Can't configure nameservers

[Davide Jones]

Hi everyone,

I've been working on a website for the past week and I'm totally new to hosting/domains/nameservers and so on. I've read the guides and I think I've come to a solution but things are still not working.

Here is my situation and problem:

- I have a domain registered with godaddy
- I have a server with softlayer.com
- The server has an IP I can access (I have the site up and I can access it with both Filezilla and via browser using IP)
- I want to be able to type www.mydomainwithgodaddy.com and see the website hosted with softlayer

- In order to do I changed godaddy nameservers and if I ping it I get

Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.SOFTLAYER.COM
NS2.SOFTLAYER.COM

So they are ok. The fact is that maybe I haven't set things up in the cPanel correctly.
What should I look at to see if cPanel is configured correctly?

Hope you can help, I have no experience at all in this kind of stuff

Thank you

Davide

 

[ThinIce]

If you're wanting to use softlayer's name servers for DNS for your site, then you'll need to create the dns zone for the domain, and records within this using their systems

DNS | KnowledgeLayer

If on the other hand, you have your cPanel server / vps and wish to use this to provide DNS for your domain, then you'll need to perform some extra steps at godaddy to register your own name servers for use

http://etwiki.cpanel.net/twiki/pub/AllDocumentation/WHMDocs/DNSNewbieGuide.pdf

 

[Davide Jones]

If you're wanting to use softlayer's name servers for DNS for your site, then you'll need to create the dns zone for the domain, and records within this using their systems

DNS | KnowledgeLayer

I'd like to use softlayer's name servers for DNS. I'm looking at the documentation right now but I'm a bit confused.
If I go to the DNS Administration of softlayer it says

Authoritative Name Servers

SoftLayer operates public Authoritative DNS Servers for the benefit of our customers.

The SoftLayer Authoritative DNS Servers are:
ns1.softlayer.com - 67.228.254.4
ns2.softlayer.com - 67.228.255.5

and

DNS Zone Records:
There are currently no DNS entries associated with this account.

So, do I have to associate a DNS entry with this account?

Thank you,

Davide

 

[arunsv84]

1. As mentioned above, if you wish to use your own name servers (say ns.yourdomainame.com), you need to first register your name server at godaddy. Once its done, you need to assign the name servers in WHM >> Basic cPanel/WHM setup(Scroll down to bottom of that page you will see the space to add the nameservers). Make sure that you have assigned the ip and A record for your custom name server at WHM >> Basic cPanel/WHM setup. Once completed, just assign the ip's that you set on server at domain registrar end.

2. If you are not planning to use custom name servers, everything is simple. You just need to set the server ip as A record(assuming you are not using dedicated ip for your domain) for the domain at godaddy. Note that in this case your domain will be using the dns service offered by Godaddy.

3. If there is name servers already setup on your server, you need to update the name servers for the domain and it will automatically pick all the records on server.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!!!

 

[Davide Jones]

2. If you are not planning to use custom name servers, everything is simple. You just need to set the server ip as A record(assuming you are not using dedicated ip for your domain) for the domain at godaddy. Note that in this case your domain will be using the dns service offered by Godaddy.

3. If there is name servers already setup on your server, you need to update the name servers for the domain and it will automatically pick all the records on server.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!!!

Sorry but I lack the basics to totally understand what you are saying I don't want to use custom nameservers, since softlayer provides 2 by default (I think). So I tried to apply your #2 scenario but godaddy says

DNS Manager
DNS Manager: Not hosted here

so I can't add the ip as A record.

As for option 3, "If there is name servers already setup on your server" (I think so) I have updated the name servers for the domain (I went into godaddy panel and changed them to ns1.softlayer.com) but nothing happened.

I'm aware that name server changes may take up to 48h hours to propagate, but I made the changes 2 days ago, that's why I'm writing here

Sorry again for my lack of knowledge and thank you for your patience!

Davide

 

[arunsv84]

No problem. Have you checked the name server set on your server? Kindly login to WHM and check it in the section that I mentioned earlier.

Sorry but I lack the basics to totally understand what you are saying I don't want to use custom nameservers, since softlayer provides 2 by default (I think). So I tried to apply your #2 scenario but godaddy says
DNS Manager
DNS Manager: Not hosted here

If you wish to use Godaddy DNS service, you need to change the name servers to Godaddys name servers (Its something like ns.domaincontrol.com). Once you set the Godaddy name servers, you can just edit the A record to the server ip.

Hope its clear.

Cheers!!!

 

[Davide Jones]

Thank you so much for your reply.

I went to godaddy and restored ns.domaincontrol.com. After this, I was able to modify the A record. There was an old ip to the old site (the old webmaster took it down) so I simply edited to point to the new IP address of softlayer.

So now I have the website up at some random IP from softlayer and I'm pointing at it with go daddy, and godaddy is using its own nameservers to make its own stuff, so from what I understand, everything should be ok, and I just have to wait from 1 to 48 hours (correct me if I am wrong).

Do you think I also need to check settings on cPanel from the new website?

I hope everything will work and this will be my last request

Davide

 

[Davide Jones]

It worked! Thank you SO MUCH for your help, it was so simple yet so impossible to understand if you don't know where to look and what to do. Thank you so much again.

Just another question: the guy who wanted me to restore the website onto a new server said that his email accont @mydomain.com is not receiving emails anymore (I've tested it and they keep coming back at me). Now that the site is up again and nameservers are set, is there any chance that mails will work again? Or should I look at something totally different like MX records?

Davide

 

[arunsv84]

Hi,

Great!!!

As you are using Godaddy DNS, you need to update the MX record of the domain as well. Change the MX record to point to your server after logging to Godaddy panel and mails should work fine.

Please note that for MX, you need to mention the destination to some hostname and set the priority. Something like below.

Set priority to 0 (zero).

Destination to domainname.com. (make sure to use a dot symbol at the last. ie after the domainnname)

Cheers!!!