assign dns to ip address

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How to give a domain name to a local ip?

I have a Raspberry Pi with a local ip address of 192.168.2.x (where x is a number).

To make it easier to remember, I want to give it a domain name like mediacenter.raspberrypi . It is a domain name that should only work on my own network, or only on my own pc if that doesn't work.

How can I do this?

Thanks in advance.

• domain-name

2 Answers 2

The clue is in the question: Domain name. For this to resolve, you'll need to have a local server that'll resolve this for you, instead of passing the request on to the internet.

Option 1: Set up a local DNS server that all of your computers use. This DNS server has an entry for your Pi, so that any requests to its domainname/hostname will result in looking up a local IP. Any other requests gets passed on upstream.

Option 2: If your router/gateway (presuming you have one) supports it, you could have it act as the DNS server mentioned in Option 1.

Option 3: You could edit the hosts-file to include an entry for your Pi. This will have to be done on all other computers on the network that want to be able to do the same lookup as well.

Once upon a time I did Option 1 myself. I already had a webserver with DNS running on it, so it was simple to just add another entry. I'm currently using Option 3.

PS: There might also be other platform-specific alternatives available.

IF you are using Pi core player its in the tweaks section and the setting is called "Broadcast .local and you choose a name with .local on the end

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IP Addressing: DNS Configuration Guide

Bias-free language.

The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. Learn more about how Cisco is using Inclusive Language.

• Read Me First

Configuring DNS

• VRF-Aware DNS
• Service Discovery Gateway

Chapter: Configuring DNS

Finding feature information, prerequisites for configuring dns, dns overview, restricted view use queries from the associated vrf, parameters for resolving internally generated dns queries, parameters for forwarding incoming dns queries, dns view lists, dns name groups, dns view groups, mapping host names to ip addresses, customizing dns, disabling dns queries for iso clns addresses, verifying dns, defining a dns view, verifying dns views, defining a dns view list, adding a member to a dns view list already in use, changing the order of the members of a dns view list already in use, specifying the default dns view list for the dns server of the device, specifying a dns view list for a device interface, specifying a source interface to forward dns queries, example: creating a domain list with alternate domain names, example: mapping host names to ip addresses, example: customizing dns, example: split dns view lists configured with different view-use restrictions, additional references for configuring dns, feature information for configuring dns.

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a distributed database in which you can map host names to IP addresses through the DNS protocol from a DNS server. Each unique IP address can have an associated host name. The Cisco IOS XE software maintains a cache of host-name-to-address mappings for use by the connect , telnet , and ping EXEC commands, and related Telnet support operations. This cache speeds the process of converting names to addresses.

Information About DNS

How to configure dns, configuration examples for dns.

Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest caveats and feature information, see Bug Search Tool and the release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the feature information table.

Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/​go/​cfn . An account on Cisco.com is not required.

To use DNS, you must have a DNS name server on your network.

If your network devices require connectivity with devices in networks for which you do not control name assignment, you can assign device names that uniquely identify your devices within the entire internetwork. The global naming scheme of the Internet, the DNS, accomplishes this task. This service is enabled by default. The following sections summarize DNS concepts and function:

Host Names for Network Devices

Each unique IP address can have an associated host name. DNS uses a hierarchical scheme for establishing host names for network nodes. This allows local control of the segments of the network through a client-server scheme. The DNS system can locate a network device by translating the host name of the device into its associated IP address.

Domains Names for Groups of Networks

IP defines a naming scheme that allows a device to be identified by its location in the IP. This is a hierarchical naming scheme that provides for domains . On the Internet, a domain is a portion of the naming hierarchy tree that refers to general groupings of networks based on organization type or geography. Domain names are pieced together with periods (.) as the delimiting characters. For example, Cisco is a commercial organization that the IP identifies by a com domain name, so its domain name is cisco.com . A specific device in this domain, the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) system, for example, is identified as ftp.cisco.com .

Name Servers

To keep track of domain names, IP has defined the concept of a name server . Name servers are programs that have complete information about their namespace portion of the domain tree and may also contain pointers to other name servers that can be used to lead to information from any other part of the domain tree. Name servers know the parts of the domain tree for which they have complete information. A name server may also store information about other parts of the domain tree. To map domain names to IP addresses, you must first identify the host names, then specify a name server, and enable the DNS service.

To speed the process of converting names to addresses, the name server maintains a database, called a cache , of host-name-to-address mappings for use by the connect , telnet , and ping EXEC commands, and related Telnet support operations. The cache stores the results from previous responses. Upon receiving a client-issued DNS query, it will check this local storage to see if the answer is available locally.

Name Resolvers

Name resolvers are programs that extract information from name servers in response to client requests. Resolvers must be able to access at least one name server. The resolver either uses that name server's information to answer a query directly or pursues the query using referrals to other names servers. A resolver will typically be a system routine that is directly accessible to user programs. Therefore, no protocol is necessary between the resolver and the user program.

The domain namespace is divided into areas called zones that are points of delegation in the DNS tree. A zone contains all domains from a certain point downward, except those for which other zones are authoritative.

Authoritative Name Servers

A name server is said to be an authority for the parts of the domain tree for which it has complete information. A zone usually has an authoritative name server, often more than one. An authoritative name server has been configured with host table information or has acquired host table information though a zone transfer (the action that occurs when a secondary DNS server starts up and updates itself from the primary server).

DNS Operation

Within an organization, you can have many name servers, but Internet clients can query only those that the root name servers know. The other name servers answer internal queries only.

A name server handles client-issued queries to the DNS server for locally defined hosts within a particular zone as follows:

An authoritative name server responds to DNS user queries for a domain name that is under its zone of authority by using the permanent and cached entries in its own host table. If the query is for a domain name that is under its zone of authority but for which it does not have any configuration information, the authoritative name server simply replies that no such information exists..

A name server that is not configured as the authoritative name server responds to DNS user queries by using information that it has cached from previously received query responses. If no device is configured as the authoritative name server for a zone, queries to the DNS server for locally defined hosts will receive nonauthoritative responses.

Name servers answer DNS queries (forward incoming DNS queries or resolve internally generated DNS queries) according to the forwarding and lookup parameters configured for the specific domain.

DNS Security

An alternating sequence of DNS public key (DNSKEY) RR sets and Delegation Signer (DS) RR sets forms a chain of signed data, with each link in the chain vouching for the next. A DNSKEY RR is used to verify the signature covering a DS RR and allows the DS RR to be authenticated. The DS RR contains a hash of another DNSKEY RR and this new DNSKEY RR is authenticated by matching the hash in the DS RR.

