When Correcting A DNS "CNAME", Maybe Delete Before Adding

Very few registrars allow multiple "CNAME" addresses, for a single DNS host.

When I diagnose DNS address problems, I generally recommend

Add the addresses highlighted in green.
Remove the addresses highlighted in red.

I find that it helps to have the old address visible, while the new address is being composed. This does not always produce the desired result, unfortunately.

Many registrars do not allow multiple "CNAME" addresses, for DNS hosts - and the zone editors reject new address attempts.

When DNS addresses for a Blogger custom domain need to be corrected, I recommend

Add the addresses highlighted in green.
Remove the addresses highlighted in red.

I recommend correction in this order, so the blog owner can view the current (incorrect) addresses, while adding new (correct) addresses. This compensates for various zone editor syntax oddities.

Making corrections in this order - adding correct addresses, then removing incorrect addresses - does not always produce the anticipated results. If the zone editor checks as each individual address change is made, we see the result.

"That name is reserved (already in use)."



Some zone editors check, immediately, when a second "CNAME" is entered, for a given "Host" address. When multiple "CNAME"s are forbidden, and the zone editor checks for multiple "CNAME"s immediately, we have a problem.

Other zone editors check for a correct address complement, when Saving multiple zone editor changes - after all additions and removals are successfully made and verified. These zone editors do not present a challenge - as long as the blog owner removes all incorrect addresses.

When the incorrect addresses are not removed properly, we see the result.

That name is reserved (already in use).

This leads the blog owner to cancel the recommended correction - and we wait, in vain, for the domain to come online.

In a worse case scenario, we can even end up with another case of "Another blog ...".

Right now, though, we can only diagnose the problem, one domain at a time.

---

Some registrars have zone editors which forbid multiple "CNAME"s for specific addresses - and check, one entry at a time, for mistakes. This may cause a problem, with a #Blogger blog owner making custom domain DNS address corrections, when instructed to "Add addresses highlighted in green.", then "Delete addresses highlighted in red."

Custom Domain Publishing, And DNS Latency

The Internet is diverse and large - and the Internet directory system, aka the DNS Infrastructure, supports the diversity and size.

When we setup a new domain, the registrar frequently advises us to wait patiently, before continuing.

Congrats on your new domain! Now, we suggest that you wait 24 - 48 hours for the new domain to propagate, before trying to publish to the domain.

When we update a domain - and add or delete a single DNS address - we won't always get advice about waiting, from the registrar.

Responsible helpers will occasionally provide advice to be patient, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue.

After you correct the addresses, please wait 8 hours (2 x "14400" seconds) before continuing. This will let all DNS servers on the Internet receive the corrected addresses.

This advice is generally given, for domains that use a 4 hour ("14400" second) or greater Time To Live or TTL.

Many registrars use a 1 ("3600") or 2 ("7200") hour TTL, for individual domain DNS addresses. Domains with 2 hour or less TTL generally do not require latency advice, because most forum topics take more than 2 - 4 hours to complete.

Adding a domain - and updating a domain - involve different latency.

The difference between "new domain" and "domain update" advice - and irregular presence of either - causes confusion.

Some advice about domain updates involves unnecessary waiting. In other cases, new domain owners jump right in, and try using their new domains, immediately - and regret later.

Moving too quickly, with Blogger custom domain publishing, can lead to Google database corruption. Fear of the apocryphal "Another blog ..." error - and similar Blogger access disruptions - leads many technical helpers to routinely advise unnecessary waiting periods.

People who make changes, and see their changes work immediately, cause similar confusion. Somebody who is advised to wait 2 to 4 hours, before publishing the blog to the domain - and who observe that the domain, perversely, is immediately operational - may misunderstand.

Remember that everybody who wants to read a blog won't have the same DNS service. Differences between one reader (or search engine), and another, will cause various confusions.

Waiting too long wastes time - but not waiting long enough can cause worse problems. For best results, there will be unnecessary waiting, sometimes.

Just be aware of the different latency periods - and try to provide relevant advice.

• Domain addition latency can be 24 to 48 hours ("86400" to "172800" seconds).
• Domain update latency can be 10 minutes, to 48 hours ("600" to "172800" seconds).

Domain addition latency can be 24 to 48 hours ("86400" to "172800" seconds).

Domain addition latency results from the different name servers - and server owners and update policies - all over the Internet. Any given name server updates their local domain master database periodically, by retrieving the zone file from the various master name servers.

If the domain master database on a given server is updated daily - and if your domain was setup 1 minute after the daily update, your domain will not be added to that server until the next daily update.

Now consider that there are thousands of name servers, owned by hundreds of registrars, ISPs, and other Internet services. All local name servers are updated on a schedule considered appropriate, by the owner of each service.

For best results, your domain needs to be indexed on any name server that might be used by any one of your readers - or any one of the search engines that provide necessary search results, for any one of your would be readers. Do you see the possibilities for confusion, for any new domain?

This justifies waiting "24 to 48 hours", so your new domain will be visible to everybody, at the same time. This strategy hopefully will prevent possible Google database corruption.

Domain update latency can be 10 minutes, to 48 hours ("600" to "172800" seconds).

Update of individual DNS addresses will generally be more prompt - and can be researched, using a Dig log or similar display. The TTL latency for any given DNS address - unlike the domain master updates - can be easily adjusted, and determined.

As an example, here is the DNS address which controls visibility of this blog, as shown in a Dig log.

See the "3600" for "blogging.nitecruzr.net"?



See the "3600" for "blogging.nitecruzr.net"? That tells us that "blogging.nitecruzr.net" updates on a 1 hour (3600 second) basis.

All things being equal, and every name server on the Internet properly updating, if I was to correct addressing for "blogging.nitecruzr.net", every name server would be issuing the updated Blogger addresses within 3600 seconds - and the average latency would be 1/2 hour. To increase reliability when advising address correction, I would advise

After you correct the addresses, please wait 2 hours (2 x "3600" seconds) before continuing. This will let all DNS servers on the Internet receive the corrected addresses.

