Sometime today, I will do what my boss likes to call “flipping the switch,” because he likes to imagine that everything I do is as uncomplicated as turning a light on or off. Flipping the switch actually means changing the DNS (domain name server) for ericdsnider.com so that instead of pointing to the Dreamhost server, it instead points to our brand new server. The DNS record is what your internet connection checks when you try to go to a website. When you type in “www.ericdsnider.com” in your browser, your internet connection checks with its internal DNS and says, “Hey, where should I go to find http://www.ericdsnider.com?” The DNS tells it where to go (not in a bad way), and it goes there.

The thing is, every ISP (internet service provider) has its own DNS server, and it is up to them how often they update it. So when I flip the switch later today, I will be changing the main record, but it won’t take effect for YOU until YOUR ISP updates its records. That is why it can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours, and why it is different for everyone.

Once I have flipped the switch, I will turn the commenting OFF on the Dreamhost server. However, commenting will still be enabled on the new server. So once commenting is once again enabled for you, that means that your DNS has successfully propagated. And you didn’t even have to do anything!

There you have it: more info than you ever wanted.