A DNS view is a set of parameters that specify how to handle a DNS query. A DNS view defines the following information:

Association with a VRF

Parameters for resolving internally generated DNS queries

Parameters for forwarding incoming DNS queries

Internal host table for answering queries or caching DNS responses

A DNS view is always associated with a VRF— the global VRF or a named VRF, so as to limit the view usage in handling DNS queries that arrive on an interface matching a particular VRF:

A DNS view that is associated with the global VRF can be used only to handle DNS queries that arrive on an interface in the global address space.

A DNS view that is associated with a named VRF can be used only to handle DNS queries that arrive on an interface that matches the VRF with which the view is associated.

Domain lookup—Enabling or disabling of DNS lookup to resolve hostnames for internally generated queries.

Default domain name—Default domain to append to hostnames without a dot.

Domain search list—List of domain names to try for hostnames without a dot.

Domain name for multicast lookups—IP address to use for multicast address lookups.

Domain name servers—List of name servers to use to resolve domain names for internally generated queries.

Resolver source interface—Source interface to use to resolve domain names for internally generated queries.

Round-robin rotation of IP addresses—Enabling or disabling of the use of a different IP address associated with the domain name in cache each time hostnames are looked up.

The following parameters define how to forward incoming DNS queries:

Forwarding of queries—Enabling or disabling of forwarding of incoming DNS queries.

Forwarder addresses—List of IP addresses to use to forward incoming DNS queries.

Forwarder source interface—Source interface to use to forward incoming DNS queries.

Sometimes, when a source interface is configured on a device with the split DNS feature to forward DNS queries, the device does not forward the DNS queries through the configured interface. Hence, consider the following points while forwarding the DNS queries using the source interface:

DNS queries are forwarded to a broadcast address when a forwarding source interface is configured and the DNS forwarder is not configured.

The source IP address of the forwarded query should be set to the primary IP address of the interface configured, using the dns forwarding source-interface interface command. If no such configuration exists, then the source IP address of the forwarded DNS query will be the primary IP address of the outgoing interface. DNS forwarding should be done only when the source interface configured for the DNS forwarding is active.

The source IP address of the DNS query for the DNS resolver functionality is set using the domain resolver source-interface interface-type number command. If there is no DNS address configured, then queries will be broadcasted to the defined source interface. DNS resolving should be done only when the source interface configured for the DNS resolving is active. See "Specifying a Source Interface to Forward DNS Queries" for the configuration steps.

A DNS view list is an ordered list of DNS views in which additional usage restrictions can be specified for any individual member in the list. The scope of these optional usage restrictions is limited to a specific member of a specific DNS view list. When the device must respond to a DNS query, the Cisco IOS software uses a DNS view list to select the DNS view that will be used to handle a DNS query.

Order in Which to Check the Members of a DNS View List

When a DNS view list is used to select a DNS view for handling a given DNS query, the Cisco IOS software checks each member of the view list--in the order specified by the list--and selects the first view list member whose restrictions permit the view to be used with the query that needs to be handled.

Usage Restrictions Defined for a DNS View in the View List

A DNS view list member can be configured with usage restrictions defined using access control lists (ACLs) that specify rules for selecting that view list member based on the query hostname or the query source host IP address. The two types of ACLs supported by the Split DNS view list definition are described in "DNS Name Groups".

Selection of the DNS View List

When the device that is acting as the DNS caching name server needs to respond to a DNS query, the Cisco IOS software uses a DNS view list to determine which DNS view can be used to handle the query:

If the device is responding to an incoming query that arrives on an interface for which a DNS view list is configured, the interface-specific DNS view list is used.

If the device is responding to an incoming query that arrives on an interface for which no specific DNS view list is configured, the default DNS view list is used.

If the device is responding to an internally generated query, no DNS view list is used to select a view; the global DNS view is used to handle the query.

The assignment of a DNS view list as the default or to an interface is described in "DNS View Groups".

Selection of a DNS View List Member

The view list members are compared, each in turn, to the characteristics of the DNS query that the device is responding to:

If the query is from a different VRF than the view, the view cannot be used to address the query, so the view-selection process moves on to the next member of the view list.

The specification of additional view-use restrictions is an optional setting for any view list member.

If the query list does not specify additional restrictions on the view, the view will be used to address the query, so the view-selection process is finished.

If the view list does specify additional restrictions on the view, the query is compared to those restrictions:

If the query characteristics fail any view-use restriction, the view cannot be used to address the query, so the view-selection process moves on to the next member of the view list.

If the query characteristics pass all the view-use restrictions, the view will be used to address the query. The view-selection process is finished.

If the view-selection process reaches the end of the selected DNS view list without finding a view list member that can handle the query, the device discards the query.

The first DNS view list member that is found to have restrictions that match the query characteristics is used to handle the query.

The Split DNS feature supports two types of ACLs that can be used to restrict the use of a DNS view. A DNS name list or a standard IP ACL (or both) can be applied to a DNS view list member to specify view-use restrictions in addition to the VRF-specific restriction that is a part of the view definition itself.

DNS View Usage Restrictions Based on the Query Hostname

A DNS name list is a named set of hostname pattern-matching rules, with each rule specifying the type of action to be performed if a query hostname matches the text string pattern in the rule. In order for a query hostname to match a name list, the hostname must match a rule that explicitly permits a matching pattern but the hostname cannot match any rules that explicitly deny a matching pattern.

DNS View Usage Restrictions Based on the Query Source IP Address

A standard IP ACL is a numbered or named set of host IP address-matching rules, with each rule specifying the type of action to be performed if an IP address matches the text string pattern in the rule. The Split DNS feature supports the use of a standard ACL as a view-use restriction based on the query source IP address. In order for a source IP address to match a name list, the IP address must match a rule that explicitly permits a matching pattern but the IP address cannot match any rules that explicitly deny a matching pattern.

The Split DNS feature provides two ways to specify the DNS view list that the Cisco IOS software is to use to select the DNS view that will be used to handle an incoming DNS query. For a query that arrives on an interface that is configured to use a particular DNS view list, the interface-specific DNS view list is used. Otherwise, the default DNS view list is used.

Interface-specific View Lists

A DNS view list can be attached to a device interface. When an incoming DNS query arrives on that interface, the Cisco IOS software uses that view list to select a DNS view to use to handle the query.

Default DNS View List

A DNS view list can be configured as the default DNS view list for the device. When an incoming DNS query arrives on an interface that is not configured to use a specific view list, the Cisco IOS software uses the default view list to select the DNS view to use to handle the query.