Since most Blogger forum discussions about DNS addressing take place over hours or days, a 1 hour latency is generally inconsequential. Keeping it simple, I don't bother with a 1 to 2 hour latency, when providing address correction / update advice.

A 4 hour or greater latency, on the other hand, I generally mention in my advice.

After you correct the addresses, please wait 8 hours (2 x "14400" seconds) before continuing. This will let all DNS servers on the Internet receive the corrected addresses.

When adding a DNS address, as part of address correction, latency will be close to 0 seconds. If you need to retrieve an address for a new host, just defined by the blog owner, you'll either get it immediately from cache on the local name server, or from the local server requesting an immediate update from the domain master server.

Deletions and updates, which reference out of date / redundant addresses, are subject to address latency.

Understand the different latency numbers.

Additions are only relevant for NEW domains - and they lead to the "24 to 48 hour" advice, as the latency involves the Internet infrastructure in general. Address corrections are relevant for UPDATED domains, such as DNS address corrections - and latency is involved on an individual address basis.

By being more selective when we advise waiting "24 to 48 hours", we can provide more consistent and vigourous testing advice - and encourage more effective domain additions and updates. And this will be better for custom domain publishing, in general.

Need More Detail?

For more discussion, you can read:

• Ezine: DNS Propagation Explained - or Why You Have to Wait the 72 Hours
• InterMedia: What is DNS propagation?
• WebHosting: What is DNS propagation and why does it take so long?
• WikiPedia: Domain Name System

And, try these DNS Propagation Checkers, for experimentation.

• dnschecker.org
• preshweb.co.uk
• whatsmydns.net

---

Not every Blogger blog owner understands the cause, and the effects, of DNS latency - or the detail that there are multiple latency figures, which affect custom domain publishing in various ways.

To better plan a custom domain update, it is good to understand the different causes of latency.

The Mysterious "Destination" / "Points To" Label

Some blog owners buy domains, for publishing a Blogger blog, and ask about how to address the domain.

What address do I use for "Points to"?

Other owners may ask a similar question, referencing "Destination" or maybe "Target".

There is no real difference, between all 3 labels. "Destination", "Target", and "Points to" all refer to the same DNS address value.

To compound the confusion, 4 different addresses are required, when addressing a Blogger custom domain root.

Defining the DNS servers used by the domain root ("naked domain") requires 4 address records - and the labels used, in the zone editor, will vary from registrar to registrar.

We know of 3 different labels, used by Blogger custom domain instructions.

The referential Blogger document How do I use a custom domain name for my blog? uses 3 labels to identify the 4 name servers, which are provided by Google. Blogger uses the triplet label "Destination, Target, or Points to" as their example.

Note that not all registrars use "Name, Label, or Host" and "Destination, Target, or Points to" - because not all registrar zone editors display addresses in a neat column based display.

Google provides 4 name servers, to give us multiple redundancy.

Google provides four mutually redundant individual servers, each responding to a specific IP address - for custom domain clients to address the domain root, in a round robin sequence.

There are 4 name servers provided by Blogger, to address a custom domain root.



Each domain root name server entry uses 2 important label values ("Name, Label, or Host" - and "Destination, Target, or Points to") - with a zone editor that displays addresses in columns.

Each label may have 1 of 3 values, depending upon the zone editor provided by the registrar.

Here is the Dig Log, for the domain root. Look at the 2, 4, 6, and 8, in the 4 address entries.

mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.32.21
mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.34.21
mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.36.21
mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.38.21

In the GoDaddy zone editor, you'll see these entries depicted as

  Host   Points to           TTL
  @      216.239.32.21    1 Hour
  @      216.239.34.21    1 Hour
  @      216.239.36.21    1 Hour
  @      216.239.38.21    1 Hour

The GoDaddy zone editor uses the labels "Host" and "Points to".

Similar labels ("Name", "Label" and "Destination", "Target") are used by various other registrars, in their own zone editor.

A Zone Editor display, showing the base DNS addresses, for GoDaddy.

Here is the display, used by GoDaddy, for "nitecruzr.co.uk".

Here is the zone editor display, as provided by GoDaddy.
Do you see the 4 address records, beneath "Points to"?



The labels in the address records differ, from registrar to registrar. The "Name, Label, or Host" address values (here, shown as "@") will differ, from registrar to registrar - but the "Destination, Target, or Points to" address values will not differ. A properly addressed domain will have the same 4 "Destination, Target, or Points to" address values, as every other properly addressed domain.

mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.3n.21

Each address will have one of four values for n: 2, 4, 6, or 8.

Complementing "Destination, Target, or Points to", we have another label set.

Complementing the 3 "Destination, Target, or Points to" label address values, for addressing the 4 name servers provided by Google, we have a similar set of 3 "Name, Label, or Host" label address values.

Addressing "Name, Label, or Host" is somewhat simpler - as all 4 entries are identical to each other, for any domain root address entry.

The Blogger instructions, like the GoDaddy zone editor, use "@", when addressing the domain root. The zone editor value used, however, may differ from registrar to registrar.

Any blog owner, wishing to have a working custom domain, needs to understand how to setup a domain for the registrar involved.

The end result.

Both the "Name, Label, or Host" - and the "Destination, Target, or Points to" - label triplets are only examples. Other unidentified registrars may use other labels.

Some registrars - such as 1and1 in their instructions 1&1 Help Center - Enter a CNAME for Your Subdomain - do not use a column based display. Neither "Name, Label, or Host" or "Destination, Target, or Points to" is part of the 1and1 instructions.

Considering the Blogger instructions, and the terminology required, Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue will not soon run out of blog owners, requesting assistance for making their custom domains work.

---

Some #Blogger blog owners, in the process of setting up their blogs using custom domain publishing, find that labels "Name", "Label", or "Host" - and "Destination", "Points to", or "Target" - are only examples, in the Blogger Help document.

