Important DNS Update

Step 2 of 3 of setting up private name servers,

Step 2: Setting A Records for Private Name Servers

Verisign (through their involvement in the management of the root DNS servers on the net) has pushed out a change so if you have private nameservers set at your registrar, then your DNS server must have a matching A record or the site will not resolve. The way around this is to simply add an A record to the DNS zone for each nameserver.

Creating the A records

1. Login to WHM and look under DNS Functions.
2. Click Edit DNS Zone and select the primary domain (the one that appears in your welcome email).
3. Click the Edit button and wait for the page to load.
4. Check your New Account Info email for the correct name server IPs.
   EXAMPLE:
   • ns1.resellerdomain.com -> 123.123.123.123
   • ns2.resellerdomain.com -> 50.50.50.78
   (If you only have one IP, please contact HostGator via live chat, telephone or email to obtain both nameserver IP addresses.)
5. This is exactly the information you need for the record name and address. Almost done!
6. Back at WHM, scroll down to where you see "Add New Entries Below this Line".
7. In the first blank below that line, type ns1
8. Skip the 14400, and in the drop down select "A".
9. A new box will appear. Erase "IP or Hostname" and type your NS1 IP address. EXAMPLE: 123.123.123.123
10. In the second blank below that line, type ns2
11. Skip the 14400, and in the drop down select "A".
12. A new box will appear. Erase "IP or Hostname" and type your NS2 IP address. EXAMPLE: 50.50.50.78
13. Scroll all the way down and click the Save button.

When you get to the last step, it should look similar to this screen shot.

Be sure to also fix your DNS Glue (Step 3).

Troubleshooting and Confirming Settings

If this does not fix your problem, then please make sure that you have registered your private nameservers first. To test if your private nameservers are correctly registered, you can ping each name.

Here I show an example of a nameserver which is not registered (ns1.mydomain.com), and then one that is registered (ns1.hostgator.com).

EXAMPLE BAD PING TEST

EXAMPLE GOOD PING TEST

Steps to Setup Private Name Servers

1. Register Your Name Servers at your Registrar.
2. Make sure A Records Exist for your Registered Private Name Servers.
3. Make sure your SOA and NS Records are Correct (DNS Glue).