DNS on VPS - VPS serves as master - MX SPF records unsearchable - need guidance

I'm in the process of getting a new cP/WHM set up and I have hit my first real stumbling block, which is the correct NS information so that all of the records generated by cPanel are accessible. Currently I route to the sever via host records at the registrar - using the registrar's DNS.

But...all of the MX information, SPF information, etc is essentially "behind" the VPS DNS configuration. If I try to do searches via MXToolbox or other DNS Query service to check the health of the zone information generated by cPanel, all of those searches die at the registrar's nameservers.

I worked all day yesterday trying to get the DNS configured in such a way that my cPanel would serve as the master - but I'm coming to the understanding that there will always be a master zone declaration in the "droplet" or VPS. All that being said - all of my sites are reachable, mail comes and goes.. Hell - even Outlook works with the SSL/TLS configuration...

I tried setting up vanity nameservers yesterday - to no avail. And after reading the help-files available in the community and the tutorials - there doesn't seem to be a real solution other than additional VPS's and a more complex NS configuration.

I have no problem with complex - other than I don't want it to be complex and fragile. Is there a way that anyone can think of that allows the cPanel install to serve as the master and the VPS to act as the slave, or simply get out of the way? Maybe I'm asking for the wrong thing.. Kind of a noob at all this.

What I really want to be able to do is have real nameservers pointed directly at my cpanel install and have the host and all of it's virtual hosts sitting front and center like you would find on any other traditional web server.

Having to add records to the VPS's DNS by hand defeats the purpose of having the cPanel install.

I'm sure I'm just doing something wrong.

Thank you - and sorry for the long-winded request..

 

Well - maybe not THAT helpful..

I have created a cluster implemented the "Direct Link" example found here: https://documentation.cpanel.net/display/CKB/Guide+to+DNS+Cluster+Configurations

I have provisioned 2 separate VPS's each with a copy of DNSONLY on them and set them on the main WHM/web server to Synchronize Changes.

Would that at least be a step in the right direction? I don't have everything working just yet. Not sure if it's a propagation issue or a misconfiguration.

Attached is a sample of what was returned by a DNS check service. One of the few I could get to actually access the correct information for the nameservers.

 

Have you setup the "A" records in the DNS zones of your name servers to match the IP addresses configured at the registrar?

In looking around the DNSONLY interface I haven't found a zone editor to do that in..

Pic of the server is attached.

 

OK - They both had an IP in them that was reflective of the host IP address. I updated both of them to the correct IP addresses associated with NS1 and NS2

- - - Updated - - -

And that cleaned up the A record report referenced in the previous attachment.. Several of the other warnings seem to have cleared up as well.. I guess I'll have to see if it ends up working as it should.. I can test all day - but the proof is in being able to hit the site from other locations around the globe.

 

Will do - I'm going to keep an eye on it and then I'll report here.. I really do appreciate your time.. Thank you.

 

So - as it turns out - after provisioning the additional cluster servers for DNS only, adding the correct A records and waiting for propagation, everything is working as it should. Thank you for helping me walk through it.