There is no attempt at standardisation, used by the thousands of different Internet registrars, in their dashboards (aka "zone editors").




https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/kMDo0O1xtDM

Custom Domain Migration, And Redirection Blocking

We see occasional frustration, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, involving broken or unreliable custom domains.

I setup the Custom Domain properly, following the Google directions.

For some of my readers, my custom domain is not opening. I can see it is going in an infinite loop in the browser - and after a long time, it's throwing errors. My domain is setup, properly. Why do I have to deal with this?

And we will investigate - and in many cases, we find the domain is setup properly.

Some custom domain published blogs have problems, which have nothing to do with the domain setup.

Some custom domain problems involve custom code, added to the template, long ago.

Not everybody is in favour of the ongoing Blogger efforts to convince blog owners to force their readers to use HTTPS / SSL, in blog access.

A number of hackers are making their websites popular, by providing code that lets blogs block forced HTTPS access - just as they provided code that blocked local country domain redirection. Some blog owners add this dodgy code, to their blogs.

This hacking lets blog owners publish their blogs, and use accessories and gadgets that only support HTTP access. Unfortunately, with third party code, you get what you get.

Some third party code, which blocks HTTPS blog access, works OK - for a while.

When a blog is published to a custom domain, redirection to "blogspot.com" causes a redirect loop - or a security check.

<script type='text/javascript'>
var blog = document.location.href.toLowerCase();
if (!blog.match(/\.blogspot\.com/)) {
  blog = blog.replace(/\.blogspot\..*?\//, ".blogspot.com/ncr/");
  window.location.replace(blog);
  }
</script>

This is clever code, seen some time ago when used to block country local domain redirection. Then, as now, some blogs might be deleted or locked as malware hosts - or the blogs would become intermittently inaccessible.

Is the unreliability appropriate? You can add what code you like, to your blog. Eventually, what you add may cause you problems.

---

Some #Blogger blog owners add clever code, to block HTTPS Redirection, to their blogs. This is the same hacker provided code, used long ago to block local country domain redirection.

Like country domain redirection, the code added may work fine, for a while. Eventually, the blog will be deleted / locked for malware hosting - or will start throwing 404 errors and similar confusion.

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/71k8xOXxByI

Custom Domain Publishing And Private Blogs

We see an occasional report in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, about custom domain publishing.

My readers can't view the blog - they get a redirection count error!

DNS analysis shows a properly setup domain. When we try to examine the blog, we see a private blog notice - or we are required to login.

But why a private blog, using a custom domain?

The purpose of publishing to a custom domain is to increase readership - by making a blog more visible, using a non BlogSpot URL.

A private blog has limited readership, based on permissions provided by the owner. The need to make a blog private conflicts with the need to increase reader population.

Besides the functional conflict, there's a second problem with combining a custom domain published blog, and access by invitation. Both the custom domain redirection, and the private blog redirection involve interstitial code.

This is a private blog. Combine this, and a custom domain redirection - and you get trouble.



A potential blog reader, when accessing the blog by the BlogSpot URL, will redirect to the domain URL - and then to the access checking interstitial. Some browsers will interpret this as a possible security issue, and cite

Too many redirections!

In other cases, the two redirections may lead to a redirect loop - and the reader will see a white screen of death.

What ever the result - "Too many redirections", or a redirect loop, the potential reader will never see the blog.

If you want to publish a blog, and limit reader access by invitation, you're better off publishing to BlogSpot. If you want to use a non BlogSpot URL, a public blog makes sense.

---

You are allowed to publish a #Blogger blog with a designated reader population - and you're allowed to publish a blog to a non BlogSPot URL.

You can publish a private blog to a custom domain, if you wish - but this is not recommended. Learn why combining limited access with a non BlogSpot URL is not a good idea.

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/5IUByvxKYeg

Custom Domain Setup, And The Blogger Instructions

Custom domain setups continue to confuse blog owners - and lead sometimes to frustration, expressed in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue.

When I am trying to set up a custom domain for my new blog, I'm not getting the 2nd CNAME Record, but the settings get saved.

In some cases, the domain may be operational - and other times, the domain will be broken, and no corrective instruction is provided.

The details in the instructions, Blogger Help: How do I use a custom domain name for my blog?, are misleading - and have resulted in broken domains.

The Blogger instructions are confusing.

5. Go to your domain registrar's website and locate the DNS (Domain Name System) settings in the control panel.

Not a lot of details, there.

10. Before you move onto the final step, wait about an hour for your DNS settings to activate. If you attempt the final step before your settings are activated, we'll let you know with a warning message.

All registrars don't use "3600" second TTL.



That's 2 examples of possible problems.

Publishing a blog to a custom domain is so much easier - and produces more reliable results - if you follow basic principles.

• Learn to use your registrar's zone editor.
• Learn to read a Dig log.
• Setup the DNS addresses, for your domain.
• If necessary, add domain ownership verification.

Learn to use your registrar's zone editor.

The registrar dashboard / zone editor is the portion of the registrar's website, that is created to let you, the domain owner, setup your own domain.

The zone editor is unique, for every different registrar - just as every website is different. One of the signs of uniqueness is hinted, by Blogger.

Each CNAME is composed of two parts - Name, Label or Host and Destination, Target or Points to.

These two (only two) terms here refer to the most essential details, in the zone editor, that make your domain operational. The two details have no consistent names - so we use examples.

The first CNAME is the same for everyone, Name being "www" and Destination "ghs.google.com."

That one sentence is the most essential, for all domains. It looks so simple - but it's so easy to get it wrong. Not every blog owner will see "Name" and "Destination" in the zone editor display. This leads to many imaginative - and wrong - alternatives.

Each registrar labels their zone editor, as they see fit. I've seen other terms used, in addition to the 6 implied. Both "Name, Label or Host" and "Destination, Target or Points to" are merely three examples, for each of these two essential elements.

These details are only hinted, by the Blogger instructions.

