CNAME domains.smugmug.com
Forwarding Root to WWW
Domain Tools

Domain Testing Guide

Use terminal commands to verify DNS records and forwarding for SmugMug custom domains.

SmugMug Rules

Expected setup
Pick the scenario that matches the customer setup, then confirm the CNAME target and forwarding behavior.
Standard WWW setup CNAME www points to domains.smugmug.com, and the root domain forwards to https://www.yourdomain.com.
Custom subdomain only If the customer uses something like gallery.yourdomain.com, only the matching CNAME is required. No root forwarding is needed.

Before You Test

Quick notes
DNS is cached and forwarding is handled by web servers, not by DNS. Check both layers.
Propagation Recent changes can take time to show up. If results look wrong, confirm the TTL and try again later.
Forwarding check Redirects are verified with curl (or a browser). DNS tools will not show web forwarding.

CNAME Checker

DNS verification
Confirm that a subdomain points to domains.smugmug.com. Use www.domain.com for standard setups or gallery.domain.com for custom subdomains.
CNAME records are for subdomains, not the root domain.
Host
CNAME Target
TTL
Status
Expected target: domains.smugmug.com

Terminal Commands

DNS + redirects
Replace domain.com with the customer domain. For subdomains, use www.domain.com or gallery.domain.com.

Basic DNS

General-purpose lookups for any record type.

The Gold Standard
Query specific records (replace [type] with A, CNAME, MX, NS, or TXT). Use the exact subdomain the customer is using, such as www.domain.com or gallery.domain.com.
Example output
;; ANSWER SECTION:
www.domain.com. 3600 IN CNAME domains.smugmug.com.
dig www.domain.com [type]
Quick View
Returns only the value without headers. For CNAME checks, use a subdomain and specify CNAME.
Example output
93.184.216.34
dig domain.com +short
Windows Standard
Default Windows lookup for DNS records.
Example output
domain.com canonical name = domains.smugmug.com.
nslookup -type=[type] domain.com
Simple View
Cleaner output on Linux and macOS.
Example output
www.domain.com is an alias for domains.smugmug.com.
host -t [type] domain.com
Why the trailing dot? DNS tools show a final "." to mark a fully qualified domain name (absolute, rooted). It is optional when you type the name, but it confirms the record points exactly to domains.smugmug.com.

Web Forwarding

Confirm that the root domain forwards to https://www.yourdomain.com.

Check Redirect
Look for 301/302 and a Location: header.
Example output
HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://www.domain.com/
curl -I http://domain.com
Trace Chain
Follow every hop to the final destination.
Example output
HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://www.domain.com/
HTTP/2 200
curl -I -L http://domain.com
Find "Hidden" Forwards
Detect meta refresh or HTML masking instead of real redirects.
Example output
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; URL='https://www.domain.com/'">
curl -s http://domain.com | grep -iE "frameset|refresh"

Specific Records

Direct lookups for common record types.

Website IP
Finds the IPv4 address where the website lives.
Example output
93.184.216.34
dig domain.com A
Email Servers
Shows which servers handle email.
Example output
10 mail.domain.com.
dig domain.com MX
Aliases
Checks if a host points to another domain.
Example output
www.domain.com. 3600 IN CNAME domains.smugmug.com.
dig domain.com CNAME
Nameservers
Shows who manages the DNS.
Example output
ns1.provider.com.
ns2.provider.com.
dig domain.com NS
Text/Security
Checks text records (SPF/DKIM and verification).
Example output
"v=spf1 include:mail.domain.com -all"
dig domain.com TXT