My domain alternates between two different addresses!

[Dapper Dan]

Sure can't figure this one out...

I recently set up a local webserver with Apache. I bought my domain name through Godqaddy.com. Godaddy parks the domain with a page to that effect until you get your site up.

I configured at godaddy for my domain to point to my server. Yet, when I enter the address into the address window in my browser, I never know where it's going to go. Half the time it will go to my server presenting my website as it should. But then a few minutes later, when I enter the address again and press enter, it'll take me to the Godaddy "parked" page! I never know which place it will take me when I attempt to reach my website.

The domain is machopowerwagon.com

What's going on here? Any ideas? I'd like to have at least some ideas about it before emailing their support. Thanks!

[Lazydog]

I think you don't have something setup correctly.
Here is what I get from DNS;

U:\>dig www.machopowerwagon.com

; <<>> DiG 9.3.1 <<>> www.machopowerwagon.com
;; global options:  printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 311
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 3, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;www.machopowerwagon.com.       IN      A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
www.machopowerwagon.com. 3525   IN      CNAME   machopowerwagon.com.
machopowerwagon.com.    3395    IN      A       68.178.232.100
machopowerwagon.com.    3395    IN      A       204.116.234.18

;; Query time: 0 msec
;; SERVER: 166.71.146.17#53(166.71.146.17)
;; WHEN: Fri Aug 08 14:17:54 2008
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 87

This is telling me that www.machopowerwagon.com is a CNAME to machopowerwagon.com which has 2 ip addresses. Looking up the ip address I see the following;

U:\>dig -x 68.178.232.100

; <<>> DiG 9.3.1 <<>> -x 68.178.232.100
;; global options:  printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 1816
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 2, ADDITIONAL: 2

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;100.232.178.68.in-addr.arpa.   IN      PTR

;; ANSWER SECTION:
100.232.178.68.in-addr.arpa. 3600 IN    PTR     parkwebwin-v01.prod.mesa1.secure
server.net.

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
232.178.68.in-addr.arpa. 3600   IN      NS      cns1.secureserver.net.
232.178.68.in-addr.arpa. 3600   IN      NS      cns2.secureserver.net.

;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
cns1.secureserver.net.  11697   IN      A       64.202.167.31
cns2.secureserver.net.  11697   IN      A       216.69.185.100

;; Query time: 170 msec
;; SERVER: 166.71.146.17#53(166.71.146.17)
;; WHEN: Fri Aug 08 14:18:53 2008
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 171

U:\>dig -x 204.116.234.18

; <<>> DiG 9.3.1 <<>> -x 204.116.234.18
;; global options:  printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NXDOMAIN, id: 1869
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;18.234.116.204.in-addr.arpa.   IN      PTR

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
116.204.in-addr.arpa.   3600    IN      SOA     ns1.neonova.net. hostmaster.neon
ova.net. 2007051802 3600 1800 1209600 3600

;; Query time: 90 msec
;; SERVER: 166.71.146.17#53(166.71.146.17)
;; WHEN: Fri Aug 08 14:20:49 2008
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 107

I am not sure which one is correct but you might want to remove the wrong record at GoDaddy.

[Lazydog]

Let me explain this a little bit more for you.

When DNS has more then one ip address for a host it will round robin the ip address meaning the following;

Request 1 => Answer IP 1
Request 2 => Answer IP 2
Request 3 => Answer IP 1
Request 4 => Answer IP 2

And so forth which means half of the responses are incorrect in your case.

[Dapper Dan]

That would certainly explain it! Thanks Lazydog! I'll see what I can do to correct it.

[Dapper Dan]

I presume I did this right. I went back to godaddy, went into DNS control and MX records and deleted "@ 216.69.185.100" and did another one pointing toward my server's IP.

Thanks again Lazydog!

[Lazydog]

Looks better.

~ $ dig www.machopowerwagon.com

; <<>> DiG 9.2.4 <<>> www.machopowerwagon.com
;; global options:  printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 25903
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 2, AUTHORITY: 2, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;www.machopowerwagon.com.       IN      A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
www.machopowerwagon.com. 3600   IN      CNAME   machopowerwagon.com.
machopowerwagon.com.    3600    IN      A       204.116.234.18

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
machopowerwagon.com.    3600    IN      NS      ns03.domaincontrol.com.
machopowerwagon.com.    3600    IN      NS      ns04.domaincontrol.com.

;; Query time: 230 msec
;; SERVER: 24.154.1.35#53(24.154.1.35)
;; WHEN: Sun Aug 10 01:29:32 2008
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 123