How do I add a DNS record to my 123 Reg server running Plesk?
This article will explain DNS and how you can add a DNS record on your VPS server running Plesk.
What is DNS?
DNS stands for Domain Name System.
The main function of DNS is to translate domain names into IP Addresses, which computers can understand. It also provides a list of mail servers which accept Emails for each domain name.
Each domain name in DNS will nominate a set of name servers to be authoritative for its DNS records. This is where all other name servers will be pointed when looking for information about the domain name.
What are each record types for?
A record
An A record (or ‘address record’) specifies which IP is assigned to a particular domain. This entry doesn’t necessarily have to be made – a domain can – for example – be used only for mail services – so an A record for this domain is not necessary.
Alternatively, more than one record can be entered for each domain. In this case, a new record is returned for each query. This is particularly important for large scalable systems.
CNAME record
C Name or ‘canonical name’ record
CNAME stands for ‘canonical name’ and is a redirection to the zone file of the entered target domain. All entries (NS, MX, A) therefore apply to this target domain. CNAMES are primarily used to make it easier to maintain domains with the same basic data, or to assign other domains entered in the same zone the same data as the zone itself.
TXT record
A TXT (text) record is used to hold some text information. You can put virtually any free text you want within a TXT record.
A TXT record has a hostname so that you can assign the free text to a particular hostname/zone. The most common use for TXT records is to store SPF (sender policy framework) records and to prevent emails being faked to appear to have been sent from you.
How do I add a DNS record?
Since this process differs depending on which version of Plesk you have, please select your version from the list below and follow the provided instructions to get started.
Please note: this article was originally created for our previous generation of Virtual Private Servers. As such, these instructions may not be relevant to our current generation of Virtual Private Servers.
Plesk 11
Log in to your Parallels Plesk Panel.
Click on the Domains link on the left panel.
Click on the Open in Control Panel link for the relevant domain name.
Click on the Website & Domains tab.
Click on the DNS Settings icon.
Click on the Add Record icon.
Fill in your DNS record details and click on the OK button.
Plesk 10
Log in to your Parallels Plesk Panel.
Click on the Domains link on the left panel.
Click on the Control Panel link next to the relevant domain name.
Click on the Websites & Domains tab.
Click on the DNS Settings icon.
Click on the Add Record icon.
Fill in your DNS record details and click on the OK button.
