Google Apps using external webhosting server DNS CNAME ‘A Record’ configuration
Since last week, we have been doing configuration of my domain’s (icnpro.com) DNS, which was solely hosted by GoDaddy and all services provided by Google Apps. Before the needed configuration, there’s only Google Apps as the domain service provider, including such as email, calendar, docs, pages, et al. But then, we purchased ourselves a web hosting package, so that we need to configure the DNS CNAME and A Record to point the www request and ftp request of the domain (icnpro.com) to the webhosting servers.
This may help a few forks going down the same path, as I was, very hard to find answers on the net, even in Google App’s Google group, they could answer all of my questions. And then as for support, GoDaddy gave me a very useful advice, which is use webhosting dns server and delete GoDaddy DNS server, by doing this, all the configuration was going to be on the other server’s DNS configuration panel, which is NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS ANYMORE. 
Worst of worst is, once I changed all DNSes to Webhosting servers, I can’t login to my business email account anymore, how well the support is that? If I can’t login to my account, I can’t send them emails anymore, because all the configuration and email accounts are store in the business emails.
Therefore, bring up my own technical mind, and did this:
Google Apps originally gives you three (3) A Record host IP address, which were suppose to be their server addresses, turns out NOT, they have a “@” sign in the “A Host” name, which means all request of a domain (icnpro.com) goes to this IP address. and they why no matter how we changed the CNAME, www and ftp all goes to Google server. We we have done is delete all three A Record IP address, and then add two new ones.
First line, First field, “@”, second field “whatever your webhosting server IP address”.
Second line, First field, “www”, second field “whatever your webhosting server IP address is”.
After that, add CNAME record:
“www”, points to: “icnpro.com”
“ftp”, points to: “ftp.yourftpserverdomain.com”
“mysql”, points to: “mysql-1.yourmysqlserverdomain.com”
et al.
Explanation:
The first “A Record” points all your requests to (icnpro.com) from Internet to your webhosting server.
But then in CNAME, you have subdomains such as www, ftp, mysql, email, calendar which go to different servers. Keep Google Services unchanged, and use whatever your web hosting provide you to enter into CNAME.
Wait for more than 5 hours in some cases, DNS updates need take up to 48 hours.
hi
thx 4 ur suggestion…i have same problem and i am looking for it all over the net..
my problem is same as of urs but i need ur help.
i was using google apps for my domain but now i thought of making a site for my domain .
now i used 110mb.com free hosting. i changed dns(ns record) to what they wanted and site was ok
ankurchauhan.net
now when i went to mail.ankurchauhan.net then it displays 110mb.com page which was earlier giving me google apps email login page.
moreover i could not receive any mails to my domain.(but i could send mail but not receive them)
so i removed the dns configuration back to initial( deleted all ns records) but still i get same thing.
i looked ns records for my site through web and found that my domain server were still ns1.110mb.com
i want to use my email domain most importantly.
i have done every setting what it was before but now
i see that my site is not showing anything …… not even 110mb.com page and still i cant receive mail but i can send them.
so i followed ur advice. i made A record as you mention and Cname record. i hade a cname record earlier mail.ankuechauhan.net pointing to ghs.google.com
now i see ankurchauhan.net displaying the site…
but still i could not get email for my domain..
i dont understang why my domain server are ns1.110mb.com though i have no ns record in my dns setting
pls help
ankur chauhan
Ankur, are you still using Godaddy’s DNSes? or you have changed to your own one on 110mb.com?? I haven’t tried to change everything to my webhosting company dns, but I think it’s gonna be very hard, because you have to manually input every single entry from google apps in your hosting’s dns, which is very confusing. Now, what I did was still use Godaddy dns, only configure the A-record section. remove google ones on A-record, and change them according to my article. And then you only need to change a little in C-NAME for your www, ftp, etc. But don’t change anything in MX setting, because that’s your mail exchange servers, which is supposedly Google Mail addresses. Call me once you need any more help. Cheers, Lei
Dear Lei,
This is Anup here.. i signed up google apps purchased with godaddy…
i read your post and did try modifying the Arecords… but it so turned up that the IP a put up was not the one I had to put up there..
