and seeing if that works... I think I go to my subdomain manager, delete both domains, reestablish both domains, and re-upload... last ditch...

unless anyone knows anything about paid webhosting and can HELP ME!

I feel... just utterly defeated today. I'm having vehicular problems. My truck is currently stuck in the town of Buckeye, about 15 miles away... with something wrong with its battery... and the local garage cannot look at it until Monday, and I don't know how much things are going to cost and I had to get a ride home from a garage-guy, and I came home, screamed, and sliced the skin on my left arm I was so frustrated... yes, I cut when I'm frustrated. The stinging skin on my arm makes me feel a little better...

But... then this crud happens... I am so frustrated I could die.

[shooraijin]

You know, they're not even resolving to a network address here:

Code: Select all

% whois rhlem.net                                       

Whois Server Version 1.3

Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to [url]http://www.internic.net[/url]
for detailed information.

   Domain Name: RHLEM.NET
   Registrar: ENOM, INC.
   Whois Server: whois.enom.com
   Referral URL: [url]http://www.enom.com[/url]
   Name Server: NS1.CYBERPIXELS-8.COM
   Name Server: NS2.CYBERPIXELS-8.COM
   Status: REGISTRAR-LOCK
   Updated Date: 03-jun-2003
   Creation Date: 03-jun-2003
   Expiration Date: 03-jun-2004

[snip]

% nslookup
Default Server:  [censored]
Address:  [x.x.x.x]

> server NS1.CYBERPIXELS-8.COM
Default Server:  NS1.CYBERPIXELS-8.COM
Address:  64.62.137.201

> papereagles.rhlem.net
Server:  NS1.CYBERPIXELS-8.COM
Address:  64.62.137.201

*** NS1.CYBERPIXELS-8.COM can't find papereagles.rhlem.net:Non-existent host/dom
ain
> ^D
%


Something is incorrect with the Domain Name Service that hosts your domain. I *can* confirm:

Code: Select all

> [url]www.rhlem.net[/url]   
Server:  NS1.CYBERPIXELS-8.COM
Address:  64.62.137.201

Name:    rhlem.net
Address:  64.62.137.201
Aliases:  [url]www.rhlem.net[/url]


And, if I do this,

Code: Select all

% telnet [url]www.rhlem.net[/url] 80
Trying ...
Connected to [url]www.rhlem.net[/url].
GET / HTTP/1.1
Host: papereagles.rhlem.net [I]<<< NOTE! THIS IS AN HTTP/1.x HEADER, NOT A DOMAIN NAME![/I]
Connection: close
User-agent: off-the-top-of-my-head/999.0 (IXOYE)

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 02:45:43 GMT
Server: Apache/1.3.29 (Unix)... [snip]
Last-Modified: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 07:09:20 GMT
ETag: "d7d85-813-3f9a21a0"
Accept-Ranges: bytes
Content-Length: 2067
Connection: close
Content-Type: text/html

[...snip down to ...]
"Paper Eagles" and all related characters are

Copyright S.E. Nordwall 2002-2003.
Steal and a bloodthirsty pack of Haig shall be sicced upon thee...

as well as BondageBob Leatherpants. 

</HTML>
Connection closed by foreign host.
% ^D


So, here's the problem.

You have the virtual host set up correctly, but only in Apache.

You DO NOT have a DNS address for this host. Tell your provider to add a CNAME for "papereagles.rhlem.net" to the DNS that points to "www.rhlem.net" and it should work.

[Haibane Shadsie]

Um...

I'm confused. I'm really not a techie.

My subdomains worked for a very long time, so I don't know exactly what to do... just find the e-mail for CyberPixels and ask them what's up? Tell them to fix things?

[shooraijin]

If they set up the DNS for you in the beginning (which I assume they must have if it was working at one point, and then quit working), then it's their bug -- unless you have something in your control panel that controls your DNS and allows you to add entries.

Trust me, you're going to need to become familiar with this, very fast -- most mass webhosting enterprises have a poor concept of customer service.

If you like, you can cut and paste the message above and send it straight to them. Basically, I've included all of my work demonstrating it's a DNS issue.

DNS = Domain Name Service and is responsible for matching names with Internet numeric addresses. In your case, you don't have a DNS entry for the particular subdomain in the DNS server that services rhlem.net (in this case, the server I was talking to in the "nslookup" sessions above). If you have access to this, then you need to add one. If you don't, then your provider does.

Even if you have a "subdomain" defined in Apache, this is not the same as a true subdomain. It's just a virtual host that allows a webserver like Apache to subdivide one Internet (IP) address into multiple domains that seem as if they're independent, even though they're on one computer and at one address. If, however, the DNS that is supposed to map all those addresses together is dysfunctional, then the client won't even get there in the first place to tell Apache which host it actually wants.

Welcome to Networking 101, open your books.

[Haibane Shadsie]

I'm glad I backed up my files, re-downloaded all my files from my subdomains.

This is the answer I got. I plan to do this re-adding thing tommorow. Gah!

http://board.cyberpixels.com/showthread.php?t=385

[Mithrandir]

Yikes. These people put the 'service' in customer service!!! It's a VERY good thing you have your files backed up!

[shooraijin]

Haibane, four words: "Vote with your dollars."

That's pretty lousy behaviour from a company that fancies themselves a top-flight hosting op.

[Straylight]

If you change hosting, I'd highly recommend http://www.unitedhosting.co.uk - they provide the hosting for christiananime.net and have been great

[Haibane Shadsie]

Yay, the subdomains work now!

I'm already paid up for a year, until March, I think. I decided to do that rather than month-by-month.

If I keep up my sites, I believe I will switch services.