WARNING: Updates effecting DNS and Domain Names can be dangerous and changes should not be made if you don't know what you are doing. Please click here for more information.
Why do I need DNS records? The DNS Records on your hosting account are what control different elements of your hosting package. There will be certain elements that are needed for your websites hosting and there will be certain elements that are needed for your email hosting. Changing or altering any of these records without prior knowledge of what they need to be can cause issues with your hosting service.
Different Types of DNS Records There are many different types of DNS records. Below are the records that will be entered by default when you create a new hosting package with us.
A Records: A records are use to specify IP Addresses that are used for domain name resolution. For example, all of our hosting packages will have an A record with the value of 'FTP' which will point to the IP Address of the server their website is hosted on. This means that when you connect to ftp.customerdomain.co.uk you will be connecting to the IP address that the FTP A Record relates to.
NS Records: NS is the shortened version of NameServer. These NameServer records should point to your hosting companies NameServers as these will tell the outside world where to go for your websites. Your NS Records should always match the NameServers that your Domain Name is point to. Click here to view the default NameServers for Small Business Hosting. Please Note: Changing the NameServers records at a DNS level will not update the Name Servers that your Domain Name is point to. Please click here on a guide on how to change the Name Servers at a Domain Name level.
MX Records: The MX Records are what will tell the external world which mail servers are responsible for managing your email. If the MX records you have entered are incorrect then your emails will be routed to a different location and you will not receive them.
TXT Records: TXT is the shortened version of Text Record. The TXT records will be used for adding in any bits of additional text that you need within your DNS file. The most common type of TXT record is an SPF Entry. You can read about SPF Records here. You may also need to have a TXT record for authenticating with external resources such as Microsoft or Google.
CNAME Records: CNAME records are used to deifne a domain or a sub-domain to point to a specific hostname. For example if you had a website setup that had a picture gallery on it you could setup a CNAME record with a value of 'gallery' which points to the same IP address as your current website. This would mean that anyone who goes to http://gallery.customerdomain.co.uk in their web browser will be taken to your picture gallery.
PTR Records: A PTR Record is the opposite of an A record. Unlike an A record, the PTR records are used in order to resolve an IP Address to a domain or a hostname. These are typically used for reverse DNS entries.
If you have any issues with updating your websites DNS entries then please get in touch with us through our ticketing system.