In turn i forgot the ones that are put up by default by google apps..
basically I messed up the ARecords at godaddy..
can u please help me with those IP addresses that are there default?
Thanks in advance
–
Anup Puri
3rd Year Biomedical Engineering
NIT Rourkela
769008
India
Hi Anup,
Basically, I’ve changed all my ARecords to my own IP where my website is located. So I don’t have the original values. The best idea will be contact google apps, and let them reset everything to default for you.
Sorry can’t help on this matter.
cheers, lei
lei thx for ur hep
can u pls give me ur email so that i can explian u everything with screen shot
bye
I have tried to set everything up as you did. I purchased google apps through google with a domain. It wasn’t exactly what I thought (rush decision) and now I want to at least have my site, http://www.justinandkathryn.com, point to my 110mb account. I changed my A Records as you said, but now my mail is messed up. When I go to mail.justinandkathryn.com, it gives me a 404 error. The same thing happens with my start.justinandkathryn.com page. Docs and Calendar work just fine though. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Lei,
I’m also experiencing the same problem. I’ve registered a domain with Godaddy through Google Apps.
I wanted to use Email, Calendar and Docs available in Google Apps and host my website on an external hosting provider i.e., biz.nf.
I signed up Biz.nf for free web hosting. As per Biz.nf instructions, I’ve modified the Nameservers from Godaddy account. After modifying it, I lost access to Email, Docs and Calendar.
Now, I want to do the following:
1. Reset to the default ‘Nameservers’ in Godaddy account provided by Google Apps
2. Modify only the ‘A’ records in Goidaddy account so that the website is directed to my web hosting provider i.e., Biz.nf.
Since you had successfully resolved this issue, I would greatly appreciate your help and email to sadiq.ms@gmail.com
Regards,
Sadiq
Lei,
I am experiencing something very similar to the posts on this thread. I purchased my domain through google apps which bought the domain from enom.com.
I am now trying to buy outside hosting though godaddy so that I can use the ftp (which google doesn’t offer) and www, etc.
Thus far I have entered all the text correctly, I believe. My only point of confusion is what I put in the field next to ftp. Godaddy gave me a DNS host name of ns51.domaincontrol.com and an IP address. Is this name what I put next to the ftp field or should I be using something that is only for ftp provided by godaddy?
It looked like others were using godaddy to do this so if anyone has a tip please post it here and I will check or email me.
mcdane@gmail.com
cheers and thanks for a helpful post on this problem!!
Dane
It all worked nicely with your instruction.
Thanks,
Glad it helps, cheers.
I am using google apps with domain thru ENome and now wanted to changed my webhost from default blogger platform to wordpress one as i want to switch to wordpress platform for my domain http://www.avinashtech.com.
I am unable to change the server settings and now i cant have my domain working.
i want to change nameservers to my new webhost , pointing to ns1.byet.org. How should i do it. Should i delete the 3 @ records on top and change it to ns1.byet.org…please help
From my knowledge base, nameservers are located on the Internet for general purposes, so doesn’t matter which nameserver you use anyway on the Internet, the one google set up by default is good enough for anything that needed, so don’t change their nameservers. Another good reason for not changing their nameserver is google initially setup lots of things by default, if you want to change nameserver to your own, you will have to create every single entry by your own, from my experience, google doesn’t provide any sort of advices/helps at all.
well some experts here……..hey can you help me with contextual link building?
Hi there, just wondering what exactly are you trying to build? “contextual link”?
You know what would really help me is a screen shot of your GoDaddy Domain Manager setup, I’m having trouble working from just the words in the article
thanks
I have uploaded a screenshot, hope that helps.
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
hm.. funny
Thanks, this is exactly what I need! I have a blog with Google Apps which is great, but want to set up another site with a forum and Google Sites is pretty poor when it comes to that, it really doesn’t let you add much of your own HTML. An external host is what is required. Thanks to you I can now set this up.