DNS Configuration Guide

DNS (Domain Name System) is the phonebook of the Internet. It translates human-readable domain names (like simbavault.com) into machine-readable IP addresses (like 192.0.2.1), allowing browsers to load websites. This guide explains how to manage your domain's DNS records with Simbavault.

Managing Your DNS Records

If your domain uses our nameservers (ns1.simbavault.com and ns2.simbavault.com), you can manage your DNS records directly from your client area dashboard. Navigate to "Domains" → select your domain → "Manage DNS" to access the DNS zone editor.

Common Record Types Explained

Here are the most common DNS records you might need to add or edit:

A Record (Address Record)

The "A" record is the most fundamental DNS record. It points a domain or subdomain to a specific IPv4 address. This is what makes your website load when someone types your domain name.

• Name: The domain or subdomain. Use @ to refer to the root domain itself (e.g., yourdomain.com). Use www for the www subdomain.
• Value: The IPv4 address of your server (e.g., 198.51.100.5).

CNAME Record (Canonical Name)

A "CNAME" record maps one domain name (an alias) to another (the canonical or "true" name). This is useful for pointing a subdomain to an external service without using an IP address.

• Name: The alias subdomain you are creating (e.g., blog).
• Value: The target domain name that the alias should point to (e.g., sites.myblogplatform.com).

Note: You cannot create a CNAME record for a root domain (@), as per DNS standards.

MX Record (Mail Exchanger)

The "MX" record specifies the mail server responsible for accepting email messages on behalf of your domain. You can have multiple MX records with different priorities to create redundancy.

• Name: The root domain (usually @).
• Priority: A lower number indicates higher priority. A mail server will always try the record with the lowest priority number first.
• Value: The hostname of the mail server (e.g., mail.simbavault.com).

TXT Record (Text Record)

The "TXT" record provides text information to sources outside your domain. It's commonly used for various verification purposes and is critical for email authentication protocols like SPF and DKIM.

• Name: The domain or subdomain the record applies to (often @).
• Value: The text string itself. For example, an SPF record to authorize Simbavault's mail server might look like: "v=spf1 include:mail.simbavault.com ~all".

Understanding TTL (Time to Live)

TTL stands for "Time to Live". It's a setting for each DNS record that tells DNS resolvers around the world how long they should cache (store) a query's result before requesting a fresh copy. A common TTL is 3600 seconds (1 hour).

When you update a DNS record, it can take up to the TTL for the change to become visible everywhere on the internet. This is known as DNS propagation.