Update zone file for a domain via DNS control


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Added: 10.03.2014 23:26:29     Last updated: 05.12.2021 17:33:26

This guide details how to proceed to make changes to the zone file for a domain which uses our name servers via DNS control. The guide assumes that you have already logged in to the client portal for your customer number.

Step 1:
Click on "Domains", as shown in the screenshot below.

Change zone file via client portal


Step 2:
Find the domain (dittdomene.net in our example) and click on "DNS control".

DNS control in the menu


Step 3:
On this page the whole zone for the domain is listed, and you have access to add new records, change current ones, as well as delete records/listings.

  1. Under "HOST" your domain name or subdomains are always listed.
  2. There are many different types of DNS records (see the end of this guide for an overview), and we see here that this is an "A" record.
  3. Under "DATA" the address (IP) of the server the domain should point towards is listed. In this case dittdomene.net is pointing towards our servers IP 213.162.246.80. If you want your domain to point towards an external supplier, this is the record you have to change.
  4. Click here to delete the whole record.
  5. Click here to change an existing record/listing (see the next step for details).

DNS records in the zone file


Step 4:

  1. Click to expand the record, to make changes.
  2. Change the IP addresse the domain should point towards under the "Data" field.
  3. Click "Update" to save and start using the changes.

Change a record in a zone file


Step 5:
When you open DNS control for your domain, you will see "Add new record" over the records in the zone file. In this example we will add a record for a subdomain for dittdomene.net.

  1. Type the name of the subdomain under "HOST", in our example this is subdomene1.
  2. Choose which type of record this should be. Since we are pointing towards an IP addresse we will choose an "A" pointer.
  3. Type the IP addresse the subdomain should point towards.
  4. Type desired TTL for the record. TTL = Time To Live, and define how often a record is updated in local DNS and is indicated in seconds. 14 400 is a standard value, and we do not recommend setting this lower than 3600 (1 hour).
Add the values of the new DNS listing

 


Step 6:
The new record we have added will be shown like in the picture below.

DNS record has been added to the zone file

If you try to add a new record, but it does not show up under DNS control, you have made a mistake when writing it. You should always check that the listing is correct after adding a new and/or made changes in existing listings. It could also be a good idea to compare existing records when adding a new one.

Explanation of types of records:
Every line in DNS control makes up a record. There are several kinds of records. The different records that can be used in DNS control are given with an explanation below.

TTL is Time To Live and specifies how long the record can stay saved on computers online before the record must be checked for updated data. The time is specified in second. 14400 (4 hours) is the standard value for TTL in records in zone files on our name servers.

TypeExplanation
A

The most common type of record. Points names towards a 32-bit IPv4 address.

Example
We want www2.dittdomene2.com to point towards IP 22.22.22.22. We add the following data and record these:
HostTypeDataTTL
www2A22.22.22.2214400
CNAME

Alias of one name to another.

Example
We want xxx2.dittdomene2.com to point towards www2.dittdomene2.com. We add the following data and record these:
HostTypeDataTTL
xxx2CNAMEwww2.dittdomene2.com.14400

Notice how there is a dot at the end of the data field. This has to be present for the record to be valid.
MX

Specifies where email for the domain should be delivered.

Example
We want all email to dittdomene2.com to be delivered to server by the name mail.dittdomene2.com. We add the following data and record these:
HostTypeDataPriorityTTL
dittdomene2.com.MXmail.dittdomene2.com.014400

Notice how there is a dot at the end of the data field. This has to be present for the record to be valid. The field Priority specifies where it should try to deliver email first if there are more than one MX record. Lowest value is tried first.
AAAAPoints name towards a 128-bit IPv6 address.

Example
We want www3.dittdomene2.com to point towards IPv6 2001:db8:1f70::999:de8:7648:6e8. We add the following data and record these:
HostTypeDataTTL
www3AAAA2001:db8:1f70::999:de8:7648:6e814400
NSDelegates the zone to make use of set authorative name server.

Example
Our zones are set up with the name servers ns1.proisp.no and ns2.proisp.no. If we add for ns1.proisp.no, the following data will be added:
HostTypeDataTTL
dittdomene2.com.NSns1.proisp.no.14400
TXTrecord originally made for human readable data, but has gradually gone over to computer readable data. Used for SPF (which has become its own record) and DomainKeys, among other things.

Example
We want to add a certain DomainKey. We add the following data and record these:
HostTypeDataTTL
default._domainkeyTXT"k=rsa; p=Mc......AB;"14400

Notice the quotation marks around the text in the Data field. These has to be present for the record to be valid.
SRVGeneralized server localization record used for newer services instead of protocol specific records like MX.

Look here for example and explanation of SRV records.
CAA

Record that defines which certificate authorities are allowed to issue SSL certificates for the domain. Please be advised that if you have web hosting account with us, use our complimentary SSL certificates and add such a DNS record, you need to add it correctly to avoid issues.

Example
We allow digicert.com to issue any SSL certificate for domain dittdomene2.com in this example (more examples here):

HostTypeDataFlagTagTTL
dittdomene2.com.CAAdigicert.com0issue14400


Done
We have now been through how to make changes in the zone file for a domain name via DNS control.