Tip: Propagate DNS in Minutes not Hours

For those responsible with switching sites from one server to another there’s a sure-fire way to quick propagation. It’s done by lowering the TTL (time-to-live) settings from a typical default of either an hour or day, down to 5 minute intervals. I’ll show you how.

First gain entry into you DNS server. In this example I’m using GoDaddy’s Total DNS Control (even though the UI is terrible).

Click on Advanced Mode, change the dropdown for TTL to 1/2 hour. This is the lowest GoDaddy goes but other interfaces, like Probind allow you to drop the intervals by manually entering an number. When finished click OK and you’re done.

I suggest starting the process about 1 week before the site is ready to go live. That gives servers across the web ample time to update their caches in advance of your update. Make the IP change when you are ready to update the server IP and you’ll notice a much quicker transition.

BONUS TIP: Also, we HIGHLY recommend using the free OpenDNS service. This system is a savior for giving us almost instantaneous ability to view DNS changes the moment they happen.