how can I trace where the website address got broken?

[#1]

Hello,
I have a domain registered with an external company - and had them point their name servers at plusnet so I could 'transfer in' the domain to my plusnet account.
In the domain hosting settings on plusnet the dns records for my domain have been configured to:
left field: www
Type: cname
right field: ghs.google.com.
This allows my www sub-domain to point at my google sites web space - after associating the domain name within the google sites settings too.
This all worked wonderfully - I could view the web space on google sites using the address of my domain without any problems ... but in the last couple of days I can't - it shows up as a broken link
What I want to know is: can anyone recommend any web tools for determining where in the chain this problem has occurred?
I can quite easily check my plusnet dns settings and the google sites settings required - and they haven't changed.  I don't know how to see what the name servers of the (external) registrar are pointing at so I'm suspicious of that - but would like to verify the cause of the problem before I send off an email to their customer support ... and preferably be able to attach a log file output to prove that they are the problem ...
Thanks,
Alan

[#2]

You just need to do a DNS lookup for the A record of your www.domain this will show the nameservers and the cname details. There are  a few sites you can use, one being http://www.hscripts.com/tools/HDNT/dns-record.php

[#3]

It says No A records exist for solarscience.ie
Thanks for that - I'll contact the registrar.

[#4]

The A records will be down to PN if you select NS (nameservers) instead of A you will see returned the PN nameservers.

[#5]

No nameservers listed for solarscience.co.uk on http://ferret.centralnic.com.

[#6]

If you lookup www it return

Quote

www.solarscience.ie. CNAME IN ghs.google.com. ghs.google.com. CNAME IN ghs.l.google.com. ghs.l.google.com. A IN 74.125.93.121 l.google.com. NS IN a.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN b.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN d.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN e.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN f.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN g.l.google.com

Which look OK to me and point the problem to Google.

[#7]

Quote from: Strat

No nameservers listed for solarscience.co.uk on http://ferret.centralnic.com.

Because it's not co.uk but ie

[#8]

Ok

[#9]

Well it turns out it was google.
I removed www.solarscience.ie from the web addresses in the google sites settings, then put it back in and it's fine now.
Thanks for all the help on this - I know a bit more about this stuff now

[#10]

Out of interest: I have another domain arcticgiraffe.com that I have registered with 123-reg - and pointed their name servers at plusnet as well.  The solarscience.ie one was with a different registrar that my parents used.
Using http://www.hscripts.com/tools/HDNT/dns-record.php
I get the following for arcticgiraffe.com

Quote

Domain Type Class Result arcticgiraffe.com. A IN 194.154.164.82 arcticgiraffe.com. NS IN ns2.hosteurope.com. arcticgiraffe.com. NS IN ns.hosteurope.com. ns.hosteurope.com. A IN 212.67.202.2 ns2.hosteurope.com. A IN 212.67.203.246

and if I try www.arcticgiraffe.com I get

Quote

Domain Type Class Result www.arcticgiraffe.com. CNAME IN ghs.google.com. ghs.google.com. CNAME IN ghs.l.google.com. ghs.l.google.com. A IN 74.125.93.121 l.google.com. NS IN f.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN g.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN a.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN b.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN d.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN e.l.google.com.

But solarscience.ie gives the following for solarscience.ie

Quote

No A records exist for solarscience.ie

and as someone above pointed out - for www.solarscience.ie

Quote

Domain Type Class Result www.solarscience.ie. CNAME IN ghs.google.com. ghs.google.com. CNAME IN ghs.l.google.com. ghs.l.google.com. A IN 74.125.93.121 l.google.com. NS IN b.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN d.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN e.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN f.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN g.l.google.com. l.google.com. NS IN a.l.google.com.

Does this mean that the solarscience.ie domain only has the www sub domain available to me?  Is this common?  Are there some articles that I can look at that explain the ins and outs of domains and sub-domains and what I can use, or not ...
At the moment in my plusnet domain names settings the following domains are listed

Quote

Domain Name solarscience.ie Status Registered and Hosted Domain Name giraffeandtiger.co.uk Status Registered and Hosted

And in the settings for both domains I have the following

Quote

I wish to specify DNS records for hosts under this domain Additional DNS records (Advanced) Left field Type Pri Right field mx 20 mx.last.plus.net. www cname ghs.google.com.

If I added an additional record could I have anything I like in the Left Field?
So I could have a site http://wibble.arcticgiraffe.com ?

[#11]

I think I have already been told that I can't have the root domain pointing out in a cname from plusnet ... so I can't have http://arcticgiraffe.com directly ... or can I use the root domain if I use my plusnet webspace ?

[#12]

You cannot point the root of any domain to a CNAME, it's a violation of the standards DNS works by. The root of a domain must point to an A (or AAAA for ipv6) record. You can do this in our control panel by putting the domain followed by a single full stop in the left hand field, selecting A in the drop down, then putting in the IP address of where you want to point it in the right hand side, e.g.

+------------------+------+---------------+
| Left             | Type | Right         |
+------------------+------+---------------+
| solarscience.ie. | A    | 74.125.93.121 | 
+------------------+------+---------------+