Configuring DNS Services

Your control panel works in cooperation with a DNS server, which enables you to run DNS service on the same machine where you host Web sites.

Setup of DNS zones for newly added domains is automated: When you add a new domain name to control panel, a zone file is automatically generated for it in accordance with the server-wide DNS zone template and registered in the name server's database, and name server is instructed to act as a primary (master) DNS server for the zone.

You can:

To view the default records in the server-wide DNS template:

  1. Go to Server > DNS Settings. All resource record templates will be displayed.

    The <ip> and <domain> templates are automatically replaced in the generated zone with real IP addresses and domain names.

To add a new resource record to the server-wide DNS template:

  1. Go to Server > DNS Settings.
  2. Click Add New DNS Record in the Tools group.
  3. Select the resource record type and specify the record properties as desired.

    Note that you can use <ip> and <domain> templates that will be replaced in the generated zone with real IP addresses and domain names. You can use a wildcard symbol (*) to specify any part of the domain name, and you can specify the exact values you need.

  4. Click OK.

To remove a resource record from the server-wide DNS template:

  1. Go to Server > DNS Settings.
  2. Select a check box corresponding to the record template you wish to remove, and click Remove Selected.
  3. Confirm removal and click OK.

To restore the original configuration of server-wide DNS template:

  1. Go to Server > DNS Settings.
  2. Click Restore Defaults in the Tools group
  3. Confirm the restoration of the DNS template zone and click OK.

Plesk updates automatically the zone name, hostname, administrator's e-mail address, and serial number, and writes the default values for the rest of Start of Authority record parameters to the zone files it maintains. If you are not satisfied with the default values, you can change them through the control panel.

To change the Start of Authority (SOA) record settings in the server-wide DNS template:

  1. Go to Server > DNS Settings.
  2. Click SOA Records Template.
  3. Specify the desired values:
  4. Click OK. The new SOA record parameters will be set for the newly created domains.

By default, transfer of DNS zones is allowed only for name servers designated by NS records contained within each zone. If your domain name registrar requires that you allow transfer for all zones you serve:

  1. Go to Server > DNS Settings.
  2. Select Transfer Restrictions Template tab. A screen will show all hosts to which DNS zone transfers for all zones are allowed.

You can adjust the server-wide DNS recursion settings in Plesk.

  1. Click the Server shortcut in the navigation pane.
  2. Click DNS Settings in the Services group.
  3. Select DNS Recursion tab.
  4. Click OK.

If you are using third-party DNS servers (for example, if your control panel is using Plesk Expand DNS server), and are not running your own DNS server, you should switch off your control panel's DNS server.

To switch off your control panel's DNS server:

  1. Go to Server > DNS Settings.
  2. Click DNS server.
  3. Select the DNS server is switched off option and click OK.