Domain Name System (DNS): A step-by-step guide on how it works

The Domain Name System (DNS) is the Internet’s system for converting alphabetic names into numeric IP addresses. For example, when a Web address (URL) is typed into a browser, DNS servers return the IP address of the Web server associated with that name (PC Machine Encyclopedia).

In simple terms, DNS is like a phone book for the internet. If you know a person’s name but don’t know their telephone number, you can simply look it up in a phone book. DNS provides this same service to the internet.

HOW THE DNS WORKS

When you visit https://termii.com/ in a browser, your computer uses DNS to retrieve the website’s IP address. Without DNS, you would only be able to visit our website (or any website) by visiting its IP address directly. When you visit a domain such as termii.com, your computer follows a series of steps to turn the human-readable web address into a machine-readable IP address. This process happens every time you use the internet — from viewing websites, sending an email or listening to anything on the internet.

ZONE Editor and cPanel: How to Use the Zone Editor for DNS Changes

To configure DNS records for your domain, cPanel provides a Zone Editor. The Zone Editor enables you to quickly and easily change DNS records for your domain or domains.

However, to maintain DNS for a domain from within cPanel, the domain must be added to cPanel.

Viewing DNS Records

The cPanel allows you to view your DNS Zone file, which contains your DNS records. You can view DNS records in the following steps below:

Step1. Login to your cPanel (Be sure to log in with the cPanel user that owns the domain you are maintaining DNS records for.

Step2. Locate the Domains section of Cpanel and click on the Zone Editor

Step3. Find your domain in the list under the Domain heading. Under the Actions heading, click on the ‘Manage’ link that corresponds with the domain you want to maintain DNS for.

Because the Zone Editor is capable of displaying up to 100 items per page, it is advisable to filter the records displayed for easier viewing:

Filtering DNS records by Search Results:

cPanel’s Zone Editor can search and display the filtered search results: On the Manage Zone page, type the name of the record you would like to view into the search box that reads “Filter by name”

Filtering DNS records by Type:

On the ‘Manage Zone’ page, click a record type from the Filter list. Each page will only display the records for the specific type you selected.

Adjusting the Page Size

You may need to expand another page of DNS records, depending on the number of DNS records that your zone file contains:

On the ‘Manage Zone’ page, click the ‘Page Size’ drop-down menu and click to select a higher quantity. The page will refresh and display the number of records you selected.

Navigating Through a Large Zone File

You can navigate between pages to view your records as needed if the amount of records in your zone file is higher than the maximum (100) page size

A. On the ‘Manage Zone page’, click the icon to navigate back and forward (respectively) through the pages of your DNS zone.

B. Clicking on the icon will navigate you to the first and last pages respectively.

Adding DNS Records

Through the ‘Manage’ link, you can add custom DNS records, such as CAA, TXT, AAAA, and SRV records. The instructions below provide the general steps to create DNS records.

1. Log in with the Cpanel user that owns the domain you are creating the DNS for insert image)

2. Click on ‘Zone Editor’ in the domain section of the cPanel (insert image)

3. In your domain heading, Click on the ‘manage’ link that is the same with the domain you want to create the record for (insert image)

4. Click the ‘+Add Record’ in the drop-down that appears and select the option for the record you want to add (insert image)

5. Enter the details of the new record into the appropriate fields that will appear at the top of the list.

6. And finally, click on ‘Add Record’ to save your records

Deleting DNS Records

The following steps show how you can delete a DNS record from your domain using the Zone Editor within the cPanel

1. Login to your cPanel

2. In the Domains section of the cPanel, click on ‘Zone Editor’

3. Search for Domain heading under the Actions heading and click on the ‘Manage’ link that is related to the domain you want to delete from.

4. Find the record you want to delete and click ‘Delete’ link next to related record

5. A conversation box pops up asking if you “Are you certain that you want to delete this record?” Click ‘Continue’ to confirm and delete the record

Resetting a DNS Zone

If you add/delete DNS records and want to revert to the original DNS, you can reset. This will remove all your custom DNS records and create the standard records for your domain. The instructions below provide the steps to reset your DNS zone file.

NB: It is important to note that resetting your zone file will delete any custom records you have made in your DNS zone file. Although the system will attempt to preserve TXT records, we recommend that you make note of any custom records you may want to save.

1. Log in to your cPanel

2. Click on ‘Zone Editor’ in the Domains section of Cpanel

3. Click on the ‘Manage’ link that is related to the DNS zone you want to reset

4. Locate the button located by the far right in the heading section and click on it

5. From the drop-down that will appear, click on ‘Reset Zone’

6. Click on ‘Continue’ to confirm and proceed to reset the zone

We hope you found this article helpful in understanding the DNS process. (Original article by Inmotion Hosting, DYN)