In the past, I have recommended domain registrar NameCheap.com. But after last weekend’s server move, I retract any such recommendation.

I have 20-some odd domains registered, all with NameCheap. When moving servers, it was necessary to change the DNS listings for all of them. There are three ways to do this in the NameCheap interface. For some domains, an option comes up to type or paste DNS entries directly. For some, there’s a different sidebar, but that sidebar gives a “Make Like Another Domain” option. (I have no idea why NameCheap’s UI is inconsistent in that regard.) And there’s also a mass update capability, for a page of results (about 9) on the Manage Domains listing.

I started by changing a single domain (DBMS2.com). Then I noticed the mass change option, and tried it. However, I was told it might take the changes up to an hour go through. (9 freaking transactional updates? An hour?? What are you thinking, NameCheap?) I also found that when I tried the DNS management option, on the sidebars that showed it, I frequently got busy server error messages. (C’mon, NameCheap — just how busy can your core servers be on the weekend? Or do you have such terrible backup practices that they are fatally slowed when being backed up?)

My websites broke right and left during the move, and nslookup indicated DNS problems. When I went back to look at NameCheap, and was able to ascertain the DNS settings, sometimes I found NO ENTRIES AT ALL. Even the first one I changed — DBMS2.com — eventually had its entries nulled out.

Eventually, with mutiple tries, I seem to have gotten all the DNS entries right. But I have to say that the NameCheap system is one of the most error-prone database applications it has even been my misfortune to contend with.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 at 8:55 pm and is filed under Online and mobile services. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.