5. Go to your domain registrar's website and locate the DNS (Domain Name System) settings in the control panel.
6. Now it's time to enter the CNAMEs. Where it says Name, Label or Host simply enter "www" and list ghs.google.com as the Destination, Target or Points to.

Learning how to look, in the zone editor, is much more reliable than being told what to look for.

Learn to read a Dig log.

Compared to the confusion behind the registrar's zone editor, a Dig log is simplicity.

There are three basic DNS configurations, which produce a reliable domain for publishing a Blogger blog. 99.99% of all blog owners will use only one of the three.

ourdomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.32.21
ourdomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.34.21
ourdomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.36.21
ourdomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.38.21
www.ourdomain.com. 3600 IN CNAME ghs.google.com.

This is the asymmetrical DNS address configuration. Excepting one known variation, the asymmetrical configuration - with no options - is most reliable.

Setup the DNS addresses, for your domain.

As long as you have access to the zone editor, and understand the above issues - "Learn to use your registrar's zone editor" and "Learn to read a Dig log" - the rest will fall into place.

Unfortunately, not everybody has zone editor access. Similar to Blogger dashboard access, registrar dashboard access is not always a done deal.

Even having zone editor access, the Blogger instructions can mislead.

8. Optional: You can also enter A-records, which links your naked domain (example.com) to an actual site (www.example.com). If you skip this step, visitors who leave off the "www" will see an error page.
9. Optional continued: After completing Step 8, enter your domain name in the format example.com, and list the I.P. addresses shown below in the "A" section. You'll need to create four separate A-records which point to four different Google IPs.

Many problems, reported in the forums, indicate that using the domain root properly is (should be indicated as) a necessity.

• Always setup the domain root, to redirect to the published URL.
• Always specify all 4 Google servers, as redirection targets.
• Never include any non Google server, as a redirection target.
• Don't forget to enable the domain root redirect.

Once again, the domain root, configured properly, should not be suggested as an option.

10. Before you move onto the final step, wait about an hour for your DNS settings to activate. If you attempt the final step before your settings are activated, we'll let you know with a warning message.

All registrars don't use one hour TTL.

Be careful of the TTL setting. Unless you know better, stick with the registrar's TTL setting - and try to understand the effects of TTL latency.

If necessary, add domain ownership verification.

Returning to the Blogger instructions, we see

The second CNAME is particular to your blog and your Google Account, and is therefore different for each person.

Not every blog owner will see the second CNAME - whether or not the domain is properly setup.

The Blogger dashboard Publishing wizard only displays the "Error 12", and the second CNAME, under specific conditions. In some cases, the blog will be published to the domain - and the second CNAME will not be provided.

You may not see the instructions for the second "CNAME", until your base addresses are right. If you need the second "CNAME", the "Error 12" display will provide details - when the base addresses redirect properly. If the blog publishes, a second "CNAME" is not necessary.

That is my suggestion. Get the addresses right, before you start - then publish to the domain URL.

If the blog publishes to the domain, and the addresses are wrong, the domain will be broken - or unreliable.

The bottom line.

It's good to have instructions, they suggest the need for proper domain setup technique. Just don't be surprised if following them blindly gives you a broken domain - and an offline blog.

If you are lucky, the blog will appear offline immediately after using the Publishing wizard - and you will know that there is a problem to be fixed. Other times, you (or some readers) might not realise a problem until months or years later.

In the latter case, we'll see you, one day, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue.

I published my blog to my private domain, last month - and the blog pageviews have been in the crapper, ever since!

---

The instructions supplied by #Blogger, for setting up a custom domain published blog, can be misleading. Blindly observed, they can lead to an immediately offline blog - or to a blog that is online for some, and intermittently offline for others.

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/Jv0fT5cws3U

Don't Always Blame Blogger, With Your Blog Down!

Some of my favourite problem reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, are about inconsistent blog online status.

It was fine yesterday. Why is it down, now?

and

I see the blog, just fine! Why are some of my readers complaining?

and

I can access it, using my phone! Why is Blogger down, on my home computer?

and

The registrar tells me everything is OK!

Whenever I see the latter report, I know exactly where to start.

Particularly when I see the latter symptom, I know exactly where to start.

The registrar tells me everything is OK!

The "registrar says" is a frequent indicator of the problem. I'm not naming names, but the initial "G" (and not "Google") is very frequently involved, in this case.

So, I start with a Dig log, for the domain. And 99% of the time, that's all that is needed.

Bogus DNS addresses are a very commonly seen diagnosis, in so many of these cases. For 99.99% of the blogs, published to a custom domain, there is simply no effective substitute for the "Asymmetrical DNS" setup, provided long ago.

• Maybe the blog will be up for you, and some would be readers - but others will be seeing the "404".
• Maybe it was fine, yesterday - and today it is suggesting spam and viruses.
• It will only work, for some people, some of the time. That is the only constant.

So you call the registrar - and they tell you that it has to be Blogger, because they have no problem accessing it. But the registrar is part of the problem.

The righteous address setup.

mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.32.21
mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.34.21
mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.36.21
mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.38.21
www.mydomain.com. 3600 IN CNAME ghs.google.com.

The domain root uses 4 x "A" addresses, accessed in a round robin sequence. And the published URL uses a single "CNAME", resolved using a complex name server array. With both domain root and "www" alias properly addressed, your blog has much better chance of being consistently and reliably accessed.

One possibly righteous address setup.

One Blogger Engineer recommended a modified version of the asymmetrical DNS setup, to be used by 1&1 customers. Only time will tell if this setup is reliable. I have seen several 1&1 customers, this year, suggesting that this is not long term reliable.

mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.32.21
www.mydomain.com. 3600 IN CNAME ghs.google.com.

Some spurious address setups.

Spurious address setups are unlimited, in variety. Here are a random 3 examples, from recent forum history.