Modifying a DNS View List

Perform this task to associate host names with IP addresses.

A name server is used to keep track of information associated with domain names. A name server can maintain a database of host name-to-address mappings. Each name can map to one or more IP addresses. In order to use this service to map domain names to IP addresses, you must specify a name server.

1.     enable

2.     configure terminal

3.     ip host name [ tcp - port - number ] address1 [ address2 ... address8 ] [ mx ns srv ]

• ip domain name name
• ip domain list name

5.     ip name-server server-address1 [ server-address2 ... server-address6 ]

6.     ip domain lookup

Specifies one or more hosts that supply name information.

Specifies one or more hosts (up to six) that can function as a name server to supply name information for DNS.

(Optional) Enables DNS-based address translation.

DNS is enabled by default. Use this command if DNS has been disabled.

The name lookup system can be statically configured using the commands described in this task. Some other functions in Cisco IOS XE, such as DHCP can dynamically modify the state of the name lookup system. Use the show hosts command to display the cached host names and the DNS configuration.

Perform this task to customize your DNS configuration.

In a multiple server configuration without the DNS round-robin functionality, many programs will use the first host server/IP address for the whole time to live (TTL) of the cache while using the second and third host servers/IP addresses only in the event of host failure. This behavior presents a problem when a high volume of users all arrive at the first host during the TTL time. For example, the network access server (NAS) sends out a DNS query; the DNS servers reply with a list of the configured IP addresses to the NAS. The NAS then caches these IP addresses for a given time (for example, five minutes). All users that dial in during the five minute TTL time will land on one host, the first IP address in the list.

In a multiple server configuration with the DNS round-robin functionality, the DNS server returns the IP address of all hosts to rotate between the cache of host names. During the TTL of the cache, users are distributed among the hosts. This functionality distributes calls across the configured hosts and reduces the amount of DNS queries.

3.     ip domain timeout seconds

4.     ip domain retry number

5.     ip domain round-robin

Perform this task to disable DNS queries for ISO CLNS addresses.

If your device has both IP and ISO Connectionless Network Service (ISO CLNS) enabled and you want to use ISO CLNS network service access point (NSAP) addresses, you can use the DNS to query these addresses, as documented in RFC 1348. This feature is enabled by default.

3.     no ip domain lookup nsap

Perform this task to verify your DNS configuration.

2.     ping host

3.     show hosts

4.     debug ip domain

Perform this task to define a DNS view. A DNS view definition can be used to respond to either an incoming DNS query or an internally generated DNS query.

3.     ip dns view [ vrf vrf-name ] { default | view-name }

4.     [ no ] dns trust name

5.     [ no ] domain lookup

• domain name domain-name
• domain list domain-name
• domain name-server [ vrf vrf-name ] name-server-ip-address
• domain name-server interface interface

8.     domain multicast domain-name

9.     [ no ] dns forwarding

10.     dns forwarder [ vrf vrf-name ] forwarder-ip-address

11.     dns forwarding source-interface interface

12.     end

(Optional) Defines a default domain name to be used by this DNS view to complete unqualified hostnames when addressing DNS queries.

(Optional) Defines a list of domain names to be used by this DNS view to complete unqualified hostnames when addressing DNS queries.

The device attempts to respond to the query using the parameters specified by the selected DNS view. First, the Cisco IOS software looks in the hostname cache associated with the view. If the query can be answered from that information, the device responds to the query. Otherwise, because the query cannot be answered using the hostname cache, the device forwards the query using the configured domain name servers.

• Looking up the hostname in the name server cache.
• Forwarded the query to other name servers (whether to the hosts specified as DNS forwarders in the selected view or to the limited broadcast address).

You can specify a single, default domain name, an ordered list of domain names, or both. However, the default domain name is used only if the domain list is empty.

(Optional) Defines a list of name servers to be used by this DNS view to resolve internally generated DNS queries. The IP address of the name server can be an IPv4 or IPv6 address, and the IP address can be associated with a Virtual Private Network (VPN) routing and forwarding (VRF) instance.

(Optional) Defines an interface on which to acquire (through DHCP or PPP interaction on the interface) the IP address of a DNS server to add to the list of DNS name servers to be used by this DNS view to resolve internally generated DNS queries.

If both of these commands are configured, DHCP or PPP interaction on the interface causes another IP address to be added to the list.

(Optional) Specifies the IP address to use for multicast lookups handled using the DNS view.

(Optional) Enables or disables forwarding of incoming DNS queries handled using the DNS view.

Defines a list of name servers to be used by this DNS view to forward incoming DNS queries.

The forwarder IP address can be an IPv4 or IPv6 address.

If no forwarding name servers are defined, then the configured list of domain name servers is used instead.

If no name servers are configured either, then queries are forwarded to the limited broadcast address.

Defines the interface on which to forward queries when this DNS view is used.

Returns to privileged EXEC mode.

Perform this task to verify the DNS configuration.

2.     show ip dns view [ vrf vrf-name ] [ default | view-name ]

3.     show ip dns server [ vrf vrf-name ] [ default | view-name ]

4.     clear ip dns servers

Perform this task to define an ordered list of DNS views with optional, additional usage restrictions for each view list member. The device uses a DNS view list to select the DNS view that will be used to handle a DNS query.

3.     ip dns view-list view-list-name

4.     ip dns name-list [ number ] [ permit/deny ] [ name ]

5.     view [ vrf vrf-name ] { default | view-name } order-number

6.     restrict name-group name-list-number

7.     restrict source access-group acl-number

8.     exit

10.     show ip dns view-list view-list-name

11.     show ip dns name-list number

To provide for efficient management of the order of the members in a view list, each view list member definition includes the specification of the position of that member within the list. That is, the order of the members within a view list is defined by explicit specification of position values rather than by the order in which the individual members are added to the list. This enables you to perform either of the following tasks without having to remove all the view list members and then redefine the view list membership in the desired order:

Perform this optional task if you need to add another member to a DNS view list that is already in use.

For example, suppose the DNS view list named userlist5 is already defined and in use as a default view list or as an interface-specific view list. Assume that the list consists of the following members:

DNS view user1 with position number 10

DNS view user2 with position number 20

DNS view user3 with position number 30

If you need to add DNS view user4 as the second member of the list, add that view to the list with a position number value from 11 to 19. You do not need to remove the three existing members and then add all four members to the list in the desired order.

