This gets a bit confusing, so just read through the entire thing before throwing in your $.02. I have a domain that is currently parked with Go Daddy (Host 1). I would like to actually use this domain now. I was thinking about going with DreamHost (Host 2) for the web site and FastMail.FM (Host 3) for the email. I would like to keep Host 1 as the domain host because of their extensive DNS controls and don’t trust Host 2 with this. I will get a static IP with Host 2 and just change the MX record to Host 3 for email. Now, here’s my question: Can I just change the A record with Host 1 to reflect the IP of my site with Host 2 without running into problems? Go Daddy seems to think I can do this by changing the IP address in the A record to the static IP I get from Host 2.
I realize I could solve all of this by just sticking with one host, but I would prefer to do it this way unless it’s going to cause problems. Maybe I’m just crazy (or don’t fully understand how networks function).
UPDATE: I went ahead and did everything this afternoon and it all works just fine.
Brad, I’m doing this right now with my sites. All of them are registered with goDaddy as the registrar, all of them are hosted with Dreamhost. Maybe I just don’t get the problem? Email me if you need more info.
That should work just fine.
Caryn – It was just a little complex when I was thinking about it and didn’t know if something with regards to DNS would get screwed up if I went the route I explained above. I went ahead and did everything and it’s all working just fine.