Not able to create a CNAME record to verify Microsoft Online Services

[fearmydesign]

Hi everyone, I am trying to create a DNS Record type CNAME for a particular domain through WHM to verify a new Microsoft Hosted Email Exchange account. I am creating the record with MS's instructions:

ms.domain.com #### IN CNAME red.mail.microsoftservices.com

But for some reason when I create it on the last input box where you see red.mail.microsoftservices.com the record wants to add .domainname. so once created it ends up looking like this

red.mail.microsoftservices.com.domain.com.

Why does my server do this? Any suggestions?

 

[cPanelTristan]

Are you using WHM > Add a DNS zone area? If so, are you putting a . at the end of your entry? You must end the entry in a . if it is not the shortened form of the domain otherwise WHM will believe you intended to use the portion you indicated + the main domain with a . ending it:

ms.domain.com. 14400 IN CNAME red.mail.microsoftservices.com.

This would be the correct syntax.

 

[fearmydesign]

Are you using WHM > Add a DNS zone area? If so, are you putting a . at the end of your entry? You must end the entry in a . if it is not the shortened form of the domain otherwise WHM will believe you intended to use the portion you indicated + the main domain with a . ending it:

ms.domain.com. 14400 IN CNAME red.mail.microsoftservices.com.

This would be the correct syntax.

I actually went into Edit DNS Zone then I selected the domain name from the list, and then added the record. Is this the right way of doing it? I did not add the . at the end, so I guess I can try that, but I just want to know that I am in the right location to make the change. Thank you for your help.

 

[cPanelTristan]

You can use Edit a DNS Zone area actually and that's the right area to perform that task, sorry for the typo there. The . is required at the end of entries that aren't wanting to have the main domain attached to them. Only short entries that have the domain attached do not have the . so like "mail 14400 IN A domain.com." where mail is the shortened form and returns mail.domain.com when being used by named. If you put a long form that is a full domain or subdomain, it must always end in a . for the entry.

 

[fearmydesign]

This CNAME record is still not being able to be verified by microsoft and I added the . at the end.... is it possible that something is wrong? Thank you

 

[cPanelTristan]

What is the exact CNAME you've added just to clarify so I can try to dig it to see the results?

 

[fearmydesign]

What is the exact CNAME you've added just to clarify so I can try to dig it to see the results?

This is exactly what I currently have on my Edit DNS Zone for this domain

ms12345678.artelye.com 14400 IN CNAME RED123.mail.microsoftonline.com.

 

[cPanelTristan]

The entry doesn't appear to have a final . as previously directed for full domain entries:

ms12345678.artelye.com. 14400 IN CNAME RED123.mail.microsoftonline.com.

Every entry that is a full domain not a shortened domain needs to end in a ., so ms12345678.artelye.com instead needs to be ms12345678.artelye.com. for the entry.

Also, please change the RED123 to lowercase. DNS entries should all be lowercase for domain names and only the "IN CNAME" portion should be uppercase in the entry.

 

[fearmydesign]

The entry doesn't appear to have a final . as previously directed for full domain entries:

ms12345678.artelye.com. 14400 IN CNAME RED123.mail.microsoftonline.com.

Every entry that is a full domain not a shortened domain needs to end in a ., so ms12345678.artelye.com instead needs to be ms12345678.artelye.com. for the entry.

Also, please change the RED123 to lowercase. DNS entries should all be lowercase for domain names and only the "IN CNAME" portion should be uppercase in the entry.

I did try to add the . on the 1st entry but WHM will not take it and give me an erro (below)

; cPanel first:11.26.9-STABLE_48422 latest:11.28.87-STABLE_51188 Cpanel::ZoneFile::VERSION:1.3 mtime:1301616037 hostname:server1.domain.com
; Zone file for domain.com
etc etc
etc etc
etc etc
ms42615757	14400	IN	CNAME	red123.mail.microsoftonline.com. ms12345678.artelye.com: multiple RRs of singleton type

 

[cPanelTristan]

Do you have "ms42615757 14400 IN CNAME red123.mail.microsoftonline.com." in the file or "ms12345678.artelye.com 14400 IN CNAME RED123.mail.microsoftonline.com." in the file already? The error is showing the first one instead of the second one anyway.

