The Domain Name System or DNS can be an intimidating topic for most of us. But, actually, it’s a pretty simple system that does the magic behind the scenes. Here’s what you’ll learn in this article:
Click on a topic above to dive right into it, or read through the article to learn all that you need about DNS.
DNS and How It Works
Domain Name System (DNS) Records are used to control and indicate the location of resources on the Internet. They do this by translating domain names into IP Addresses and vice versa. For example, when you access a domain name like vodien.com on your browser, the DNS reads its IP address and tries to locate its files. The DNS goes through a series of queries until it is finally able to connect it back to your browser and load the resources – thus you see Vodien’s website and all its contents.
Types of DNS Records
DNS Records give specific instructions to the system making it possible to have different hosting providers for your websites and emails. Below are the basic DNS Record types that you can add with Vodien:
|A Record||This is the most common type of record. The A Record, or Address Record, is used to point a domain name or a subdomain to an IP address, e.g. 126.96.36.199, where your domain name is hosted.|
|CNAME Record||The CNAME Record, or Canonical Name Record, is used to point a domain name or a subdomain to another hostname, e.g. pointing the subdomain “www.vodien.com” to “vodien.com” so users are able to load the same website with or without typing “www”.|
|AAAA Record||The AAAA Record, or quad-A Record, is used to point a domain name or subdomain to an IPv6 Address, e.g. 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334, which is a more specific address compared to the classic IPv4 (188.8.131.52) that is used for A Records.|
|MX Record||The MX Record, or Mail eXchanger Record, points the domain name to a specific mail server, e.g. mail.yourdomainname.com. This is a record that routes your emails accordingly.|
|SRV Record||The SRV Record, or Service Record, indicates the location of a service using a specific destination port number and hosting name. Using the SRV Record, we can move services, such as VOIP or IM, from host to host easily. If you’re using Email Exchange hosting, an SRV Record is required for your autodiscover and activeSync functions to work.|
|TXT Record||The TXT Record, or Text Record, is used to hold some readable text information about a specific hostname/zone provided by outside resources. Its TXT Value is what the record ‘points to‘, but it does not direct traffic.|
Where to Manage DNS
Where you can manage your DNS records will depend on the Name Servers connected to your domain name. If you are using the following Name Servers, then you can manage DNS via Vodien Account Manager or Hosting Manager:
If the domain is registered with us, you can check your Name Servers by clicking on this guide.
If the domain is not registered with us, we recommend contacting your Domain Registrar to check your Name Servers. If you are using different Name Servers than the ones provided above, then you can ask them where you can manage your DNS Records.
How to Manage DNS
Once you’ve verified that you’re using our Name Server Records, you can manage your DNS either in your Account Manager or Hosting Manager. Once you add or update DNS Records via one of these platforms, all other future DNS management should be done in the same place. Below are the steps on how you can manage your DNS.
If via Account Manager
If you opt to manage your DNS Records via your Account Manager, please follow the steps below:
- Visit the Vodien SG or AU website.
- Click My Account at the top of the page.
- Ensure that Account Manager is selected from the drop-down list.
- Enter your username and password, then click Log In.
- Click Domains from the top menu.
- Click on the Domain Name that you wish to manage.
If you only have (1) one domain, you will automatically be routed to its management page.
- Scroll down to the External Editor DNS section, then click the Manage DNS button.
(Make sure to allow pop-ups for the Vodien website.)
- To update an existing record, scroll through the list to look for the record that you wish to update, then replace the current values.
Or, add a new record: Scroll down to the bottom of the page, click the Select record type and add option, select the record type, then click the Add button and enter the values required.
- Once done, click the Update button at the bottom.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully managed your DNS Records via Account Manager.
If via Hosting Manager
If you opt to manage your DNS Records via your Hosting Manager, please follow the steps below:
- Log in to the cPanel using this link format: http://yourdomain.com/cpanel/
(Replace yourdomain.com with the Main Domain Name connected to your hosting.)
- Scroll down to the Domains panel, and click on the Zone Editor icon.
- Look for the domain that you wish to manage, or use the Filter by domain search box to quickly locate it.
- Click on the A Record, CNAME Record, and MX Record quick access links to enter their corresponding values, or click the Manage link to view the full list of existing DNS Records for your domain, update existing or add other record types.
- To update an existing record, scroll through the list to look for the record that you wish to update, click on its corresponding Edit link, then replace the current values.
Or, add a new record: Click the Add Record button to display a blank zone at the top of the list, then choose the DNS Record type from the drop-down list under Type and enter the required values.
- Click on the Save Record or Add Record button.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully managed your DNS Records via Hosting Manager.
|NOTE: Please allow 2 – 4 hours propagation time after adding the DNS Records for the whole internet to cache the correct information. This applies to changes done on both the Account Manager and the Hosting Manager or cPanel.|