Knowledgebase

This article is all about fixing your glue, by which we mean checking the SOA and NSrecords in your domain's DNS zone, and making sure they match the nameservers being used at your registrar exactly.

The SOA (Start of Authority) and NS (Nameserver) records tell the internet that your private nameservers are authoritative and contain the most up-to-date information about your DNS settings. If these are not set correctly, some DNS servers will not trust your private nameservers. Other DNS servers may get confused because there is a mismatch between what the registrar says and what your nameservers say. This typically results in some people being able to reach your domain, while others cannot. So it is always a good idea to double-check these settings.

Fixing the Glue

Depending on your hosting plan, the instructions for how to make the proper changes for your DNS Glue will vary. Please refer to the proper section below with instructions for your specific control panel.

cPanel + WHM

The following steps will walk you through how to change the NS records when using private nameservers with WHM and cPanel.

1. Log in to WHM.
2. Under the DNS Functions section, click Edit DNS Zone.
3. Select your domain name from the list and click the Edit button.
4. In the SOA field, replace the nameserver with your primary private nameserver (ns1... - be sure to include the trailing dot). 
   
5. In the NS  field, replace each nameserver with your private nameservers (ns1 and ns2, - be sure to include each trailing dot).
   
6. Scroll down and click the Save button.

Be sure this is done for every domain name you host.

Plesk 10 and 11

The following steps will show you how to change the NS records when using private nameservers with Plesk version 10 or higher.

1. Log in to Plesk.
2. Go to the desired domain's control panel (if not already there).
3. Click on the Websites & Domains tab.
4. Click the DNS Settings link.
5. Next to the domain, click the Manage link.

Here you can edit the existing NS records or add a new NS record if needed.

Plesk 9

The following steps will show you how to change the NS records when using private nameservers with Plesk version 9.

1. Log in to Plesk as the admin user.
2. From Home, click the DNS Settings link.

Here you can edit the existing NS records, or add a new NS record if needed.

Updating A Records

After your nameservers have been created and the glue is set, if you are using private nameservers, then you must add the necessary A records to your domain.

If you have not updated the A records accordingly, please refer to the following knowledge base article for a basic walkthrough on how to achieve this:

• DNS Update - NS A Records