How to Set Up Nameservers in a cPanel & WHM Environment

Overview

Nameservers play a crucial role in directing internet traffic by matching domain names to their corresponding IP addresses. When a user attempts to access a website hosted on your server, their computer queries a nameserver for the domain's IP address. The nameserver then provides the correct IP address, guiding the user to your web server and the desired page.

• It is essential to publish records for your domain names to nameservers to ensure visitors can access your sites.
• These nameservers communicate with other nameservers across the internet to propagate the records of the sites your server hosts.
• The propagation period refers to the time it takes for a domain’s DNS records to spread and update across the global internet.

You can effectively configure and update your nameservers using various interfaces within WHM.

Default Nameservers

Upon initial login to WHM, default nameservers (such as cprapid.com) may be provided as placeholders. However, these default nameservers are often incompatible with many domain types, including common .com domain names.

To ensure your website is accessible to visitors, you must update your nameservers in WHM. For detailed instructions, please refer to the "Configuring Nameservers via WHM Interfaces" section below.

Configuring Nameservers via WHM Interfaces

To configure nameservers through the WHM interface, follow these steps:

1. Select Nameserver Software

Note: If you are already utilizing your registrar’s DNS services, you may skip this step.

To select your preferred nameserver software, proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to WHM’s Nameserver Selection interface (WHM » Home » Service Configuration » Nameserver Selection).
2. Select the desired nameserver software. Options include:
   • PowerDNS — This is the system default. For most servers, PowerDNS is the recommended choice.
   • BIND
   • Disabled
3. Click Save.

Note: PowerDNS is installed by default on new systems.

2. Configure Your Default Nameservers

To configure your default nameservers, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to WHM’s Basic WebHost Manager Setup interface (WHM » Home » Server Configuration » Basic WebHost Manager Setup).
2. At the bottom of the interface, enter the desired nameserver names into the provided text boxes.
3. Click Save Changes.

We recommend adhering to the following guidelines when naming your nameservers:

• The name must consist of a prefix, a dot (.), and your domain. The standard convention for nameservers is to prefix your domain name with ns1 (e.g., ns1.example.com and ns2.example.com).
• Your nameservers cannot share the same name.
• We highly recommend using a domain that aligns with your company’s primary homepage URL.

3. Add IP Addresses

To add IP addresses to your server, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to WHM’s Add a New IP Address interface (WHM » Home » IP Functions » Add a New IP Address).
2. Enter the IP address or IP address range in the New IP or IP range to add text box.
3. Enter the subnet mask in the Select a subnet mask for the IP or IPs above to use text box.
4. Enter any IP addresses you wish to exclude in the IPs and IP ranges to exclude from the range of new IPs text box.
5. Click Submit.

4. Create A or AAAA Records for Your Nameservers

To create A or AAAA records for your nameservers, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to WHM’s Basic WebHost Manager Setup interface (WHM » Home » Server Configuration » Basic WebHost Manager Setup).
2. Next to the appropriate Nameservers text box, click Configure Address Records. A new interface will appear, and the system will perform a DNS lookup on the nameserver you entered.
3. Optionally, update the IP addresses in the relevant text boxes.
   • To enter a different IPv4 address, enter a new value in the Enter an IPv4 address to create an A record text box or Confirm the IPv4 address to create an A record text box.
   • To enter a different IPv6 address, enter a new value in the Enter an IPv6 address to create an AAAA record (optional) text box.
4. Click Configure Address Records. The system will display the results of your changes.
5. Click Close.
6. Repeat these steps for each nameserver.

5. Create A Records for Your Hostname

To create A records for your hostname, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to WHM’s Add an A Entry for Your Hostname interface (WHM » Home » DNS Functions » Add an A Entry for Your Hostname).
2. Enter your server’s IP address in the available text box.
3. Click Add Entry.

6. Register Nameservers with Your Registrar

After successfully configuring your server’s nameservers, you must register them with your domain registrar.

• Registering nameservers announces their existence to the rest of the internet. This action is not performed within cPanel & WHM, but it is crucial for your nameservers to function correctly.
• For step-by-step instructions for various popular registrars, please see the "Registrar-Specific Setup Instructions" section below.

7. Manage Reseller Nameservers

Once your nameservers are configured, you might consider setting up specialized nameservers for your server’s resellers. cPanel & WHM is designed to support a white-label reseller experience, allowing for customizable branding. This enables hosting resellers to utilize their own distinct nameservers.

Note: While resellers can use their own nameservers, individual cPanel accounts do not have this capability.