2.     show ip dns view-list view-list-name

3.     configure terminal

4.     ip dns view-list view-list-name

7.     show ip dns view-list view-list-name

Perform this optional task if you need to change the order of the members of a DNS view list that is already in use.

If you want to move DNS view user1 to the end of the list, remove that view from the list and then add it back to the list with a position number value greater than 30. You do not need to remove the three existing members and then add the members back to the list in the desired order.

5.     no view [ vrf vrf-name ] { default | view-name } order-number

6.     view [ vrf vrf-name ] { default | view-name } order-number

8.     show ip dns view-list view-list-name

Perform this task to specify the default DNS view list for the device’s DNS server. The device uses the default DNS view list to select a DNS view to use to handle an incoming DNS query that arrives on an interface for which no interface-specific DNS view list has been defined.

3.     ip dns server view-group name-list-number

4.     exit

5.     show running-config

Perform this optional task if you need to specify a DNS view list for a particular device interface. The device uses that view list to select a DNS view to use to handle a DNS query that arrives on that interface.

3.     interface interface

4.     ip dns view-group view-list-name

6.     show running-config

Perform this optional task if you need to specify a source interface to forward the DNS queries.

4.     domain resolver source-interface interface-type number

The following example establishes a domain list with several alternate domain names:

The following example configures the host-name-to-address mapping process. IP DNS-based translation is specified, the addresses of the name servers are specified, and the default domain name is given.

The following example shows the ip dns servers.

The following example shows how to define two DNS view lists, userlist1 and userlist2. Both view lists comprise the same three DNS views:

DNS view user1 that is associated with the usergroup10 VRF

DNS view user2 that is associated with the usergroup20 VRF

DNS view user3 that is associated with the usergroup30 VRF

Both view lists contain the same DNS views, specified in the same order:

The two DNS view lists differ, though, in the usage restrictions placed on their respective view list members. DNS view list userlist15 places only query hostname restrictions on its members while view list userlist16 restricts each of its members on the basis of the query hostname and the query source IP address:

Because the members of userlist15 are restricted only based on the VRF from which the query originates, userlist15 is typical of a view list that can be used to select a DNS view for handling DNS requests from internal clients.

Because the members of userlist16 are restricted not only by the query VRF and query hostname but also by the query source IP address, userlist16 is typical of a view list that can be used to select a DNS view for handling DNS requests from external clients.

Related Documents

Standards and rfcs, technical assistance.

The following table provides release information about the feature or features described in this module. This table lists only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.

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How To Set Up Website DNS Configuration Settings

So you won't make any mistakes

There’s more that goes into visiting a website than simply typing in the domain name and pressing the Enter key. Behind the scenes there are other layers involved to protect your privacy and security while surfing online.

Internet requests from browsers can’t read domain names. They instead only understand numeric IP addresses registered to those domains. A D omain N ame S erver, or DNS , is where browsers go to get the correct IP address associated with a domain.

The DNS configuration settings of your website are what allows visitors to still access your site even after you move the site to a new hosting provider.

What Are Website DNS Configuration Settings & How To Set Them Up

For most people, domain names are a lot easier to remember than a sequence of numbers. For the servers and computers on the internet, the opposite is true. A DNS server handles the translation so that both parties are happy.

Your home network will typically rely on an ISP-supplied DNS server for your own internet router’s IP address . You can actually modify your router’s IP settings to swap your DNS servers from automatic (defined by your ISP) to something public like Google’s DNS 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

A website’s DNS settings are a bit different than this. Website DNS configuration settings are important for website owners. Anytime you choose to change web hosts, you’re changing the physical server the site is on. This also means that you’re changing IP addresses.

Modifying up your DNS configuration settings to always point people looking for your domain name to the correct IP address will keep the website up and running even while swapping to new hosting.

The thing most website owners need to understand is that if DNS settings are entered incorrectly, the entire website can be brought down for a lengthy period of time.

Keep in mind that DNS changes are not instant, so if you make a mistake, it’s likely that no one will have access to the site until your correction is replicated across all DNS servers on the internet. Even after fixing the mistake, it could take up to 72 hours for the correction to take effect.

Preventing DNS Configuration Mistakes

To prevent mistakes from happening in the first place, ensure that you have a fundamental understanding of what A , CNAME , NS , TXT , and MX records do.

• A – The A record is also known as the IPv4 address record. It’s used to point the domain name at one or multiple IP addresses. If you happen to be using a managed hosting provider like WordPress.com and also use their nameservers, you won’t have a need for an A record.
• CNAME – This is the Canonical Name (CNAME) record. If you already have an A record, you will not use a CNAME. The CNAME record tells anyone visiting a subdomain to also use the same DNS records as another domain or subdomain.

This sort of thing is convenient when running multiple services from a single IP address. CNAME records only work for subdomains and must always point to another domain or subdomain and never directly to an IP address.

• NS – These records are the nameservers. Without these, your website won’t work at all. You’ll normally have at least two of these records in your DNS configuration settings. If you’ve never changed yours, they likely look very generic, like ns1.name.com and ns2.name.com.

The NS records are stored by the T op L evel D omain (TLD) server, for which there are over 1000. These are your .com, .gov, .net, and the other more common ones. The NS record has ultimate control of where domains are directed and redirected.

• MX – These are your Mail Exchange records. They’re used to create email addresses from a domain. The MX records will direct mail servers to accept incoming mail for your domain and where received emails should be routed.

Although there are more records that you’re likely to encounter, these are the more important ones you should know.

Configuring DNS Configuration Settings

For this tutorial, we’ll be using Hostinger as our web host. Login to your account and navigate to Domains , and then the DNS Zone tab.

It’s here you’ll find all of your DNS records.

To modify any one of these records, click the Add New + button located at the bottom right of any of them.

It’s really that simple. To further understand what you’re looking at and how to modify them, let’s use the A record.

The @ in your A record is your domain name, and Points to is the IP address. By changing this, you’ll redirect all traffic headed to your domain name to the IP address you input. When moving to a new website management host, such as from WordPress to SquareSpace, you’d have to alter the Points to of the @ record using the IP address provided by SquareSpace.

When entering a hostname, it can be done in one of two ways:

Full hostname followed by a period – full.hostname.com or the full subdomain.

Let’s say that you want to redirect your WordPress domain to point to a Hostinger domain server. There are two ways you could go about doing this. The first and easiest way is through changing the nameservers at your domain name registrar.

The reason this method is recommended is that your DNS zone will automatically configure to match the hosting’s IP address. This way will also allow you to transfer control of your domain settings to the Hostinger hPanel.

