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Free Advanced DNS Management - Edit Zone Files

Advanced DNS Management is a service that allows you to edit the zone file of your domain name, so that you can point your domain name to a static ip address, create CName records and MX records. Most users will not utilize advanced DNS Management, and will simply delegate the authoritative name server to their hosting company by administering their NS records. and their hosting company will create the necessary zone files for their domain name to work. This is not to be confused with domain forwarding, which involves redirecting a domain name to another URL. Most domain name registrars do not provide you with Advanced DNS Management or domain name forwarding. We give you the choice to use our competitively priced hosting or your own hosting. It's your domain name and you have the choice of  how you use it.

Examples of Advanced DNS Management

• redirecting your domain name to a static ip assigned your office or home computer. This allows you to host your website, intranet or database on your local computer
• redirecting your domain name to a dedicated server located in a datacenter. This is a better alternative than using the same dedicated server as a name server and a web server because if you dedicated server fails, your name server will also fail to resolve. By having an external name server record that is on  a different server to your dedicated server, you can redirect your zone file records to an alternative server.
• more control to create subdomains and create addtional MX records. Most web hosting providers do not give you advanced domain name management and therefore,  you are limited to the number of subdomains, Cname, MX and A records that you can create and edit. (if you are hosting your site with a hosting company, your website must have a static ip for you to utilize advanced DNS management. eg. http://209.200.81.245/ is the static ip for www.passioncomputing.com.au . If your hosting company does not provide you with a static ip, then you will not be able to use Advanced DNS Management, you must use your hosting company's name servers. Most websites are hosted on shared ip addresses and you will need to ask your hosting provider if they provide you with a static ip address. ) All our web hosting plans come with the ability to edit zone files.
• Direct the mail associated with your domain name to a local office server, whilst still directing website traffic to the server hosted in your hosting company's datacenter
• Creating Cname records for google applications http://www.google.com/support/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=47283
• Creating Aname records and Cname records for Google's Adsense for Domains
• Creating a Cname record for iweb dot Mac website or MobileMe.  See how to create a CName record to redirect a domain name to a MobileMe website created using iweb.
• Pointing www A name record to an ip address, as instructed by some DIY website providers.

If you are simply looking to redirect your domain name to a URL, then read domain name forwarding, advanced DNS features are more suited to businesses that require access to the edit the zone files of their domain name. 

Common misunderstanding

You cannot delegate your NS records to your hosting company's name servers and use Advanced DNS Management. You must delegate the name servers below as your authoriative name servers..

How to activate advanced DNS Management

1. Login to your account and activate advanced DNS management, by clicking on "Add services".

You will see the following screens.

Select the product and order 'hosting product' . Screen 2: You must tick the box 'choose only DNS' and click 'order url forwarding/dns hosting'.

Edit your zone file and complete the order.

Editing Zone File

Brief Instructions

The following instructions provide a brief overview of how to edit zone files and situations where editing a zone file may be appropriate. If you are not IT savvy, we do not recommend that you attempt to edit the zone files, especially if your site has a live website and email. Editing zone file will affect your website and email, if not done correctly.

Requirements

If you wish to use advanced DNS Management, you must

1. Transfer or register your domain name with Passion Computing
2. Login with username and password to http://domains.passioncomputing.com.au
3. Click on "edit" next to the domain you wish to administer, and then click on "Add Services"
4. Choose "dns services only" without URL forwarding.
5. Wait till your service is activated (usually within the hour)
6. Once your service is activated and click on "zone file" - which appears in the top menu. 

   To do a simple direct of domain name to a static ip address, do the following:

   Select from the pull down menu A, enter the ip address and click "Add", then enter into another field www  select A and then the ip address. This will create an a name record, so your domain name will work with a www and without a www. Below is an example of using advanced dns management to redirect a domain name to a static ip address. You must remember to click 'commit changes' and go back and check that your name server records are the same as the records listed below. (You need 2 A records, one with a "www" - this is so that you will be able to resolve your domain name both with and without the www)

7. 

8. To add a mail record

   Type mail, select MX and type in the ip address of your mail server. This is usually a different ip address from your website, or A name record.

   Then select MX, and add a preference number and your mail server. Your mail server must allow you to receive mail from this domain, or you still will not receive mail.

   The preference number can be a number from 0 to 100, the lowest number is the preferenced mail server.(if you are creating more than one MX record)

   Commit changes

   Until you commit the changes, your changes will not be saved.

Below is an example of what the zone file should look like with mail records in the zone file.

To add a CName Record

Type mail, select C and type in the url of your cname record. Commit changes. Until you commit the changes, your changes will not be saved.

Finally

Check that your Name Server records are set correctly.

Navigate to your NS records and change the name server records to the following. Click update records. Please visit updating name server records for more details on how to change or view your name server records. When using our advanced DNS, you will need to change the name server records to the primary and secondary name server records below. WARNING: If you have a website or email associated with your domain name, these services will be affected by changing the name server records. Do Not change these records unless you know what you are doing !!

Check your zone file records. For the example above, the zone file should look like,

Zone files for MobileMe websites

Further Reading

http://download1.swsoft.com/HSPcomplete/3.3/release/doc/HSPC_RG/adding_dns__records_a_cname_mx_ns.htm

http://www.reachcustomersonline.com/content/2003/11/03/15.22.55/index.php