What are my nameservers?

Introduction

A name server is a specialized server which DNS zone files hosts and plays an important role in the Domain Name System (DNS). It helps translate domain names into IP addresses and assists browsers in mapping URLs to websites.

How do name servers work?

The job of name servers is to translate your URL into IP addresses, a language that computers understand and that allows them to retrieve information about a website from a worldwide network of servers.

Let's say you want to visit a website called orcwebhosting.com. When you search for orcwebhosting.com with a browser, your computer immediately loads a web page and allows you to access the website. It sounds simple. But the process is more technical than looking behind the scenes.

When you enter orcwebhosting.com in a browser, your computer sends a request to the name servers of orcwebhosting.com. They then respond with the IP address of the website. Your browser then sends a request for the content of the website from this IP address. As soon as your browser has retrieved the requested information, the content of the website is loaded. This happens so quickly that you don't even notice it unless something goes wrong.

Where can I find the information at ORC Webhosting?

ORC Webhosting sends you a welcome email every time you purchase a hosting package. Your name server information can be found in the welcome email and in the customer center. Here's an example of what those from ORC Webhosting look like:

ns1.orcwebhosting.ch
ns2.orcwebhosting.ch

Regardless of the type of web hosting account you have with us, the welcome email sent to your registered email address will contain the nameservers of your hosting package.

Please notethat it can take up to 24 hours until the new DNS entries are active in the entire www. You can find more information in our tutorial: How long does it take for my domain to point to my website?

If I change the name servers, what happens?

The name servers determine which DNS provider is used for your domain. If you have a web hosting subscription with ORC Webhosting, your Default nameservers ns1.orcwebhosting.ch and ns2.orcwebhosting.ch.

As soon as you switch your domain's name servers to those of a third-party provider, all the features included in your web hosting subscription will be disabled. This includes the homepage builder, the webshop and the e-mail functions, among others.

For this reason we recommend, always use the name servers of ORC Webhosting.

For more information please contact our support.