• You’ll need to locate the nameservers in the DNS Zone which is in the NS section.

• Next, log in to your domain registrar’s control panel. If you’re unfamiliar or have forgotten the name of the company, you can use whois lookup .
• In their version of the DNS Zone, delete all values from the nameserver fields and input Hostinger’s nameservers.
• Then Save changes.

This method could take up to 24 hours for the DNS to fully propagate. The second way is more technical as you’ll need to point the domain name via A record.

You’ll need to change the IP address connected to the DNS records. This will keep your domain control in the registrar. If you know for certain that the IP address is going to remain static, this process isn’t necessary.

Modify the A record IP addresses and point your domain name to Hostinger. In most cases, this will require two A records for the domain – one with a www subdomain and one without.

An example would be if you had a domain named ilovecoffee.com and you wanted to point it to 212.1.212.65 as its IP address, you’d need to create A record entries that look like this:

It may look different to that of your registrar. Just fill in the similar values as shown in the image. The fields will be as follows – Name/Host, TTL, and Points to/Record.

The average T ime T o L ive (TTL) value is 86400 seconds, which is 24 hours. When it comes to what you should set it as, look at other record entries. In this case, our DNS settings show 14400, which is 4 hours. 4 hours doesn’t exist in the Hostinger dropdown menu, so it’s advised to go with the average.

Once this step has been completed, you can move on to changing the MX record for email. Of course, this step is only required if you currently use the email server offered by your host.

This process is simple.

• Head to the MX record in the DNZ Zone and make note of the Points to field.
• Take that address and replace the MX record of your domain’s destination with the MX address of Hostinger.

The only different field here from the A record is Priority. This field determines the priority of each server you have. The lowest number represents the highest priority. If you only have the one server, it’s best to place a number between 0 and 5 into the priority field.

For additional help and guidance on DNS configuration settings, contact your web host. Many things, including accessing the DNS configurations, can be different depending on the host provider. Refrain from making major changes without receiving assistance.

Once you get the hang of things, making changes to your DNS configuration settings can be a simple and painless process.

Former US Army IT communications specialist who began his online blogging career in 2016. Joseph has over 10 years experience in the IT industry as both an analyst and communications expert. He's a night owl and an avid Red Bull consumer who spends most of his downtime enthralled by online gaming and website building. Read Joseph's Full Bio

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• Google Public DNS
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Configure your network settings to use google public dns.

When you use Google Public DNS, you are changing your DNS "switchboard" operator from your ISP to Google Public DNS.

In most cases, the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) automatically configures your system to use the IP addresses of your ISP's domain name servers. To use Google Public DNS, you need to explicitly change the DNS settings in your operating system or device to use the Google Public DNS IP addresses. The procedure for changing your DNS settings varies according to operating system and version (Windows, Mac, Linux, or ChromeOS) or the device (computer, phone, or router). We give general procedures here that might not apply for your OS or device; consult your vendor documentation for authoritative information.

Depending on your system you may also have the option of enabling a new privacy-oriented feature called DNS-over-TLS . This feature provides privacy and security for the DNS messages sent between your device and Google's DNS servers. Details on configuring this optional feature are in specific sections for each system.

Important: Before you start

Before you change your DNS settings to use Google Public DNS, be sure to write down the current server addresses or settings on a piece of paper. It is very important that you keep these numbers for backup purposes, in case you need to revert to them at any time.

We also recommend that you print this page, in the event that you encounter a problem and need to refer to these instructions.

Google Public DNS IP addresses

The Google Public DNS IP addresses (IPv4) are as follows:

The Google Public DNS IPv6 addresses are as follows:

Some devices require explicit values for all eight fields of IPv6 addresses and cannot accept the abbreviated :: IPv6 address syntax. For such devices enter:

Expand the 0 entries to 0000 if four hexadecimal digits are required.

You can use either address as your primary or secondary DNS server.

You can configure Google Public DNS addresses for either IPv4 or IPv6 connections, or both. For IPv6-only networks with a NAT64 gateway using the 64:ff9b::/96 prefix, you can use Google Public DNS64 instead of Google Public DNS IPv6 addresses, providing connectivity to IPv4-only services without any other configuration.

Change your DNS servers settings

Because the instructions differ between different versions/releases of each operating system, we only give one version as an example. If you need specific instructions for your operating system/version, please consult your vendor's documentation. You may also find answers on our user group page.

Many systems let you to specify multiple DNS servers, to be contacted in priority order. In the following instructions, we provide steps to specify only the Google Public DNS servers as the primary and secondary servers, to ensure that your setup correctly uses Google Public DNS in all cases.

DNS settings are specified in the TCP/IP Properties window for the selected network connection.

Example: Changing DNS server settings on Windows 10

• Go to the Control Panel .
• Click Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings .

Select the connection for which you want to configure Google Public DNS. For example:

• To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, right-click the Ethernet interface and select Properties .
• To change the settings for a wireless connection, right-click the Wi-Fi interface and select Properties .

If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Select the Networking tab. Under This connection uses the following items , select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) or Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and then click Properties .

Click Advanced and select the DNS tab. If there are any DNS server IP addresses listed there, write them down for future reference, and remove them from this window.

Select Use the following DNS server addresses . If there are any IP addresses listed in the Preferred DNS server or Alternate DNS server , write them down for future reference.

Replace those addresses with the IP addresses of the Google DNS servers:

• For IPv4: 8.8.8.8 and/or 8.8.4.4 .
• For IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and/or 2001:4860:4860::8844 .
• For IPv6-only: you can use Google Public DNS64 instead of the IPv6 addresses in the previous point.
• Test that your setup is working correctly; see Test your new settings .
• Repeat the procedure for additional network connections you want to change.

DNS settings are specified in the Network window.

Example: Changing DNS server settings on macOS 10.15

• Click Apple menu > System Preferences > Network .
• If the lock icon in the lower left-hand corner of the window is locked, click the icon to make changes, and when prompted to authenticate, enter your password.
• To change the settings for a Wi-Fi connection, select Wi-Fi , and click Advanced .
• To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, select Built-In Ethernet , and click Advanced .
• Select the DNS tab.
• Click OK > Apply .

In most modern Linux distributions, DNS settings are configured through Network Manager.

