Joe Hackman

Joe Hackman

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Own and Manage Your DNS or it Could Ruin Your Reputation

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I’m going techie today to help answer some questions I get periodically about how I manage DNS.

What you see when DNS fails.

What we see in our browser when DNS for a website fails.

Imagine one day waking up and learning that your customers cannot access your website and your employees can’t access their Email. It happens all the time and it’s usually due to problems with DNS or Domain Name Services. DNS allows the world to locate services related to your domain name including your website and Email. It’s a system that is in place that allows us to use friendly and branded names like joehackman.com instead of numbers. There are two main components of DNS – your domain name registrar and your DNS servers. As you probably know the registrars are companies like Network Solutions and Godaddy, but there are many others available too. The DNS servers are specified by the registrar and are often the registrar themselves but that’s not always the best choice, I’ll get into more on that shortly.

Registrar – What can possibly go wrong?

Unfortunately lots of stuff can go wrong! For starters you could have your domain registration lapse due to a expired credit card. Or worse case someone could hack your domain registrar account and do whatever they want with your domain such as point it at a website that infects visitors will malware or a virus. This could have a huge impact on your reputation as you might imagine.

Best Practices – Domain Name Registrar

There are a few very important steps you can take to protect your domain name registration, I’ll give you the simple version and if you have questions about any of them use the comment section at the bottom of this blog post. Some best practices for Domain Name Registration:

  1. Use a firm you trust COMPLETELY or Preferably maintain your own Registrar account. Never register a domain name through a web hosting company and have them handle it all, these companies blow it from time to time and take you down with them.
  2. Use a reputable registrar to host your domain such as Network Solutions (I use their SRSPlus resale account for my domains – if you have more than a dozen or so domains you might consider using it as well to save money).
  3. Pay for extra years in advance so you don’t have to hassle with yearly registration charges and for a (potential/small) SEO Boost.
  4. Setup MULTIPLE calendar/delayed Email reminders about 90 days in advance of the renewal date. This is absolutely critical! You could even put something in the Email such as “Let’s not lose our domain name, it expires in 90 days @ Network Solutions if we don’t renew it!”
  5. Use a very secure password and store it securely, your reminder Email can also remind you where that password is stored even “Password is in the fire safe at the CEO’s house in the folder marked Work Stuff”.
  6. Make sure you maintain all Email accounts associated with all the users (administrative, registrant, technical, billing, etc) don’t let a staff change sink any important messages from your domain name registrar.
  7. Read and address any non-trivial messages you receive from your domain name registrar (credit card on file expiring, etc).

There are probably a number of other things you can do to get more out of your registration and plenty of things to look out for but if you follow the above steps you will probably be way ahead of the average person when it comes to management and protection of the domain name asset(s) at your company.

DNS Server Host – What can possibly go wrong?

The problems with DNS Server Hosting are very similar to the issues for a registrar account. The main difference is being that it is easier to recover from a problem with DNS Server Hosting. If you maintain your registrar account you can always make an emergency change in very short notice to resolve a problem. No-one wants to do that unless it’s absolutely necessary so it’s still best to adhere to some best practices.

Best Practices – DNS Server Hosting

To maintain the best possible DNS Server Hosting consider following these steps. I will share the abbreviated version here and please comment if you need further clarification.

  1. If you’re going to allow someone else to manage your DNS Server Hosting use only a company you trust completely to manage your DNS server hosting as if it was their own.
  2. Insist on a high end product that distributes the hosting over 5 or more regionally unique servers such as DNS Made Easy or Amazon Route 53 for the servers. These products have servers in different geographic locations in case there is an issue affecting the other regions. You can still access and make changes even when significant outages are affecting a large area.
  3. Maintain your billing contacts, account credentials and reminders the same way you handle the DNS registrar so you never miss an important renewal.

There are numerous other considerations for DNS Server Hosting, but if you follow these steps you will again be way ahead of the game. Most people do not take these issues into account until they experience a horrific scenario like the ones described in this article. Don’t be a victim of poor planning, your DNS matters a lot and there is much you can do to protect it from harm!