Error when adding domain

https://productforums.google.com/d/topic/blogger/WvW2yZaS-FI/discussion

When i am trying to adding the domain it shows the error
Whoops, that's an error! (bX-6g9yx1)

socialsfriend.com. 600 IN A 184.168.221.33
www.socialsfriend.com. 3600 IN CNAME socialsfriend.com.

Blogger appears to be detecting this setup as a problem - and throws a bX code, to indicate a problem.

Mobile Redirection Failure

https://productforums.google.com/d/topic/blogger/rAJgN8pYdPw/discussion

When I am on mobile on google chrome (only browser I tested).

chartlearning.com does not redirect to www.chartlearning.com on mobile.

chartlearning.com. 600 IN A 50.63.202.10
www.chartlearning.com. 3600 IN CNAME ghs.google.com.

This blog is online - and visible, using broadband - but no domain root redirection, for mobile browsing. "50.63.202.10" is not a Blogger / Google name server, and won't provide reliable redirection.

Can't publish my blog

https://productforums.google.com/d/topic/blogger/ibGqKLWXhO8/discussion

When I entered the "eac-leadership-consulting.com" domain in 3rd-party domain settings, I did not receive an error. I did not see the 2 CNAME records.

eac-leadership-consulting.com. 600 IN A 50.63.202.50
www.eac-leadership-consulting.com. 3600 IN CNAME eac-leadership-consulting.com.

This blog published - but ownership verification did not provide the required second "CNAME".

The bottom line.

There simply is no substitute for righteous DNS addressing, for custom domain publishing. Publishing to a custom domain is not a productive activity, if you cannot follow instructions.

---

The ability to publish a #Blogger blog to a non BlogSpot URL has been provided, for almost 10 years. Some blog owners still cannot setup the domains properly - and remain oblivious, when a problem arises.

Learn why there is one effective DNS address setup, for custom domain publishing.

If you want a reliable custom domain, this is the address choice.

The DNS TTL Setting Is Chosen By The Registrar

Some blog owners, publishing their blog to a custom domain, wonder about the mysterious TTL setting for the domain.

What is "3600"? Why do I see "7200" in my Dig log?

and

Why do I have to wait 8 hours, after changing my DNS addresses?

DNS latency (aka "TTL") is not understood, by many blog owners. A mistake in setting TTL can cause anger and frustration.

"Time To Live" aka "TTL" is a registrar individual setting, that is used for providing proper performance from the registrars name servers and network.

There are multiple TTL settings - and each can have a different effect on your domain.

TTL controls caching of the DNS addresses, used to access your domain.

TTL indicates how long a DNS address will remain in cache, on a computer, before that computer requests an updated value. It's an essential (but obscure) component, in setting up a custom domain.

Since you're reading this blog, your computer has the address of this blog in cache - and won't be requesting an update, until "TTL" for "blogging.nitecruzr.net" expires. GoDaddy, the registrar for "nitecruzr.net", uses "3600" seconds, or 1 hour TTL.

Your computer probably uses the nameservers provided by your ISP - and your ISPs nameservers get updates from the nameservers provided by GoDaddy. Changes to "nitecruzr.net" go from Google, to GoDaddy, to your ISP, to your computer - and TTL applies to each DNS cache.

A typical Dig log, for a domain with a low TTL value.

Look at a Dig log extract, for "nitecruzr.net".

http://www.digwebinterface.com/?hostnames=nitecruzr.net%0D%0Ablogging.nitecruzr.net&type=A&useresolver=8.8.4.4&ns=auth&nameservers=

nitecruzr.net. 3600 IN A 216.239.32.21
nitecruzr.net. 3600 IN A 216.239.34.21
nitecruzr.net. 3600 IN A 216.239.36.21
nitecruzr.net. 3600 IN A 216.239.38.21
blogging.nitecruzr.net. 3600 IN CNAME ghs.google.com.

You set the TTL, for each individual DNS address, when you setup your domain. The registrar provides a recommended TTL - but most registrars let you select a different setting, within a given range.

A lower TTL ("600" seconds or 10 minutes) provides faster refresh after a change is made - but puts more load on the registrars name servers, and requires a more responsive network.

A higher TTL ("7200" or 2 hours) provides slower refresh - and puts less load on the registrars name servers. And when a change is made, by Google, a higher TTL can cause problems.

If you don't understand DNS, you will be better off not changing from the registrar recommended setting. Some registrars won't even have a TTL setting, in their zone editor - and others may hide it, behind an "Advanced" menu or similar.

If you generate a Dig log for your domain, you'll see the TTL settings for your addresses.

A typical Dig log, for a domain with a high TTL value.

Look at a Dig log, for "rockchickenz.com".

Here, the current DNS addresses (correction pending).

Here, we see a TTL of "14400" (displayed as "14399") - or 4 hours.

rockchickenz.com. 14399 IN A 78.137.164.51
www.rockchickenz.com. 14399 IN CNAME ghs.google.com.

For best results, we suggest that you wait 2 x TTL, after making DNS changes.

I recommend waiting 2 x "TTL", after making any DNS changes, before acting from those changes. Having diagnosed the painful "Another blog ..." domain database corruption, too many times, I suggest this whenever possible.

After you correct the addresses, please wait 8 full hours (2 x "14400" seconds) before continuing. This will let all DNS servers on the Internet receive the corrected addresses.

In many cases, TTL will be "3600" or "1 hour" - and with a typical forum diagnostic session taking several hours between posts, a one or two hour TTL is transparent to the forum discussion.

With domains using 4 hour TTL, suggesting that the blog owner wait 8 full hours after making the change, before re publishing the blog to the domain, makes sense. And a 2 full days, for "86400" seconds, makes even more sense.

And getting a righteous DNS address complement verified - before re publishing - makes the most sense.

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DNS TTL latency, which affects accessibility of every #Blogger custom domain published blog, is not understood by many blog owners. To provide a stable domain - and a more visible blog after it's published to a custom domain - every blog owner should understand this obscure detail.

Blogger Magic - The Custom Domain Root Redirect

When you setup a custom domain, for a Blogger blog, the DNS addresses are the most important issue.