Example: Changing DNS server settings on Ubuntu

• Click System > Preferences > Network Connections .
• To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, select the Wired tab, then select your network interface in the list. It is usually called eth0 .
• To change the settings for a wireless connection, select the Wireless tab, then select the appropriate wireless network.
• Click Edit , and in the window that appears, select the IPv4 Settings or IPv6 Settings tab.
• If the selected method is Automatic (DHCP) , open the dropdown and select Automatic (DHCP) addresses only instead. If the method is set to something else, do not change it.
• Click Apply to save the change. If you are prompted for a password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

If your distribution doesn't use Network Manager, your DNS settings are specified in /etc/resolv.conf .

Example: Changing DNS server settings on a Debian server

Edit /etc/resolv.conf :

If any nameserver lines appear, write down the IP addresses for future reference.

Replace the nameserver lines with, or add, the following lines:

For IPv6-only, you can use Google Public DNS64 instead of the above IPv6 addresses.

• Save and exit.

Restart any Internet clients you are using.

Additionally, if you are using DHCP client software that overwrites the settings in /etc/resolv.conf , you need to configure the DHCP client by editing the client's configuration file.

Example: Configuring DHCP client software on a Debian server

Back up /etc/resolv.conf :

Edit /etc/dhcp/dhclient.conf (or /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf ):

If there is a line following request with only domain-name-servers, remove that line.

If there is a line containing domain-name-servers with IP addresses, write down the IP addresses for future reference.

Replace that line with, or add, the following line:

DNS settings are specified in the Network section of the Settings menu for the selected network connection.

Example: Changing DNS server settings on ChromeOS 71

• Open the Settings menu.
• To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, click on the Ethernet section.
• To change the settings for a wireless connection, click on the Wi-Fi section and select the appropriate network name.
• Changing the DNS settings for a mobile data connection established with Instant Tethering isn't possible. For mobile Wi-Fi hotspots that are manually set up, however, you can change the DNS settings using the instructions for a wireless connection.
• Expand the Network section for the selected connection.
• For IPv4: Select the Google name servers button (or alternatively, select the Custom name servers button and enter 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 ).
• For IPv6: Select the Custom name servers button and enter 2001:4860:4860::8888 and/or 2001:4860:4860::8844 .
• Click outside the Network section to apply the settings.

Every router uses a different user interface for configuring DNS server settings; we provide only the generic procedure. For more information, please consult your router documentation.

To change your settings on a router:

• In your browser, enter the IP address of your router to view the router's administration console. Most routers are manufactured to use a default address such as 192.168.0.1 , 192.168.1.1 , 192.168.2.1 , or 192.168.1.100 . If none of these work, try to find the default gateway address in the network settings panel of your system.
• When prompted, enter the password to edit network settings.
• Find the screen in which DNS server settings are specified.
• If there are IP addresses specified in the fields for the primary and seconday DNS servers, write them down for future reference.
• Restart your browser.

Some routers require explicit values for all eight fields of IPv6 addresses and cannot accept the abbreviated :: IPv6 address syntax. For such routers enter:

You can change DNS settings on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with the following steps.

• Go to Settings > Wi-Fi .
• Tap the ⓘ icon next to the Wi-Fi network that you want to change DNS servers for. Scroll down to find the DNS section and tap Configure DNS .
• For IPv4: 8.8.8.8 and/or 8.8.4.4
• For IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and/or 2001:4860:4860::8844

Switching back to Automatic will restore the DNS server specified by the Wi-Fi network.

Android 9 (Pie) or higher

Android 9 supports "Private DNS" which uses DNS-over-TLS to provide security and privacy for your DNS queries. You can configure it with the following steps.

• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced > Private DNS .
• Select Private DNS provider hostname .
• Enter dns.google as the hostname of the DNS provider.
• Click Save.

For more information see the Android blog post announcing the feature. Please note that in Android P, the default mode for Private DNS is "Automatic" which means it uses the network specified DNS server and it attempts a TLS connection to port 853 before falling back to UDP on port 53.

Older Android versions

Devices running versions older than Android 9 do not support DNS-over-TLS and cannot configure private DNS for all networks. You can configure DNS for each individual Wi-Fi network you use. This requires configuring all network information manually and is only recommended for advanced users.

Mobile or other devices

DNS servers are typically specified under advanced Wi-Fi settings. However, as every mobile device uses a different user interface for configuring DNS server settings, we provide only the generic procedure. For more information, please consult your mobile provider's documentation.

To change your settings on a mobile device:

• Go to the screen in which Wi-Fi settings are specified.
• If there are IP addresses specified in the fields for the primary and secondary DNS servers, write them down for future reference.

Test your new settings

To test that the Google DNS resolver is working:

From your browser, enter a hostname URL (such as http://www.google.com/ ). If it resolves correctly, quit the browser, load the page again and refresh it for several times to make sure the result is not from a cached web page.

• If you are using Google Public DNS64 on an IPv6-only system, repeat the above test with an IPv4-only hostname URL (such as http://ipv4.google.com/ ).

If all of these tests work, everything is working correctly. If not, go to the next step.

From your browser, type in a fixed IP address. You can use http://216.218.228.119/ (which points to the test-ipv6.com website) as the URL. 1

If you are using Google Public DNS64 on an IPv6-only system, use http://[64:ff9b::d8da:e477]/ as the URL instead. If this test does not work, you do not have access to a NAT64 gateway at the reserved prefix 64:ff9b::/96 and cannot use Google Public DNS64.

If you are using an IPv6-only system without Google Public DNS64, use http://[2001:470:1:18::119]/ as the URL instead.

If this works correctly, reload the page with a new opened browser to make sure the page is loaded from scratch. If these tests work (but step 1 fails), then there is a problem with your DNS configuration; check the steps above to make sure you have configured everything correctly. If these tests do not work, go to the next step.

Roll back the DNS changes you made and run the tests again. If the tests still do not work, then there is a problem with your network settings; contact your ISP or network administrator for assistance.

If you encounter any problems after setting Google Public DNS as your resolver, please run the diagnostic procedure .

1 Google thanks Jason Fesler for granting permission to use test-ipv6.com URLs for browser DNS testing purposes.

Switch back to your old DNS settings

If you had not previously configured any customized DNS servers, to switch back to your old settings, in the window in which you specified the Google IP addresses, select the option to enable obtaining DNS server addresses automatically, and/or delete the Google IP addresses. This reverts your settings to using your ISP's default servers.

If you need to manually specify any addresses, use the procedures above to specify the old IP addresses.

Restart your system if necessary.

Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License , and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License . For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies . Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Last updated 2022-09-22 UTC.

Change TCP/IP settings

TCP/IP defines how your PC communicates with other PCs.

