Very rarely, people may find that they can’t access websites just from a particular host, even though they can load other websites fine.
If they are Lyrical Host sites and there’s nothing on our status page [https://status.lyricalhost.com] detailing a problem at our end, we’ve confirmed it’s not an issue here, and/or DownForEveryoneOrJustMe (or similar) is reporting the website as online, the most likely reasons are because of a routing issue or a DNS resolution issue.
These are localized issues and generally mean that the vast majority of people around the world are still able to visit the website, even if you personally can’t right now. Both of these issues are up to your ISP to fix as the websites are still up and running as normal on the hosting infrastructure and network.
The first step to try is to visit the website using a mobile connection or another internet connection from a different ISP. If the website loads fine, it’s a routing or DNS issue and will need to be fixed by your ISP.
(Please note that some providers are resellers of others, so for example a site may not load on different ISPs that have the same parent provider. For that reason we recommend testing on a mobile connection and a wi-fi connection if possible, to increase the chances you are using two independent providers).
In some cases, if the ISP notices there’s an issue or rolls out another update, the issue may be fixed without you needing to contact them. If you prefer not to contact your provider, you can wait to see if the issue is resolved and use another internet connection in the meantime. A VPN may also help you access sites as normal in the interim.
But why is it just sites you host?
If it’s a routing issue, it’s because the journey between you and us is being interrupted somewhere along the way. You’re travelling a virtual path to visit a website, and if there’s something blocking your route, you won’t get to your destination. At the same time, another route to another website may be fine.
If it’s a DNS issue, then it would likely be because there is an issue with the ISP’s DNS lookup tables, meaning that your browser isn’t able to determine the IP address that your domain points to. Think of this like an address book, where you have the name of a house, but the street address is missing, so you’ve no way to find the house in question.
Either way, the issue is down to your ISP. You can prove this by using another ISP that works fine, or by using a third party monitoring service that will tell you if a website is online or offline at the host’s end.
How to tell if it’s a routing issue or a DNS resolution issue
With a routing issue, when you try to visit the website you’ll likely see one of the following errors:
- ERR_timeout
- Connection Reset
- Connection Timed Out
- 503
With a DNS issue, you’re likely to see one of the following errors:
- DNS_probe_finished_NXDomain
- Server not found
- We’re having trouble finding that site
If you have a routing issue:
- Check the status page of your ISP.
- If there’s nothing there, contact them directly. You’ll want to provide the following information:
- The error message you’re seeing;
- That the website is definitely online and accessible via other ISPs/mobile networks you’ve tried;
- The company hosting the website has confirmed there are no issues at their end and that they’ve advised you to contact the ISP.
- The error message you’re seeing;
- They may ask for a traceroute. If they don’t provide you with instructions on how to do that, you can use the following:
For a Windows computer:
- Click 'Start'
- Type in Run and then click on the icon that appears (a box should open)
- Type cmd and then press OK to open command prompt.
- In the window that appears, type in: tracert yourdomain.com (or the IP address depending on the issue) and then press 'Enter'.
For a Mac:
- Browse to Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal
- Then type traceroute followed by a space and then a domain name or IP address you need to diagnose, i.e. traceroute yourdomain.com then press 'Enter'.
If you have a DNS resolution issue:
- Check the status page of your ISP.
- Try flushing your device’s local DNS cache. To do this:
- If that doesn’t help, contact your ISP to see if they are aware of any issues at their end and to ask if they can walk you through resetting any DNS cache or routing tables on your router.