 

Farewell Danville and Hello El Dorado Hills

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If you followed my families adventure and my “workation” this summer, you know that just before leaving we had sold two homes in the Bay Area. What I didn’t mention was that we had been considering a change of scenery for more than just the 6 week road trip. My work has evolved to a point where I really don’t see customers as frequently as I did years past. Since I spend the majority of my time sitting behind my keyboard and not the wheel of my car, I no longer have a strong geographic tether.

I Love Danville

I guess this wouldn’t be complete without saying how much I love Danville, California. A Town I grew to love and will always maintain friendships, work relationships and a strong connection with. Danville is awesome, the people are awesome, the schools are awesome it’s really hard to criticize Danville. If I were to come up with criticism of Danville and perhaps the Bay Area as a whole it would be that it is expensive. It is a small price to pay though for all the opportunities that the area presents. I am not burning this bridge not now, not ever.

Priorities, Experiences

Experiences have become a much bigger priority in my life. Reflecting back at my recent past, the things I hold closest to my heart involved experiences with people and places. They were often different places like SOBCON in Chicago and Portland (now known as Genius Shared). They were also the experiences where I made the time, fighting against the current of my habits to find a calm new pool in this river of life. This summer was all about that and I have very strong feelings and conviction on the importance of experiencing many more different textures of life in the future. When I reconnected with some important people from my past and present in San Diego, my head was spinning with grand plans to reconnect with them for some new adventures. While driving down the Carefree Highway, I took in the joy of a song I remembered hearing as a small child. When I looked at the absolute grandeur of the Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon/Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley and other amazing treasures in Arizona it further emboldened my desire to experience new places and things. While enjoying the cooler climate of Utah near Bryce Canyon and the growing river alongside the highways; I pondered powerful metaphors of the affect every mile and site had on me during this trip. When I met with every customer who I had only spoken with on the phone and via Email, my appreciation for them as people grew. I learned things about them and their businesses that I would never know. I learned about the hobbies we shared, the life experiences we had in common, and I left with stronger ties to them than ever before.

Finding the Next Danville

Back in 2008-2009 when things got pretty rough financially for many of us, we considered leaving the Bay Area for a less expensive area. Little did we know then that we would discover a gem, our next Danville, in El Dorado Hills. We loved the homes nestled in the grand oaks in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The amazing views and the close proximity to some very different opportunities further attracted us. I recalled all the places not too far from the area where I camped and rode dirt bikes years ago in my 20’s. I imagined having access to those areas not for a weekend or even a long day trip but for part of a day and felt it would be a great experience for my family as well. Once the decision had been made we diligently sought a home that would accommodate all of our needs, but it became evident quickly that this task was going to be a greater challenge than we had hoped for. So we are now temporarily settled in an apartment so we could start our son in school and continue the search for the perfect (or nearly perfect?) home.

Cheers to New Beginnings

We are enjoying learning about our new home town and meeting the kind, laid back people of this community. If you’re ever in the area let me know, I’d love to connect with you! If you are in the Bay Area, fear not, I will be visiting frequently so keep in touch.

Adventure Day 25 – Road trip and World Cup Final at a Rest Stop

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Sunday we bid farewell to Southwest Utah, an area that had been very good to us. The weather was incredibly mild, the scenery was amazing, and the small towns along Highway 89 encouraged us to come back again and explore them. We might just have gotten lucky with the weather, but I am not complaining. One thing I really came to appreciate about Utah was the ever-present water. I love rivers and streams especially when they snake around the picturesque meadows.

Where our moving house/office has been so far.

Where our moving house/office has been so far.

Road Trip!

Our road trip to Grand Junction, Colorado was interesting. The first part of the trip on 89 north was amazing. Ever get that melancholy feeling when you depart a place that truly spoke to you? As we first pulled away I remember thinking to myself, should I be feeling sad right now? I was happy, content, and smiling, not regretting the neat things left behind and embracing the indelible memories. The weather continued to be amazing, with windows rolled down we rolled up 89 Northbound with smiles on our faces. The cool thing about 89 in Utah is nearly all of it has a river running adjacent or near it. I enjoyed watching that river grow and grow in size until it became a force to be reckoned with as we descended down to catch Highway 70 east.