To make it easier to manage TCP/IP settings, we recommend using automated Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). DHCP automatically assigns Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to the computers on your network if your network supports it. If you use DHCP, then you don't have to change your TCP/IP settings if you move your PC to another location, and DHCP doesn't require you to manually configure TCP/IP settings, such as Domain Name System (DNS) and Windows Internet Name Service (WINS).

To enable DHCP or change other TCP/IP settings

Select  Start , then type settings . Select  Settings  >  Network & internet .

Do one of the following:

For a Wi-Fi network, select  Wi-Fi  >  Manage known networks . Choose the network for which you want to change the settings.

For an Ethernet network, select  Ethernet , then select the Ethernet network you’re connected to.

Next to  IP assignment , select  Edit .

Under  Edit network IP settings or Edit IP settings , select  Automatic (DHCP)  or  Manual .

To specify IPv4 settings manually

Under  Edit network IP settings or Edit IP settings , choose  Manual , then turn on  IPv4 .

To specify an IP address, in the  IP address, Subnet mask , and  Gateway  boxes, type the IP address settings.

To specify a DNS server address, in the  Preferred DNS  and  Alternate DNS  boxes, type the addresses of the primary and secondary DNS servers.

To specify if you want to use an encrypted (DNS over HTTPS) or unencrypted connection to the DNS server or servers you specify, for DNS over HTTPS , choose the setting you want:

Off : All DNS queries will be sent to the DNS server unencrypted in plaintext over HTTP.

On (automatic template) : DNS queries will be encrypted and sent to the DNS server over HTTPS. DNS queries will use the default settings for the automatic template or try to discover them automatically.

On (manual template) : DNS queries will be encrypted and sent to the DNS server over HTTPS. They’ll use the settings you enter in the DNS over HTTPS template box.

If you use DNS over HTTPS (automatic or manual template), turn Fallback to plaintext on or off:

When it’s turned on, a DNS query will be sent unencrypted if it can’t be sent over HTTPS.

When it’s turned off, a DNS query won’t be sent if it can’t be sent over HTTPS.

To specify IPv6 settings manually

Under  Edit network IP settings or Edit IP settings , choose  Manual , then turn on  IPv6 .

To specify an IP address, in the  IP address , Subnet prefix length , and  Gateway  boxes, type the IP address settings.

When you select  Automatic (DHCP) , the IP address settings and DNS server address setting are set automatically by your router or other access point (recommended).

When you select  Manual , you can manually set your IP address settings and DNS server address.

When you’re done, select  Save .

Note:  To install IPv4, run Command Prompt as an administrator, type netsh interface ipv4 install , and then press Enter .

Select Start   , then select Settings   > Network & Internet   .

For a Wi-Fi network, select Wi-Fi   > Manage known networks . Choose the network you want to change the settings for, then select Properties.

For an Ethernet network, select Ethernet , then select the Ethernet network you’re connected to.

Under IP assignment , select Edit .

Under Edit IP settings , select Automatic (DHCP) or Manual .

Under Edit IP settings , choose Manual , then turn on IPv4 .

To specify an IP address, in the IP address, Subnet prefix length , and Gateway boxes, type the IP address settings.

To specify a DNS server address, in the Preferred DNS and Alternate DNS boxes, type the addresses of the primary and secondary DNS servers.

Under Edit IP settings , choose Manual , then turn on IPv6 .

When you select Automatic (DHCP) , the IP address settings and DNS server address setting are set automatically by your router or other access point (recommended).

When you select Manual , you can manually set your IP address settings and DNS server address.

When you’re done, select Save .

In Windows 8.1, select the Start button, start typing View network connections , and then select View network connections in the list.

In Windows 7, open Network Connections by selecting the Start button, and then selecting Control Panel . In the search box, type adapter , and then, under Network and Sharing Center , select View network connections .

Right-click the connection that you want to change, and then select Properties . If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Select the Networking tab. Under This connection uses the following items , select either Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) or Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) , and then select Properties .

To specify IPv4 IP address settings, do one of the following:

To get IP settings automatically using DHCP, select Obtain an IP address automatically , and then select OK .

To specify an IP address, select Use the following IP address , and then, in the IP address, Subnet mask , and Default gateway boxes, type the IP address settings.

To specify IPv6 IP address settings, do one of the following:

To get IP settings automatically using DHCP, select Obtain an IPv6 address automatically , and then select OK .

To specify an IP address, select Use the following IPv6 address , and then, in the IPv6 address, Subnet prefix length , and Default gateway boxes, type the IP address settings.

To specify DNS server address settings, do one of the following:

To get a DNS server address automatically using DHCP, select Obtain DNS server address automatically , and then select OK .

To specify a DNS server address, select Use the following DNS server addresses , and then, in the Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server boxes, type the addresses of the primary and secondary DNS servers.

To change advanced DNS, WINS, and IP settings, select Advanced .

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How-To Geek

What is dynamic dns (ddns), and how do you set it up.

Dynamic DNS is an old school geek hack that's just as useful as ever.

Quick Links

What is dynamic dns (ddns), why would i want to use dynamic dns, what do i need to use dynamic dns, selecting a dynamic dns provider, selecting a dynamic dns update method, how to update your dynamic dns automatically, frequently asked questions about dynamic dns, key takeaways.

Dynamic DNS is a useful service that allows you to use a fixed and memorable address for your home network even when your ISP changes your home network's IP address. You can often set up DDNS on your router. You can also run a DDNS client on one of your devices, like a computer, a NAS, or a Raspberry Pi.

Your home internet connection has a numeric IP address that changes over time. Dynamic DNS (DDNS) lets you assign an easy-to-remember address so you, your friends, and your family can access your home network with a simple website-like name.

To understand Dynamic DNS, you must first be familiar with plain old DNS and its basic function. DNS, or Domain Name System , is the magic that makes the internet user-friendly and the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Every internet-accessible resource--web pages, FTP sites, you name it--has an IP address that serves as the resource's network address on the internet. These addresses are numeric, in the format 123.123.123.123, and are not particularly memorable.

Remember the last time you went to 66.220.158.68 to see pictures of your new niece? No? Of course, you don't because you typed facebook.com into your web browser instead of 66.220.158.68. A DNS server resolved your human-friendly request of facebook.com into a machine-friendly address that sent you, probably in a hundredth of a second or less, to Facebook.

Wouldn't it be great if you could set up the same trick for your home network? This is where Dynamic DNS (DDNS) comes into play. It's easy for big companies to set up domain names like Facebook.com because their web server addresses are static. Once they have the IP address, it doesn't change.