A close second in importance, to righteous DNS addressing, is redirecting the domain root to the published URL. We see frequent problem reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue.

Why does my domain only work, with the "www" in the address?

The domain root provides a backup to the published URL, in many domain setups. If the domain root is not redirected, and DNS for the "www" or other published alias is down, the domain is down.

With the proper DNS addresses in place, redirecting the domain root is a very simple process.

Start from Settings - Basic.

Start from the dashboard Settings - Basic page.

Click on "Edit" in the Publishing "Blog Address" wizard.

With this blog, I have the option to select "Redirect nitecruzr.net to blogging.nitecruzr.net."



You can only redirect the domain root - no virtual hosts.

Generally, you would publish to "www.mydomain.com" - then you would have the option to "Redirect mydomain.com to www.mydomain.com".

Note that you can only redirect the domain root - even if you publish to a virtual host, such as "www.blog.mydomain.com". "blog.mydomain.com" and www.blog.mydomain.com" are separate hosts - and cannot be aliased.

Whatever you have, the option will work best, when you start with righteous DNS addresses.

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Given righteous DNS addresses, publishing a #Blogger blog to a custom domain will produce a more stable blog, with the domain root redirected to the published URL. As the blog owner, you need to be sure to select the redirect option.

Blogger Magic - Reading A Dig Log

Whether you're setting up or troubleshooting a custom domain, knowing how to read a Dig log is a useful skill.

There are hundreds of registrars, serving the Internet community, each with their own dashboard. Blog owners, setting up their domains for their Blogger blogs, must deal with the syntax and terminology used by each different dashboard.

A Dig log lets the blog owner identify the DNS addresses for the domain, using a consistent display.

By identifying the DNS addresses used in a given domain, a blog owner or an experienced forum helper can diagnose many custom domain DNS related problems.

Here is an example of Dig log use, showing an excerpted Dig log, in a typical forum topic. For more detail, see my earlier post, Diagnosing Problems With Custom Domains: Dig.

I have a domain (www.rockchickenz.com) - and want to link my blog (rockchickenz.blogspot.com).

• Start by verifying URLs involved.
• Continue with Dig Web Interface.
• A full screen print of the Dig log.
• The relevant portion of the Dig log, from the screen print.
• The relevant portion of the Dig log, as text.
• The advice provided, to the blog owner.
• Alternate / complementary tools used.

Start by verifying URLs involved.

Whenever possible, make a screen print, and a text copy, of the Blogger dashboard Publishing wizard, at Settings - Basic. Knowing the status of the blog and domain - and the exact URLs involved - can go a long way to diagnosing many custom domain publishing problems.

Continue with a Dig Web Interface log.

The best tool for generating a Dig log is Dig Web Interface. Alternate / complementary tools are listed below.

I use DWI, for this purpose, by preference. DWI lets you:

• Package the URLs in the Dig target, in the reference URL.
• Include multiple target URLs, in one reference URL.
• Both capabilities are very useful, in diagnosing Blogger custom domain publishing problems.

Start from the Dig Web Interface page.

Add the domain root and "www" alias, under "Hostnames or IP addresses:".

I select Type: "A", and Nameservers: "Authoritative", for my actual diagnoses.

Click "Dig".



The Dig Log reference URL, for "rockchickenz.com", generated from DWI. Target URLs are "rockchickenz.com" and "www.rockchickenz.com".

http://www.digwebinterface.com/?hostnames=rockchickenz.com%0D%0Awww.rockchickenz.com&type=A&ns=resolver&useresolver=8.8.4.4&nameservers=

A full screen print of the Dig log.

This is the complete Dig log, resulting from the Dig Log URL (above), and containing the relevant portion (below).

This is the Dig log, for "rockchickenz.com".



The relevant portion of the Dig log, from the screen print.

This is the important portion of the screen print (above), and showing the text (below).

This is the relevant portion of the Dig log, for "rockchickenz.com".



Note the TTL value of "14399" - which is a typical Dig log display for TTL set as "14400" (14400 seconds or 4 hours), in the registrar's zone editor. TTL is a setting which is used to adjust name server performance.

Unless you are experienced with DNS setup (and probably don't need to read this advice), you should use the default TTL provided by the registrar, for your domain. Your registrar wants to provide a stable domain for you - and the TTL value affects domain stability.

The relevant portion of the Dig log, as text.

These are the important details from the screen print (above), with colour highlights corresponding to domain specific details (below).

rockchickenz.com@8.8.4.4 (Default):
rockchickenz.com. 14399 IN A 78.137.164.51

www.rockchickenz.com@8.8.4.4 (Default):
www.rockchickenz.com. 14399 IN CNAME ghs.google.com.
ghs.google.com.  21392 IN CNAME ghs.l.google.com.
ghs.l.google.com. 92 IN A 64.233.183.121

The latter is typically seen, with a blog owner having received bogus advice - and reporting an inconsistently accessible blog.

The advice provided, to the blog owner.

The typical advice, provided to the blog owner, would include domain specific details - accompanied by a link to Setting Up DNS Addresses For Custom Domains.

First, generic advice:

Remove the addresses highlighted in red - and add the addresses highlighted in green - and keep the addresses highlighted in yellow.

Then, specific advice:

This is what you have:

rockchickenz.com. 14400 IN A 78.137.164.51
www.rockchickenz.com. 14400 IN CNAME ghs.google.com.

This is what you need:

rockchickenz.com. 14400    IN    A    216.239.32.21
rockchickenz.com. 14400    IN    A    216.239.34.21
rockchickenz.com. 14400    IN    A    216.239.36.21
rockchickenz.com. 14400    IN    A    216.239.38.21
www.rockchickenz.com. 14400    IN    CNAME    ghs.google.com.

The advice references a typical ASymmetrical DNS custom domain setup - the address set used in 99% of all custom domain setups. Note here, the specified TTL of "14400" (4 hours).