A (poor) shot of the River we shared our journey with.

A shot of the River we shared our journey with.

70 East Bound was not quite as pleasant weather-wise, and little did I know that was pretty much how things were going to be in the near future (the benefit of being a day late writing this!). There was lots of great scenery, mostly canyon walls, washes, and massive mountains of sandstone.

Random View Stop while trying to catch the World Cup game.

Random View Stop while trying to catch the World Cup game.

Viva La World Cup, World Cup at a Rest Stop

While heading East Bound on 70 we had a bit of confusion over the time the World Cup game would start. This led to 2 false alarms where we stopped at rest/view areas and proceeded to get everything set up. Once we finally had that sorted, we determined that we had to stream the Argentina v Germany final on my laptop. I pulled out all the stops to deal with an over-heating inverter (can you say ice pack on top? Yes.) and lackluster 4G. My magic bag of tricks complete with a cell phone amplifier turned 1-2 bars of 4G into 4-5 bars of 4G service. So there we were huddled in front of the laptop watching the game…

Our World Cup Setup, don't laugh, it worked. :)

Our World Cup Setup, don’t laugh, it worked. 🙂

We rooted for Argentina, supporting our South American friends. This of course did not help them as they valiantly held on but failed to find the magic needed to defeat the relentless German team. No tears were shed, perhaps that is one advantage of not having a real horse in the race. The let down is far less significant. 🙂

Mental Prep for re-settlement

One thing heavily on my mind right now is settling back in before the new school year. We are considering all of our options and determine if our “fail-safe” plan will be necessary. When we departed we decided to not let the issue of quickly deciding on what kind of a place we want. In hindsight I love that we did that, it was the right way to do this. There was no way we were going to find a place and still take this trip. Our fail-safe plan made it possible, no matter what we had a plan but we could change it. I’ve shared a lot that I am thinking in many ways about a simpler arrangement. After all, we’ve been living in an RV and we’re only closer as a family today as a result of it. Also, there are so many more things we want to do now, and if we are burdened excessively will they even be possible? After all the priorities are so simple right now, do we have enough water? Sunscreen? Did you charge the camera battery? Does the campsite have good 4G coverage? Oh, the simple things, how I love you.

Concluding with: Farewell Danville and Hello El Dorado Hills

Adventure Day 24 – The Path Less Travelled

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Today we experienced a first for our entire trip. We hiked a 5-mile loop without seeing a single person. Perhaps the more amazing thing is that it was the best hike so far of the trip, and that’s a tall order considering where we’ve been. Yesterday I was saying how not planning too much is a good thing and in our case, we just lucked out, but we made that luck possible.

Hiking near Red Canyon National Park

The trail I was talking about starts about 500′ west of the Red Canyon Visitor Center. It ends in a campground 1/2 mile from the visitor center. The trail starts out flat and wooded, today it was gorgeous, probably low 70’s when we started.

Start of the Trail

Start of the Trail Castle Bridge/Golden Wall/Buckhorn

The entire area has beautiful features but it’s one of those trails the longer you walk the better it seems to get.

One of the earlier views.

One of the earlier views.

Unlike some of the other trails, we didn’t see much wildlife, but what we did see we were lucky enough that it posed for a portrait.

Our furry friend, after posing scurried off to find a place to hide.

Our furry friend, after posing scurried off to find a place to hide.

After hiking the flat area for a while we came to some switchbacks. After our ascent, we were rewarded with sweeping views limited only by mountains in the way in the distance. Along the way there was ample shade to take little breaks.

Sweeping views of the area.

Sweeping views of the area.

After enjoying the view for a while, we hiked over the summit, only to be completely blown away with beauty on the other side.

More amazing hoodoos.

More amazing hoodoos.

The trail continued along with some spectacular descents and ascents. Most of the trails were single track and there wasn’t an inch of trail that didn’t have a great view at this point.

