Dynadot Help

Name Server Settings

• Why does it say "needs initializing" on my .WALES domain and why am I unable to set my name servers?

  If you are trying to set your name servers for your .WALES domain and the page just keeps reloading, it may be because your domain has not yet been initialized. If you also see "needs initializing" listed under the "Quick Info" column on the "Manage" page (which can be found under the "Domains" drop-down menu), then your domain has not yet been initialized. If you are located in the UK, the most likely reason for this is an issue with your postal code. Nominet, the central registry for .WALES, requires that UK postal codes be all uppercase and have the appropriate spaces, for example, HU7 6DD. If you have not already entered your postal code this way, you should update your contact record. Then you will need to email us at [email protected] to complete the domain initialization.

• How do I change the IP address associated with my custom name servers?

  To edit your custom name servers for a domain registered by Dynadot, please follow these steps: Sign in to your Dynadot account. Select "My Domains" from the left-side menu bar and click "Name Servers" in the drop-down. Click on the name server you wish to edit. It should be a blue link. Enter the new IP address in the provided form. Press the "Submit" button to save your changes. You can submit either an IPv4 or IPv6 IP address. You can also set multiple IP addresses. Please also remember to configure your name servers with the corresponding "A" record. NOTE: The .WS Registry does not support IPv6 addresses.

• How do I enter an SRV record for my domain?

  To enter an SRV record for your domain, please follow these steps: Sign in to your Dynadot account. Select "My Domains" from the left-side menu bar and click "Manage Domains" in the drop-down. Check the box next to your domain name(s) and click on the "Bulk Action" button. Choose "DNS Settings" from the "Bulk Action" list. Under the "Subdomain Records" section, select "SRV" from the "Record Type" drop-down menu. Enter the Service and Protocol values together in the subdomain box. Add a period between the two. In the "IP Address or Target Host" field, enter in the Priority, Weight, Port and Target. Only add one space in between each value. Click on the "Save DNS" button to save your changes. NOTE: You must enter a record under the Domain Record section (type A/AAAA/CNAME/Forwarding) in order to save DNS records. Your settings should look similar to what is shown below: (click to enlarge) SRV Record Example

• Why is my website offline?

  There are many reasons why you may not be able to see your website. The majority of these reasons fall into these 4 categories: If you recently set your name servers, your settings may not have propagated yet. You can do an IP lookup in your Dynadot account to see if your new name server settings have been propagated through the system. If they haven't propagated yet, you'll see a "name servers misconfigured" error. The website or the old name server settings for your domain are cached. If you aren't getting the "name servers misconfigured" error in your IP lookup, you can try refreshing your site a few times. If that doesn't work, you can try clearing your cache. Click on "cached" above for more information & browser instructions. Your web host has not set up their name servers to handle web requests for your domain yet. We recommend contacting your web host about the issue. You have ordered a web hosting package for a domain name from us, but did not register the actual domain name. If you ordered Email from us, but didn't register the domain name at any domain registrar, you won't be able to see your website until you register the actual domain name. When you order Email from us, there's a place to enter the domain name the hosting is for. Entering the domain name here doesn't register it for you. You must already own the domain or register it at the same time. You need both the domain name and a web hosting plan to build a website. Basically, a domain name is like a mailing address while a web hosting plan provides the actual land space or "lot" at that address. You need both to get your website online.

• How do I set up DNSSEC?

  To use the Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC), please follow these steps: Sign in to your Dynadot account. Set your name servers. After setting your name servers, select "My Domains" then "Manage Domains" from the left-side menu bar. Under the domain name column, click on your domain name (which should be a link). This will load your domain's setting page. Find the "DNSSEC" section. (You may need to scroll down). It should indicate "Not Set." Click on it. To add a new DNSSEC record, select the top section, "Set a DNSSEC Record". Enter your DNSSEC values in the provided text boxes, then click the "Set DNSSEC Record" button to save your changes. If you already have existing DNSSEC record(s) for another domain and would like to re-use them, select the bottom section, "Use existing DNSSEC Records". Choose the DNSSEC record from the drop-down menu (you can choose up to 3 different DNSSEC records), then click the "Set DNSSEC Records" button to save your changes. NOTE: Dynadot's name servers for services such as domain forwarding, parking, custom DNS, and Email are NOT configured for DNSSEC.

• How do I create an A record to point my domain to an IP address?

  To create an A record, please follow these steps: Sign in to your Dynadot account. Select "My Domains" from the left-side menu bar and click "Manage Domains" in the drop-down. Check the box next to your domain name(s) and click on the "Bulk Action" button. Choose "DNS Settings" from the "Bulk Action" list. On the DNS Settings page, select the "Dynadot DNS" setting from the top drop-down menu. In the "Domain Record (required)" section, select "A" from the drop-down menu and then enter your IP address in the "IP Address or Target Host" box. In the "Subdomain Records (optional)" section, enter "www" as the subdomain, select "A" from the drop-down menu and then enter your IP address in the "IP Address or Target Host" box. Press the "Save DNS" button to save your changes. Please be aware it might take some time for your settings to propagate. Wix Hosting, Weebly

• What is forward status code? What is the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect code?

  The forward status code is the response code sent to a web browser visiting your site if your domain is set to Dynadot domain forwarding. The code tells the web browser that the domain should be forwarded to another location. Which redirect code should I use? Either code, 301 or 302, can be used to forward your web page. A typical visitor to your website will not notice a difference. The different codes are mainly used for search engine optimization (SEO). The 301 redirect code would tell a search engine that it should use the "forward to" page in its search results. For example, dyandot.com should be 301 redirected to dynadot.com, since we want dynadot.com to show up in the search engine results, not dyandot.com. The 302 redirect code would tell the search engine to check back later to see which website should be used in its results. This would be useful if you are temporarily forwarding to another site while you are creating your actual site.

• How can I remove or disable domain forwarding?

  You must update your settings to remove or disable domain forwarding. For example, you can change your settings to our domain parking feature or set name servers, and they will override domain forwarding.

• Why am I unable to set my name servers for my .DE domain?

  The central registry for .DE domains requires that all name servers respond to DNS queries before they can be set to a .DE domain. This means that not only will your name servers need to be valid, they will also need to be properly configured to serve your specific domain and have diverse IP addresses associated to them. If you receive an error message when trying to set name servers for your .DE domain, one or more of these requirements have not been met. To check your name servers, try running a Pre-Delegation Check. This should help you pin-point the issue so you can inform your web host. Here is more information on .DE name server requirements.

• My domain is registered at Dynadot and I also use your Email plan. How do I configure my domain to my Email package?

  To use your Email plan, please follow these steps: Sign in to your Dynadot account. Select "My Domains" from the left-side menu bar and then click "Manage Domains" in the drop-down. Check the box next to your domain name(s) and click on the "Bulk Action" button. Choose "DNS Settings" from the "Bulk Action" list. On the DNS page, select "Dynadot Hosting" from the top drop-down menu. Select "Email Hosting" from the list of choices (we no longer sell new Advanced Hosting plans). Press the "Use Dynadot Hosting" button to save your changes. You should now see “Dynadot Email Hosting” listed alongside your domain on the “Manage Domains” in your Dynadot account. Please be aware that it might take some time for your name server changes to propagate.

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