Using the above advice, the blog owner can then, if necessary, research the syntax used by the registrar's dashboard (aka "zone editor") - and make the necessary changes.

Alternate / complementary tools used.

Alternate tools, which can be used to generate a Dig log, are the Kloth.Net Dig DNS Lookup, and the Who.Is DNS display. Neither alternate is as compact and complete - but they can be used to verify results.

Complementary tools include the Global DNS Propagation Checker, the intoDNS domain DNS health checker, the Rex Swain HTTP Viewer, and the Whois Lookup.

In some cases, my 12 link affinity / differential connectivity test may be useful.

For more information.

See WikiPedia: dig (command).

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One of the most useful tools, for diagnosing #Blogger custom domain problems, is a Dig Log. Learning how to read a Dig Log is a useful skill, for any blog owner wishing to publish a blog to a custom domain.

A Domain Root, With Blogger And Non Blogger Hosts

Some blog owners publish a domain, and try to combine a Blogger blog, and a non Blogger website, in the domain root.

They publish one host to the domain root - and the other to the "www" alias.

This combination may be supported by the non Blogger host - but Blogger blog reliability will suffer. And the readers may become confused, when they click to view the blog, and get the website - or vice versa.

There is a special relationship between the domain root and "www" alias. Blogger takes advantage of this relationship, to provide improved reliability for a blog, when published to a custom domain.

Ignoring the special relationship, and splitting the domain root and "www" alias, leads to confusion - and decreased blog reliability.

Please don't publish two different hosts into the domain root / "www" pair.

Please, don't combine a Blogger blog and a non Blogger website, in the domain root / "www" alias duality.

There are 3 mutually exclusive configurations, for combining a Blogger blog and a non Blogger website in a domain, which will produce a reliable blog. Your readers will be happier - and the search engines will index the blog better - if you stick to one of the 3 supported configurations.

Taking the 3 supported Blogger configurations, we can add a properly published non Blogger website - and produce 3 more possible variants.

1. Non Blogger website published to the "site" alias.
2. Non Blogger website published to the domain root.
3. Non Blogger website published to the "www" alias.

Non Blogger website published to the "site" alias.

Here, the blog is published to the "www" alias, with the domain root redirected to the "www" alias - and the website is published to an additional virtual host, such as "site". This is a variant of the Blogger asymmetrical DNS configuration.

mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.32.21
mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.34.21
mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.36.21
mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 216.239.38.21
www.mydomain.com. 3600 IN CNAME ghs.google.com.
site.mydomain.com 3600 IN A 162.210.101.54

Non Blogger website published to the domain root.

Here, the blog is published to the "blog" alias - and the website is published to the domain root. The website may or may not support redirection of the "www" alias to the domain root. This is a variant of the Blogger additional virtual host DNS configuration.

mydomain.com. 3600 IN A 162.210.101.54
www.mydomain.com 3600 IN A 162.210.101.54
blog.mydomain.com 3600 IN CNAME ghs.google.com.

Non Blogger website published to the "www" alias.

Here, the blog is published to the "blog" alias - and the website is published to the "www" alias. The website may or may not support redirection of the domain root to the "www" alias. This is a variant of the Blogger additional virtual host DNS configuration.

mydomain.com 3600 IN A 162.210.101.54
www.mydomain.com 3600 IN A 162.210.101.54
blog.mydomain.com 3600 IN CNAME ghs.google.com.

Your blog will be more reliably online - and your readers will be happier. And happier readers leads to better search engine indexing - and to more readers.

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#Blogger blogs published to custom domains use both the domain root / "www" alias, for reliable connectivity. Trying to publish a blog, and a non Blogger website, to the domain root / "www" alias, leads to confusion - and decreased reliability for the blog.

Custom Domain Publishing, And World Culture

People who speak (read / write) languages, that do not use Roman character sets, need to publish in their native language - and the Internet now supports that need.

Some registrars will register domains which use non Roman character sets, in the URL. Not all Internet services will accept non Roman characters, however.

My favourite online DNS diagnostic services, DigWebInterface, and intoDNS, and Rex Swain's HTTP Viewer, only use ASCII. One cannot use non ASCII ("non Roman") characters, with either service.

"بحث-سناب.com", as converted, shows an example of an Internationalized domain name.

To use DigWebInterface to retrieve DNS addresses, and intoDNS to check the domain setup, we have to convert the native URL to Ascii.

I use three reliable online services, which will convert URLs to ASCII.

• DomainTools
• WhoIs - Identity for everyone
• Who.is - Powered by Name.com

Converting "بحث-سناب.com" to ASCII involves use of one of the latter services.

DomainTools

WhoIs - Identity for everyone

Who.is - Powered by Name.com



Using the 3 tools, we see that "بحث-سناب.com" == "xn----zmcbcml8b0j.com", "XN----ZMCBCML8B0J.COM", and "xn----zmcbcml8b0j.com", respectively. Look carefully, in the body of the display for each service, for the IDN equivalent.

We can then use "xn----zmcbcml8b0j.com", with DigWebInterface, and intoDNS - and get the necessary diagnostics.

And using the latter tools, we see a properly setup domain - which is now being used for a properly published Blogger blog, verified in Rex Swain.

DigWebInterface

intoDNS

Rex Swain's HTTP Viewer



And when assistance is requested, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, we can use these tools with non Roman character URLs.

There may be limitations, though.

Here is a blog published to "www.राजभाषाअनुभाग.भारत" - aka "www.xn--l1b0bn3cxacq2d2ccbd1b.xn--h2brj9c".

The IDN concept has now led to another domain name concept - "emoji" domains.

Some people have taken the ability to setup a domain, using non Roman characters, to another level. How about a domain name, which includes a smiley face?

This is a limited use feature. Maybe, the limit will save us?

The availability of emoji domains is limited. As of August 2017, there are eight top-level domains for which registration is possible, all of which are ccTLDs: .ai, .cf, .ga, .gq, .ml, .tk, .to, and .ws.

