Union flag call 0330 660 0255status support
log in
  • Heart Internet mobile logo
  • Heart Internet Logo
  • Reseller Hosting
  • Premium Hosting
  • Web Hosting
  • VPS
  • Dedicated Servers
  • More

For account and billing queries call our helpline
0330 660 0255

For technical issues relating to your hosting please use our Support database



For information on the status of the Heart servers please use our status page

Heart Internet Support Database
  • Get support
  • Suggest a question
All Categories
Expand
Category
Accounts and Billing (54)
Expand
Category
Add-Ons (84)
Expand
Category
cPanel Web Hosting (26)
Collapse
Category
Domain Names (203)
empty
Category
Domain Control Panel (11)
empty
Category
Domain Credits and Robot (19)
empty
Category
Domain Registrations and Renewals (21)
empty
Category
Domain Transfers (17)
empty
Category
Domains (43)
Expand
Category
Email Hosting (153)
Expand
Category
Managed WordPress (147)
Expand
Category
Reseller Hosting (162)
Expand
Category
Servers (514)
Expand
Category
Web Hosting (650)
Home » Categories » Multiple Categories

What are Time to Live (TTL) values?

Article Number: 219 | Rating: 1/5 from 3 votes | Last Updated: Thu, Apr 23, 2015 at 11:20 AM

Time To Live (TTL) values are given to DNS records to tell servers how long their caches should be kept before new ones are fetched.

These values are important as they affect the amount of time it takes for a DNS update to take place as well as the amount of time required to resolve a DNS record.

When your browser requests a web site, the location is looked up through the following process:

  1. The requesting computer checks itself for cached DNS records for that domain.  The locally cached records helps speed up the resolution time, resulting in a faster loading page.
  2. If there are no locally cached records, the computer consults the nearest nameservers in the network for these records. These nameservers usually belong to the Internet Service Provider.
  3. If there are no cached records, the designated nameservers for the domain are consulted to find the appropriate A or CNAME record for the website.

When you change information on your DNS records, you change the information on the designated nameservers, but the other nameservers and computers around the world have cached records and will not be until their Time To Live value is reached and they fetch the latest records from your nameserver.

This process can take up to 24 hours when the standard TTL values are used, so it can take a while before the updated DNS records filter down thoroughly.

If you want to help speed along the process, you can adjust the TTL value in your Domain Control Panel.  It will not automatically refresh DNS records, but it will make it slightly faster than if you were to leave it as it was.

To change the TTL values:

  1. Log into your Domain Control Panel
  2. Click DNS Management
  3. Click Configure TTL
  4. Check the box next to “Return a zero TTL from”
  5. Select the time you want the TTL to change
  6. Click Update DNS
  7. The TTL will be switched to 0 for six hours from the time you have set
Posted - Tue, Mar 10, 2015 at 5:20 PM.
Filed Under: Domain Names, Domains, Glossary
1 (3)
Article Rating (3 Votes)
Rate this article
  • Icon PrinterPrint Article
  • Icon EmailEmail Article to Friend
  • Icon PDFExport to PDF
Related Articles
What does this website status code mean?
Added on Wed, Apr 1, 2015
If I’ve bought my domain from another registrar, how can I host my website with you?
Added on Tue, Mar 10, 2015
How do I get support from the Heart Internet Customer Services team?
Added on Tue, Mar 3, 2015
Why hasn’t my domain renewed automatically?
Added on Thu, Mar 5, 2015
How do .tel domain names work?
Added on Tue, Mar 10, 2015
 
Heart Internet Logo
Services
  • Domain Names
  • Web Hosting
  • Premium Hosting
  • Reseller Hosting
  • More
  • Virtual Private Servers
  • Dedicated Servers
  • Sign Up
Company
  • About Heart Internet
  • Our Blog
  • Support
  • Our Awards
  • More
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Testimonials and Reviews
Community
  • Affiliate Program
  • Events We Sponsor
© 2016 Heart Internet Ltd. All rights reserved.
Terms and conditions Privacy Policy Sitemap
Heart Internet Logo