Realistic Expectations When DNS Updates Are Happening
DNS updates are a normal part of running a website and email system. Any time a website moves to a new server, email services change, or DNS records are updated, propagation has to happen.
During that window, things can look broken. Sometimes very broken. Other times just slightly off.
That behavior is expected. Nothing is failing. Nothing is being done wrong.
This article is not about what DNS is on a technical level. It is about what DNS propagation looks like in real life so you know what to expect while it is happening.
What DNS Propagation Looks Like
DNS changes do not happen everywhere at once. When an update is made, that change has to work its way through servers all over the world.
A server in the United States might already be using the new information. A server in Spain, Germany, or Pakistan may still be using the old one. That difference alone can create confusing and inconsistent results.
This is why one person can see the website working fine while someone else cannot access it at all. It is also why even someone close to you physically may see something different than you do on their device.
DNS does not move in a straight line. It spreads.
What You Might Notice During Propagation
Your website may be up, down, slow, fast, partially loading, showing the new site, or showing the old site. Sometimes it changes hour by hour. Sometimes minute by minute.
Refreshing the page, switching to a different web browser, or using another device can show different results on each – even at the same time. You may see differences on the same device and browser at different times of the day.
Those inconsistencies or the back-and-forth is only temporary. It does not mean something is broken.
Email can be even more unpredictable.
Email may work normally, be delayed, stop working entirely, allow sending but not receiving, or allow receiving but not sending. Sometimes email is slow. Sometimes it seems fine and then suddenly it is not.
Emails sent during propagation may retry automatically, arrive late, or unfortunately in some cases never arrive at all.
This is also why website issues and email issues do not always match. They rely on different DNS records and those records can propagate at different speeds.
Access to Email on the Old Server After Propagation
Once propagation starts, email stored on the old server may no longer be accessible. When propagation is complete, those older emails are almost always inaccessible unless you log directly into the old hosting account.
This is expected behavior. It does not mean emails were deleted or mishandled. It means the mailbox location changed.
In many cases, emails are still there. They are just no longer connected to your active email account.
This is one of the main reasons DNS changes are best done at times that have the least impact on business. Nights and weekends are usually ideal.
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace Can Be Impacted As Well
Even if your email is through a Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace license, a DNS propagation can still have an impact on email.
Email services rely on DNS records to know where emails should be sent to and how those emails need to be authenticated. When those records are changing, behavior can be inconsistent.
During propagation, logins may fail. Email syncing may pause. Web and desktop apps may behave differently.
This propagation process can be stressful, especially if you’re someone who uses email all day. The important thing to remember is that the issue is only temporary and will resolve when the propagation is completed.
Normal Length of a DNS Propagation
In many cases, DNS propagation will complete and finish in a few hours. Sometimes we’ve even seen it done in as quick as fifteen minutes, but that is rare.
However, DNS is allowed to take up to seventy two hours.
Most commonly, things are wrapped up in about twelve hours. Even if a single server, on the complete opposite side of the world, has not updated yet, there can still be issues.
There is no way to force or speed this up. There is no additional fee that can be paid to speed the process up. There is no method of updating so that at the exact same moment everything suddenly flips at once.
Waiting it out is often the correct action. It can feel like a long seventy two hours. We have been there too. But time is usually the only fix.
DNS Changes at Night or Over a Weekend
Because of the possible seventy two hour window, we do our best to update DNS either at night after business hours or over a weekend when possible.
Email traffic is usually lower during those times. Website traffic may still happen, but email disruption tends to have a bigger impact on day to day work.
We have seen DNS propagations where clients were left without access to their email or website during a workday. That lost productivity is definitely frustrating, but sometimes unavoidable.
Planning for the full 72 hours, and hoping it finishes sooner, is the safest approach. That planning will help minimize the impact.
What to Do and Not Do During DNS Propagation
What to do
Be patient. This is the single most important thing.
Expect inconsistency. Go into the process knowing things will not behave normally for a short period of time. Let your team know in advance. If needed, notify customers ahead of time.
What not to do
Do not make repeated DNS changes. Switching back and forth forces DNS to finish one propagation before starting another. That can mean two full cycles. In the worst case, that is one hundred forty four hours of disruption.
Do not panic or assume data is lost. Data should already be accounted for before DNS is updated.
Do not assume the issue is permanent. It feels slow, but it will end.
DNS Propagations Don’t Have to be Scary
DNS propagation can feel rather unsettling. For a small business, being cut off from your website or email can feel like being completely cut off from clients and productivity.
That feeling is entirely understandable and normal.
The issues you see during propagation are expected. The process simply takes time.
Good planning and clear communication can help to make this process more manageable.
If you are anxious or nervous about a needed DNS update and it’s propagation, reach out to Full Scope Creative. We are happy to explain the process more and walk you through what to expect.
