Using the Linode DNS Manager
The Linode Manager is not only your one-stop dashboard for all aspects of your Linodes, but it also houses our DNS Manager, a means to host all of your DNS records with ease.
Moving Your DNS to Linode
While the Linode DNS Manager is not a name registrar, any domain names purchased elsewhere can be moved to it, so you can manage them on the same site as your Linodes. To do this, you will need to change the name servers for your domain name at your domain registrar to Linode’s name servers.
We have five name servers, and it is recommended that you set all five of them. They are as follows:
- ns1.linode.com
- ns2.linode.com
- ns3.linode.com
- ns4.linode.com
- ns5.linode.com
Directions for changing your name servers can vary from registrar to registrar, though looking for the common option to change your name servers should suffice.
This screenshot is an example of Namecheap’s Custom DNS setting
Adding Your Domain to Linode
With the Linode DNS Manager, you can choose to ‘Import a zone’ or ‘Add a domain zone.’ For details on importing a zone, please refer to the following guide: https://www.linode.com/docs/networking/dns/dns-manager-overview#import-domain-zones. This guide will focus on adding a new zone to our DNS Manager.
When you go to add a domain zone, all you need is the domain and your email to use for the “SOA Email.” Additionally, you can set up basic records for one of your Linodes, or start with a blank record. Unless you are familiar with setting up your own DNS records or have a need outside the ordinary, I would recommend going with the provided basic setup for a Linode.
DNS Propagation
After setup or any changes are made, all you’ll need to do is wait for propagation to occur for your DNS to be active. The domain records forwarded to your IP address need to spread across the internet, which will take some time and vary by region. In general, complete DNS propagation usually takes from 24 to 48 hours, though initial changes can start to be seen within a few hours.
Linode’s domain name servers are updated every quarter hour, so you can query our name servers directly 15 minutes later (or sooner based on time) to see that the changes have taken place.
While this article covers the basics of getting your DNS hosted on Linode, many more in-depth operations are available, such as DNS cloning and setting up a slave zone. For details on everything that the Linode DNS Manager can do, please visit our guide on it: https://www.linode.com/docs/networking/dns/dns-manager-overview
If you have any questions or comments about hosting DNS records on Linode, feel free to comment below, tweet us, @Linode, or contact our 24/7 support: http://linode.com/support.
