Issue
Unable to browse your site after changing your domain DNS settings in your domain registrar control panel.
Symptoms
None
Cause
Due to DNS Propagation Period
Workaround
Please wait for 24 hours and try to access the site
Additional Information
DNS stands for Domain Name Service. Every time you go to a web site using a domain name, you are using DNS. Your request for that domain name goes to your local primary or secondary DNS server which is usually administered by your ISP. Your local DNS server check its records to see if it knows what IP address that domain points to. If it does, then it directs you to that IP address. If it does not, then it sends a query to the Root DNS servers.
The Root servers are what make the process work. When a domain is registered, it is added to the Root servers. When a domain is expired, it is removed from the Root servers. The Root servers tell your local DNS server which DNS servers are the authorities for your domain.
Your local DNS server then queries the authorities DNS server, and that server tells your local DNS server what IP address is the domain located. Your local DNS server then caches the information. This process is essential because it does not only does it speed up future queries but also reduces the load on the Root servers. This process leads to the propagation.
Your local DNS server will not keep that information forever. It will be kept for a certain amount of time, at one point it deletes it. The next time, which is after the information is deleted when you try to visit that domain, the process will start all over again.
Any time that DNS changes are made on any level, you will need to wait for the propagation to complete and this will usually takes 1-2 days or may be longer 3-4 days (72-96 hours). During propagation, traffic may come to either location. One person may see the new server while the other person sees the old one. Also, your domain name may work and may not too. All of this is normal during propagation. This means that just because you go to the new site when you type in the domain name does not mean that propagation is complete.