Knowledgebase

Setting A Records for Private Nameservers

Through its involvement in the management of the root DNS servers on the net, Verisign has pushed out a change so that if private nameservers are set at a registrar, then the 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 for Private Nameservers

To create A records for private name servers, follow the instructions below:

1. Log into WHM.
2. Navigate to the DNS Functions section.
3. Click on the Edit DNS Zone option.
4. Select the primary domain that is listed in your HostGator welcome email.
5. Click the Edit button and wait for the page to load.
6. Check your New Account Info email for the correct nameserver IPs. This is exactly the information you need for the record name and address.
   Below is an example of how the private nameservers and their corresponding IPs will appear in your welcome email:

   • ns1.resellerdomain.com (50.28.87.32)
   • ns2.resellerdomain.com (50.28.87.33)
7.  you will be able to see the DNS zone file. Scroll down to the section marked Add New Entries Below this Line.
8. In the first blank, type ns1.
9. Skip the box with 14400, and go to the drop-down box.
10. In the drop-down box, select A. A new box will appear.
11. Erase the IP or hostname within the box.
12. Type in the IP address for the NS1 private nameserver listed in your welcome email.
13. In the second blank, type ns2.
14. Skip the box with 14400, and go to the drop-down box.
15. In the drop-down box, select A. A new box will appear.
16. Erase the IP or hostname within the box.
17. Type in the IP address for the NS2 private nameserver listed in your welcome email.
18. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and click the Save button.

Be sure to also fix your DNS Glue to ensure that your site will resolve.

Troubleshooting and Confirming Settings

If your sites are not resolving after adding the A records, please make sure that the private nameservers are registered.

To test if your private nameservers are registered correctly, you can ping each name. The examples below show how both registered and non-registered nameservers appear when pinged.

Example: Ping Test for a Non-Registered Nameserver

The example listed below illustrates how the ping will look for a non-registered private nameserver.

Example: Ping Test for a Registered Nameserver

The example provided below illustrates how the ping will look for a properly registered private nameserver.