To modify nameserver names and assign nameserver IP addresses for individual reseller nameservers, use WHM’s Edit Reseller Nameservers and Privileges interface (WHM » Home » Resellers » Edit Reseller Nameservers and Privileges).

Registrar-Specific Setup Instructions

The following instructions assume that you have an existing account with the registrar, your domain is already registered with that company, and you have logged into your account to the initial screen.

123-reg.co.uk

To register nameservers with 123-reg.co.uk, follow these steps:

1. Locate and select the domain name for your nameserver (e.g., choose example.com if registering ns1.example.com).
2. Click Modify domain.
3. Click Change Nameservers.
4. Scroll down and enter the names for your primary and secondary nameservers in the Nameserver 1 and Nameserver 2 text boxes (e.g., ns1.example.com).
5. Click Change Nameservers.
6. Enter the IP addresses for your nameservers.
7. Click Change Nameservers.

DirectNIC

To register nameservers with DirectNIC, follow these steps:

1. Click Domain Manager.
2. Click Change Nameserver Information next to your domain.
3. Click Create Nameserver at the top of the interface.
4. Enter your nameserver’s hostname (e.g., ns1.example.com).
5. Enter the appropriate IP address.
6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 for your second nameserver.

Dotster

To register nameservers with Dotster, follow these steps:

1. Click on My Domains at the top of the Account Management interface.
2. Click the domain for which you wish to register your nameservers.
3. Click Register Nameserver.
4. Enter the hostname (e.g., ns1.example.com) for your first nameserver.
5. Enter the IP address for this nameserver, inputting each octet of your IP address into its respective text box.
6. Click Update.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 for your second nameserver.

DynaDot

To register nameservers with DynaDot, follow these steps:

1. Click Domain Names on the right side of the interface.
2. Click Nameservers near the top of the interface.
3. Click Register a domain name server.
4. Enter the full name of your first nameserver (e.g., ns1.example.com) in the Host Name text box.
5. Enter the IP address for that nameserver.
6. Click Submit.
7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 for your second nameserver.

Enom

To register nameservers with Enom, follow these steps:

1. Click Select Domain Names.
2. Click Register DNS.
3. Utilize the Register a Nameserver Name feature in the first section of the interface to create your nameservers.

GoDaddy

To register nameservers with GoDaddy, follow these steps:

1. Under the Domains heading, click All Domains.
2. Locate the domain for which you wish to set up your nameservers.
3. Click the gear icon and select Manage DNS.
4. Click the Settings tab.
5. Under the Host Names setting, click Manage.
6. Click Add Hostname.
7. Enter the primary nameserver’s name (e.g., ns1) in the Hostname text box.
8. Enter the primary nameserver’s IP address in the IP Address text box.
9. Click Add.
10. Repeat steps 6-9 for your secondary nameserver (e.g., ns2).
11. Click Save.
12. Click Edit Nameservers.
13. Select Custom.
14. Enter the full hostnames of your two nameservers (e.g., ns1.example.com and ns2.example.com).
15. Click OK.
16. Click Save.

The interface will process your request and then display a confirmation message indicating that your request has been submitted and changes may take a few moments to take effect.

NameCheap

To register nameservers with NameCheap, follow these steps:

1. Find the domain in your account and click on it.
2. Click Nameserver Registration.
3. Enter the IP addresses for each of your nameservers.
4. Click Add Nameservers.

Network Solutions

To register nameservers with Network Solutions, follow these steps:

1. Click Manage Host Servers at the bottom left of the interface. If this link is not visible, use this alternate address.
2. Enter your first nameserver’s hostname (e.g., ns1.example.com) in the first text box.
3. Click Go.
4. Enter the IP address of your first nameserver.
5. Click Go.
6. Confirm the changes to the host server.
7. Click Save Changes.
8. Click Back to Account Manager Home.
9. Repeat this process for your second nameserver.

OpenSRS

To register nameservers with OpenSRS, follow these steps:

1. Click Name Servers at the top of the interface.
2. Click Create or modify a name server which is based on…
3. Enter the name (e.g., ns1) for your first nameserver.
4. Enter the nameserver’s IP address.
5. Click Create Name Server.
6. Repeat steps 3 through 6 to add your second nameserver.

Register.com

To register nameservers with Register.com, follow these steps:

1. Click on your domain name.
2. Click Advanced Technical Settings.
3. Click Manage Registered Name Servers.
4. Scroll down to REGISTER NAME SERVER and enter the desired prefix for the first nameserver (e.g., ns1).
5. Enter the IP address (A record) in the next text box.
6. Click Continue.
7. Repeat this process for your second nameserver.