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Domain Names > Managing advanced features

How do I manage advanced DNS?

What is DNS

DNS is an abbreviation for Domain Name System. DNS determines where email is delivered, what website is displayed and where web traffic is directed. It is through DNS that domain names are found on the Internet as DNS maps and translates IP addresses to a human readable domainname

e.g. 203.27.227.86 translates to melbourneit.com.au.

How do I activate my DNS

Please note: Once you activate your DNS management, all services that currently exist with your domain name will be deactivated. This is due to the domain being redelegated to Melbourne IT's DNS hosting servers.

To activate your DNS, please refer to the below instructions.

1. Login to your MyAccount by clicking the Login link at the top right of the website, and entering your username and password
   The MyAccount Console will be displayed
2. Click Manage Domain Names under the Manage Domain Names section of the Console
   The Manage Domain Names page will be displayed with the list of domain names under your MyAccount
   Hint: Click a column heading to sort your domain name list accordingly
3. Click the domain name you want toactivate your DNS managementfor
   The Domain Management page for the selected domain name will be displayed
4. To the left of the console under 'DNS' click Activate DNS
   You will be prompted to confirm the activation. Once activated, propagation may take anywhere between 24-48 hours forDNS management towork

Please note: Melbourne IT's DNS management is a free service.

What is a CNAME record

A CNAME record is an alias to another record. So for example unlike an A record where you point to an IP address. With a CNAME you point to another name. A CNAME record is a complicated DNS edit and should only be done where absolutely required.

How do I set a CNAME record

The following steps assume that you have accessed your MyAccount and your DNS management product is active.

1. Under 'Manage Domain Names', select the domain name which you activated your DNS management for
2. To the left of the console under 'DNS' click Manage DNS
3. Go to the 'A, CNAME, AAAA Records' section
4. Enter in the host name eg. www.example.com. Note: Don't forget to add a dot (.) at the end of the host name
5. Under 'Points To' type in the host name eg. example.org
6. Select the type of record you are setting up eg. CNAME

7. Double check and see if what you typed is correct. Once satisfied, click Add
   Wait until the status changes from Publishing to Published

Please note: If you want to your changes to be visible as soon as possible you will need to modify the TTL record. This tells name servers around the world how long to cache DNS records for in seconds.

Please note: When entering the host name without the domain appended on the end, ensure NOT to use the (.) following the hostname as this is not a valid DNS configuration.

How do I delete a CNAME record

The following steps assume that you have accessed your MyAccount and your DNS management product is active.

1. Under 'Manage Domain Names', select the domain name which you activated your DNS management for
2. To the left of the console under 'DNS' click Manage DNS
3. Go to the 'A, CNAME, AAAA Records' section
4. Locate theCNAME record that you would like to delete. Click the Delete button.
   A prompt will ask you if you are sure that you want to delete the record, if you still want to delete the record, select Ok. Wait a few seconds and the record will disappear.

What isan A record

An A Record connects a host name to an IP address. When computers connect to each other they connect using IP addresses ie: 203.27.227.23. An A Record allows easily remembered internet addresses. A Records are very customizable in that you can create numerous A Records to direct to multiple IP addresses.

If melbourneit.com.au is the domain name, a few common examples of A Records are:

• melbourneit.com.au
• www.melbourneit.com.au
• mail.melbourneit.com.au
• ftp.melbourneit.com.au

How do I set an A record

The following steps assume that you have accessed your MyAccount and your DNS management product is active.

1. Under 'Manage Domain Names', select the domain name which you activated your DNS management for
2. To the left of the console under 'DNS' click Manage DNS
3. Go to the 'A, CNAME, AAAA Records' section
4. Enter in the host name eg. www.example.com
5. Enter in the IP address under the 'Points To'
6. Select the type of record you are setting up eg. A
7. Double check and see if what you typed is correct. Once satisfied, click Add
   Wait until the status changes from Publishing to Published

Please note: If you want to your changes to be visible as soon as possible you will need to modify the TTL record. This tells name servers around the world how long to cache DNS records for in seconds.

Please note: When entering the host name without the domain appended on the end, ensure NOT to use the (.) following the hostname as this is not a valid DNS configuration.

How do I delete an A record

The following steps assume that you have accessed your MyAccount and your DNS management product is active.

1. Under 'Manage Domain Names', select the domain name which you activated your DNS management for
2. To the left of the console under 'DNS' click Manage DNS
3. Go to the 'A, CNAME, AAAA Records' section
4. Locate the A record that you would like to delete. Click the Delete button.
   A prompt will ask you if you are sure that you want to delete the record, if you still want to delete the record, select Ok. Wait a few seconds and the record will disappear.

What is an MX record

An MX record tells email programs where to deliver mail to, like an address on a letter sent in the post. If a company is running their own mail exchange it is required to modify the MX record to point to those servers for the office to send and receive email.

How do I set an MX record

The following steps assume that you have accessed your MyAccount and your DNS management product is active.

1. Under 'Manage Domain Names', select the domain name which you activated your DNS management for
2. To the left of the console under 'DNS' click Manage DNS
3. Go to the 'MX records' section
4. Enter in the host name eg. www.example.com. Note: Don't forget to add a dot (.) at the end of the host name
5. Under 'Points To' type in the host name eg. mail.example.com. Note: Don't forget to add a dot (.) at the end of the host name
6. Select the Priority eg. 1 or 10
7. Double check and see if what you typed is correct. Once satisfied, click Add
   Wait until the status changes from Publishing to Published

Please note: Before you create the mail.example.com. MX record, you will need to create the A record for mail.example.com. with the required IP address

Please note: If you want to your changes to be visible as soon as possible you will need to modify the TTL record. This tells name servers around the world how long to cache DNS records for in seconds.

How do I delete an MX record

The following steps assume that you have accessed your MyAccount and your DNS management product is active.

1. Under 'Manage Domain Names', select the domain name which you activated your DNS management for
2. To the left of the console under 'DNS' click Manage DNS
3. Go to the 'MX Records' section
4. Locate the MX record that you would like to delete. Click the Delete button.
   A prompt will ask you if you are sure that you want to delete the record, if you still want to delete the record, select Ok. Wait a few seconds and the record will disappear.

What is a TXT record

A TXT record allows an for arbitrary text to be inserted into a DNS record. For example, this record is used to implement the Sender Policy Framework specification.

How long does it take for my change to take effect

Please allow 24 48 hours to ensure your DNS changes have published fully across the Internet. There is no way to speed up this process as all ISP's need to refresh their servers worldwide.

Why is my DNS not working

There are many reasons why your DNS may not be working.
Firstly check that your domain name is delegated to the correct name servers. For DNS services to work your domain should be delegated to:

ns1.secure.net
ns2.secure.net

You should also check that the destination domain, host name or IP address is active for your A or CNAME record. Enter the domain or hostname into the location bar of your web browser to make sure it resolves.

Your DNS records may also be propagating. This can take up to 48 - 72 hours to be visible across the Internet.

What DNS record types are supported

Currently we support the following DNS record types:

• A
• CNAME
• MX
• AAA

What is a Zone Integrity Error

A Zone Integrity Error most commonly occurs because of the following reasons:

• When forgetting to place the dot (.) at the end of the CNAME record that you are trying to create. For example ghs.google.com will not work but ghs.google.com. (with the dot at the end) will work error free.
• When trying to create a CNAME record, if the name that you are trying to point to either does not exist or is not configured correctly.
• When trying to remove an existing record where the same record is refered to else where in the zone. First remove all references to the record that you want to remove.

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