Tag: DNS Files

What is a Hosts File?

The hosts file is a local plain text file that maps servers or hostnames to IP addresses. This file has been in use since the time of ARPANET. It was the original method to resolve hostnames to a specific IP address. The hosts file is usually the first process in the domain name resolution procedure. Here is an example of a hosts file entry.

What is a DNS Zone?

A DNS Zone is part of a group of components that make up DNS. These objects are managed by an administrator or organization in a granular manner. DNS zones can contain varied information about a domain and subdomains. Multiple zones can also exist on the same server.  DNS information is stored within a text file called a DNS zone file.

What Is Reverse DNS?

The purpose of DNS is typically used to resolve a domain name to an IP address. This act is known as a forward resolution and is performed every time you visit a site on the internet. Reverse DNS (or rDNS), as its name implies, is a method of resolving an IP address back to a domain name.

What is DNS?

DNS stands for Domain Name System (DNS) services. When we access a website, we are using this service to locate the server where the domain's website is located. When browsing the web, we usually type in a domain name like www.google.com into our browser. This is better than trying to remember an IP address linked to a Google server.

What is DNS?

The Domain Name Service (or DNS) is the key to the presence of your server on the internet. You are probably aware your domain has an “IP” address, which stands for Internet Protocol; that number is your domain’s literal web address on the internet. A typical IP address is a series of four numbers called octets that are identified like so: 10.10.10.10.  You can think of your IP address as being similar to a postal address. The IP address is the exact location where your domain lives. I usually explain it like this;

What is DNS?

If you are new to web hosting, you may have heard the term DNS, but you might not be sure what it means or how it is essential to you. DNS is short for Domain Name System, and it is the process by which the whole Internet organizes and easier way for humans to reach websites.

PowerDNS (pdns) is an open source authoritative DNS server that works as an alternative to traditional BIND (named) DNS. PowerDNS offers better performance and has minimal memory requirements. PowerDNS also works with many supporting backends ranging from simple zone files to complex database setups as well as various SQL platforms (Mysql, MariaDB, Oracle, PostgreSQL).

When using custom name servers, it is essential to update the DNS in cPanel/WHM, doing so, is a component of hosting your own DNS. To use custom name servers, you must update the nameservers at your domain’s registrar to match your Liquid Web server’s hostname. If you are unsure how to do this, you can see how in our article Setting Up Private Name servers in WHM/cPanel. It is critical to have created a cPanel account and to add the domain to your WHM panel, if you haven’t already,  follow our article, How To: Create a cPanel Account in WHM.  Additionally, access to your registrar’s control panel is necessary to update the name servers. If you are questioning who your registrar is, learn how to locate where your domain’s DNS is by following the instructions in our article, Where Is My DNS Hosted?

One of the many challenges that we may face while attempting to make modifications to a zone file, is knowing what the different records are used for.  This article highlight several of the commonly used records in an attempt to help demystify them.

If your computer has trouble reaching a certain website or server this may be due to a corrupt local DNS cache. This guide will show you how to clear your local DNS cache (“flush” it) for several operating systems.