The biggest issue of all is that ms12345678.artelye.com isn't digging, which is why the CNAME isn't working. I don't know if it isn't digging because your DNS zone entry isn't right or because you have off server DNS and these zones aren't actually creatable on your machine or some other reason. Right now, I'm presuming it's your zone due to what you noted previously, but I'd like to see the actual DNS zone entry to determine that and if you aren't pasting the actual entry previously, we need to see the real entry in /var/named/ file for the domain.

 

[fearmydesign]

Do you have "ms42615757 14400 IN CNAME red123.mail.microsoftonline.com." in the file or "ms12345678.artelye.com 14400 IN CNAME RED123.mail.microsoftonline.com." in the file already? The error is showing the first one instead of the second one anyway.

The biggest issue of all is that ms12345678.artelye.com isn't digging, which is why the CNAME isn't working. I don't know if it isn't digging because your DNS zone entry isn't right or because you have off server DNS and these zones aren't actually creatable on your machine or some other reason. Right now, I'm presuming it's your zone due to what you noted previously, but I'd like to see the actual DNS zone entry to determine that and if you aren't pasting the actual entry previously, we need to see the real entry in /var/named/ file for the domain.

Yes, I have this currently as my entry

ms12345678.artelye.com 14400 IN CNAME red123.mail.microsoftonline.com.

Can you tell me which command to put on the SSH to get you the information you are asking me for on the last part of your last message, I'm not sure how to do this ( /var/named/ )

by the way, WHM automatically turns any uppercase to lower cases when entering a new record

 

[cPanelTristan]

If the main domain is artelye.com, then you'd run this command to get the entry in the DNS zone in root SSH:

grep ms12345678 /var/named/artelye.com.db

Thanks.

 

[fearmydesign]

Question: on my Edit DNS Zone for this domain, at the top there is the following record, can you tell me what this is, and if this shows anything that would help.

domain.com. 86400  IN SOA    ns1.domain.co.    rod.anotherdomain.com.   (

other numbers (i.e. serial, refresh, retry etc)

)

 

[cPanelTristan]

The top of the file isn't going to assist with the issue. All this handles is the SOA for the refresh and other information, and it doesn't impact the actual CNAME trying to be added.

 

[fearmydesign]

If the main domain is artelye.com, then you'd run this command to get the entry in the DNS zone in root SSH:

grep ms12345678 /var/named/artelye.com.db

Thanks.

Here's what I got:

ms12345678.artelye.com  14400   IN      CNAME   red123.mail.microsoftonline.com.

 

[cPanelTristan]

Can you simply edit the file and put a . at the end of that one entry that I mentioned, then save the file, then run this command after you save the file:

rndc reload

Oh, also, please make a backup of the file first, so:

cp /var/named/artelye.com.db /var/named/artelye.com.db.bak

 

[fearmydesign]

Any ideas cPanelTristan ? this is what I got via shell when I typed in grep md12345678 /var/named/artelye.com.db

ms12345678.artelye.com  14400   IN      CNAME   red123.mail.microsoftonline.com.

 

[fearmydesign]

Can you simply edit the file and put a . at the end of that one entry that I mentioned, then save the file, then run this command after you save the file:

rndc reload

Oh, also, please make a backup of the file first, so:

cp /var/named/artelye.com.db /var/named/artelye.com.db.bak

No luck :-(
I tried to add the . after the ms12345678.artelye.com. <-- but I got the error again, I went to SSH and ran that command, and it said " server reload successful "

But nothing, when I go back to Edit DNS Zone it the . (dot) is gone!!!
:-(

 

[fearmydesign]

Wait.... I GO IT.... LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I DID DIFFERENT THIS TIME....

 

[fearmydesign]

ok, so for some reason I decided to delete the CNAME record I had created in WHM after trying for 2 days different combinations... and I decided to login into cPanel for this domain name. In cPanel I went to 'Advanced DNS Zone Editor' and added the record there by just copy & paste from what Microsoft had given me... and it did indeed add the . (dot) you were referring to on the 1st entry... but I did not and it did not add a . (dot) after the red123.mail.microsoftonline.com

I have to say that I am really confused why I was able to do it from cPanel and not from WHM...

Thank you so much for your help
Rod