This is intriguing - but is it useful?



If people don't know how to "type" it, how will new readers access the blog? Will search engines index it? Does the Blogger "Create a blog" wizard actually support it?

The jury is still out, here. ".whatever" vanity TLDs started this trend. I'm not sure where this will go, with TLD "emoji" domains.

Houston, we may have a problem with TLDs that are IDN encoded.

For a TLD that is in English ("بحث-سناب.com"), both of these work:

http://www.digwebinterface.com/?hostnames=xn----zmcbcml8b0j.com%0D%0Awww.xn----zmcbcml8b0j.com&type=A&useresolver=8.8.4.4&ns=auth&nameservers=

https://intodns.com/xn----zmcbcml8b0j.com

For a TLD that is IDN encoded (राजभाषाअनुभाग.भारत"), we have mixed success.

This works:

http://www.digwebinterface.com/?hostnames=xn--l1b0bn3cxacq2d2ccbd1b.xn--h2brj9c%0D%0Awww.xn--l1b0bn3cxacq2d2ccbd1b.xn--h2brj9c&type=A&useresolver=8.8.4.4&ns=auth&nameservers=

This does not work:

https://intodns.com/check/?domain=%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97.%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A4

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The Internet now supports use of non ASCII characters, in URLs. In order to publish #Blogger blogs to Internationalised Domain Names, we need to convert native URLs to ASCII - using any one of three identified online DNS services.


https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/qKWZ0807m60

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/L1pv6CPUK18

Domain Ownership Verification May Not Be Required

Not all blog owners, publishing a blog to a custom domain, will be required to verify domain ownership.

Originally, this was not the case. When ownership verification was added to custom domain publishing, in 2012, every use of the Publishing wizard - even for domains previously purchased using "Buy a domain" - would require a new "CNAME".

Since many registrars limit the number of address entries / domain, the new "CNAME" meant half the maximum number of hosts / domain. Of course, most blog owners patience ran out long before the magical maximum - but there was always that spectre hanging over every custom domain.

Recently, the domain ownership verification requirements changed.

Now, instead of requiring ownership verification for each host, only publishing to the domain root generates the apocryphal "Error 12" and variants. Some blog owners, publishing to non root hosts, or trying to publish with spurious addresses, find their domains published without even the hint of verification.

Successful domain publishing requires you to add righteous base DNS addresses, and get the domain working.

• If you correct the base DNS addresses, and the domain works without the second "CNAME" added to the domain, the second "CNAME" is not required.
• If you correct the base DNS addresses, and the second "CNAME" is required, instructions for adding the second "CNAME" will be provided - when you publish to the domain.
• If you don't correct the base DNS addresses, the domain is not going to work - even with the second "CNAME" added to the domain.

Start by setting up a new domain with righteous base DNS addresses, then Publish to the proper address.

If you get the base addresses right, you may be given instructions for the second "CNAME". If so, you return to the zone editor, add the second "CNAME" using the instructions, and repeat the Publishing wizard. If the Publishing wizard indicates success

mycustomdomainblog.blogspot.com redirects to www.mydomain.com

you are almost done.

Use a text proxy and verify that the domain is now operational. If the text proxy shows a problem, check your base DNS addresses - and correct if necessary. Allow for proper DNS latency - and check domain operation again.

For best results, make sure that the domain root redirects properly, to the "www" alias.

If any doubt or confusion, start a new topic in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, and request assistance. Let us help you, before you try using a spuriously setup domain, and maybe avoid the old corrupt domain.

Key already exists for www.mydomain.com

Why subject yourself to needless pain and suffering? Don't worry, needlessly, if you don't get the well known "Error 12" when you hit "Save", and see

mycustomdomainblog.blogspot.com redirects to www.mydomain.com

Verify operation of the domain, maybe using an HTTP trace - and start getting the domain indexed by the search engines.

Don't Try To Split The Custom Domain Root URLs

Some blog owners publish both a blog and a website - and combine the two in the domain root / www host address pair.

This technique, while apparently reasonable, will eventually lead to confusion from the blog readers - and / or anguish by the blog owners.

Some readers, using a browser or DNS client that aliases the domain root and "www" host, will find that the website will come up, when the blog is referenced, or vice versa. And some blog owners may find, once more, another case of "Another blog ..." / Key already exists ...", when examining or publishing to the domain.

In neither case will the blog owners or readers be pleased.

We've known, for a while, about browsers and possibly DNS clients, that alias the domain root and the "www" host.

The domain root and "www" host are aliased, in some systems.

The practice of aliasing the domain root and "www" host has been common, with some webmasters, for years. Firefox - and possibly other web browsers and some DNS clients - have used the domain root, and "www" host, to back each other up.

The standard DNS setup for custom domain publishing, as provided by Blogger "Buy a domain", included a set of "A" addresses to define the domain root - and a "CNAME" to define the "www" host - whenever "Buy a domain" was provided as an option for Blogger blogs.

We've seen domain aliasing cause problems, with improperly domain root setup.

I have advised many custom domain blog owners, who have purchased domains directly from a registrar, to add the 4 x "A" records (when not defined - or when improperly defined), when reporting a "404" from the "www" host. Many times, the "404" has been resolved - even with the "www" host already properly defined, in DNS.

If you split your domain between a blog and a website, your readers may suffer.

If a domain is defined with a (non Blogger) website published to the domain root, and a Blogger blog published to the "www" host - and there is a problem accessing the "www" host - some browsers / DNS clients will automatically try accessing the domain root. This will happen, without decision by the computer owner.

If your reader is trying to access the blog (published to the "www" host) - and the browser displays the website (published to the domain root), this will lead to confusion.

It may seem like the domain root and "www" aliases are separately addressed domain components - but this may not, in reality, be true. The sanity of your readers many make this an important issue.

Besides the three supported Blogger configurations, there are an additional three variants, which support a non Blogger website combined with a Blogger blog. For best results, use one of the three identified configurations.