More amazing formations laced with trees.

More amazing formations laced with trees.

Then we discovered that the initial summit was one of several amazing vistas as we reached the top of several other ridgelines.

I asked my wife to take my picture, I didn't want to forget this magical vista.

I asked my wife to take my picture, I didn’t want to forget this magical vista.

The remainder of the hike was rich with scenery and eventually, we found ourselves in the aforementioned campground. That brought us to the bike trail that led us back to our car. While we were walking alongside the highway we saw many cars that were probably headed to Bryce. I wonder how many of them will experience this special hike that we discovered? I hope more after reading this.

Thinking about

A friend of mine posted something on Facebook that said:

If you could spend a day with me, what would we do?

I absolutely love this concept, because while I’ll spend many days with my family and close friends, there are others that it is probably impractical for it to happen. However impractical it is a fun exercise so I shared it also on my wall and loved the responses I got there. If you haven’t had the chance to share your vision of what we’d do please do so. What will be nice is to see how many of these can actually end up happening, wouldn’t that be amazing? Let’s all dream, reach out, and experience something cool.

Next up: Adventure Day 25 – Road trip and World Cup Final at a Rest Stop

Adventure Day 23 – Zion National Park

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Today I made the reservation for one of the last RV parks we’ll stay at. The park is located in Grand Junction, Colorado. It is a hub that will allow me to visit customers in Denver and give the entire family access to Eastern Utah and Western Colorado. While finalizing the plans I realized that one week from tomorrow we’ll be back in California. We’ll be staying near Sacramento for a day or two before heading back into the bay area. This trip has flown by so fast, and I don’t want it to end. We do have a lot to do before the summer ends. Our reality dictates that it is unlikely we’ll be extending this particular adventure after we’ve attended a wedding for a close relative.

Zion National Park

I came into Zion as a complete newbie, I’ve only heard good things but I didn’t do a bit of research. When we first drove into the entrance area of the massive canyon I was immediately impressed with the scale. I was driving so it was hard to take in too much but as we drove further and further into the park I was shocked by how different it was from anything I’d seen. It had grand elements that rival Half Dome in Yosemite, but nearly everything about the park was unique and special. I can see now why so many people love this park and it was evident with crowds that exceeded what we saw even at the Grand Canyon earlier in our trip. After a quick walk around the museum, we settled on a trail to hike and headed out in search of parking.

Hiking the Watchman Trail

We opted to hike the Watchman Trail, the Watchman is the iconic peak in the southwestern corner of the park. It so happens that it is also the subject of a puzzle, more on that shortly. The elevation change isn’t too extreme but it’s enough to get your heart rate up and get a decent workout. I am not sure how it compares to other hikes visually in the park but the views were awesome from this trail. You start at the valley floor and trek through one canyon and up the far side via switchbacks. Once up to a higher elevation the trail meanders around eventually fully revealing the Watchman.

The Watchman with a bonus gnarly tree.

The Watchman with a bonus gnarly tree.

Before revealing the iconic Watchman, the trail brings you through a small oasis of sorts. The atmosphere of the environment changes from hot and dry to cool and inviting.

A mini Oasis complete with Cat-Tails, Chirping Birds, and Butterflies.

A mini Oasis complete with Cat-Tails, Chirping Birds, and Butterflies.

Zion was full of Magnificent views, we'll be back.

Zion was full of Magnificent views, we’ll be back.

What will tomorrow bring?

It’s critical to never plan too much on a trip like this. It’s the weekend so it’s dedicated family time and we’re not sure quite yet what our adventure will bring us tomorrow.

On a side note..

I really love all the encouragement and feedback I’ve gotten from so many of you on Facebook and elsewhere. The absolute best thing you can tell me is that my family’s adventure has inspired you to do something similar. This trip is so important for us, I believe it is one of many of our finest moments as a family. Here is another family endeavor, our newly acquired Zion Puzzle featuring the Watchman:

Zion Puzzle - the Watchman

Zion Puzzle – the Watchman

Next up: Adventure Day 24 – The Path Less Travelled