Tag: DNS Files

What is DNS?

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

What is Reverse DNS?

A reverse DNS lookup is a query in which a domain name connected with an IP address is returned. However, in a forward DNS lookup, an IP address is returned when the domain name is queried. The following is an example output of reverse DNS lookup.

What is a DNS Zone?

A Domain Name System (DNS) zone is the area of the DNS namespace under the control of one particular administrator or organization. A DNS zone is a space for the administration that enables more precise control over DNS elements like authoritative nameservers. The DNS root domain is at the top of a hierarchical tree representing the domain name space.

Troubleshooting website issues is a difficult task. You may not know where to start depending on your problems.

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 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?