Your home IP address is different, though. People with residential connections get a dynamically assigned IP address . Your ISP has a big pool of addresses, and they share them with everyone on an as-needed basis---using the same kind of DHCP-based allocation your home router uses , just on a bigger scale.

This makes it pretty difficult to pull the same trick that is so easy for big companies like Coca-Cola or Facebook because the address you have today isn't the address you might have next week. This is where Dynamic DNS comes into play.

Dynamic DNS providers make it dead simple to assign a memorable name to your home IP address by automatically updating your public-facing domain name entry to point at your home internet IP address at any given moment.

So no matter how often your ISP changes the IP they have assigned to your modem, the memorable address you have, like mystuff.freecoolddns.net, always points to the right place.

Not everyone needs to use a Dynamic DNS service. If neither you nor your friends and family connect to your self-hosted services , file shares, or resources hosted on your home network, then having an easy-to-remember address isn't of much use.

But if you are self-hosting anything that other people (yourself included) want to routinely connect to without having to recall a numeric IP address, Dynamic DNS is an invaluable tool.

For folks self-hosting game servers (like a neighborhood or family Minecraft server ), any sort of file backup tools, "cloud" services for their family , or even just something as simple as a live stream of a bird nest box in their backyard, using a Dynamic DNS provider ensures that they never have to tell people where to go to play, access files, or check on the birds. It'll always be some.memorable.address even if your IP address changes every day.

You only need two things to use Dynamic DNS with your home internet connection. First, you need a Dynamic DNS provider. This service will continuously update the DNS entry for the memorable hostname you've selected. There are free options and premium options. There's even a chance your router manufacturer offers a free basic DDNS service and, if you want to take a very hands-on approach, you can even run your own DDNS service for private use.

Second, you need a tool in place to ensure the Dynamic DNS provider has a current and accurate record. It's a simple setup, but it's important to pick a provider that meets your needs and an update method that syncs with your changing local IP address.

A properly set up Dynamic DNS system is practically fire-and-forget, so it pays to read up first, get a host that meets your needs, and enjoy a trouble-free experience. Let's look at Dynamic DNS features you might be interested in and then dig into some suggested providers.

Dynamic DNS Features to Consider

For most folks, the biggest Dynamic DNS provider feature they want is free, and they don't look much further than that. In many situations, that's the only consideration. But there are quite a few useful features to keep mind while shopping around.

• Name Reservation : Some free providers require you to log in every X number of days to confirm your account, or you lose your DDNS name. You can avoid that hassle by using a DDNS provider that permanently reserves your name until you manually delete it.
• Top-Level vs. Third-Level Domains : Top-level domains are addresses like www.yourname.com. Third-level domains are addresses like yourname.DDNSprovider.net. You'll need a DDNS provider with top-level domain support if you want to use your own domain name , such as yourname.net.
• Aliases : An alias allows you to tack on a prefix to the domain name to create a subdomain. This is useful for organization purposes and ease of use. You might have books.yourname.DDNSprovider.net and minecraft.yourname.DDNSprovider.net as easy-to-remember shortcuts to your ebook server and Minecraft server, respectively.
• Web Redirects : If you're hosting multiple services with web interfaces, a redirect system will help you direct your main DDNS address or an alias, like books.yourname.DDNsprovider.net directly to the right port on your router, avoiding the requirement for you (or your friends) to recall the port number of the book server or other service.
• Offline Settings : What happens in the event of connection failure? What does someone visiting the DDNS address see if your home internet is offline? A DDNS provider with offline settings offers you some way to deal with that, such as redirecting the visitor to another address or simply showing them a custom error message.
• Email Forwarding/MX Records : A DDNS provider with support for email protocols will allow you to properly use your DDNS domain name with any self or third-party hosted email services.

Many people will be happy to simply have a basic DDNS address that forwards to their home IP address, and some of the more obscure DDNS features, like email forwarding, will be of no interest. The ability to use your own domain name, organize your DDNS addresses with aliases and web redirects, or both, however, are quite useful in a variety of situations.

Your Router or Device Manufacturer May Offer Free DDNS

Before we take a look at third-party Dynamic DDNS providers, it's worth noting that you might already a free DDNS option courtesy of your router's manufacturer or the manufacturer of other security devices in your home.

Several router manufacturers offer routers that not only support DDNS and but also include a manufacturer-provided DDNS option. For example, if you own a compatible TP-Link router, you can set up a basic yourname.tplinkdns.com DDNS address . ASUS offers a similar option on compatible routers, wherein you get a free yourname.asuscomm.com DDNS address .

There are also some security hardware manufacturers---most notably manufacturers in the security camera /CCTV markets such as Lorex and Hikvision ---offer free manufacturer-supplied DDNS.

On the upside, these services are both free and dead simple to set up. On the downside, the free service is tied to a specific manufacturer and device. If you ditch your ASUS router, you can no longer access the ASUS DDNS service. That might not be a big deal for single users who don't have a problem getting a new DDNS provider, learning a new address, and resetting a few bookmarks or application settings.

But if you need more options than the basic free manufacturer-supplied DDNS offers or you're using the address with lots of friends and family and would prefer not to change it, then we recommend opting for a third-party free or premium DDNS provider. Then you can keep your name and settings even if you switch out hardware.

The Best Free Dynamic DNS Providers

There's a very welcome trend among Dynamic DNS providers. Most providers offer a free tier with more than enough options to serve your average home user.

Should you need more options (such as dozens of domains and subdomains) or power-user features like bulk editing and transfers, you can upgrade to the paid tiers (typically around $10-30 a year).

Dynu is one of the oldest DDNS providers, and their free tier is fantastic. If you're unsure which DDNS provider to use, it's tough to go wrong, starting with Dynu. They likely have every feature you need, either in the free tier or for a modest upgrade fee. They even support email forwarding and email server entries for those of you who are adventurous and seeking to self-host your email.

They don't require you to login to confirm account activity. They offer up to four subdomain names on the free account to help organize your DDNS address, and you can bring your own domain name . You can easily set up web redirects and forwards on a free account. If you need any of the features on a premium account, such as more than 4 subdomains, a premium membership is only $10 a year.

The Afraid.org website looks like a 1990s-era Gopher interface, but don't let that put you off. The basic plan includes 5 subdomains if you're using a shared domain or 20 if you bring your own domain.

Speaking of domains, Afraid.org stands out on our list for the sheer number of domains available. Unlike other DDNS providers that might have 10-15 free domains for you to use with names like greatfreeddns.org or similar options, Afraid.org has an absolutely enormous pool of 40,000+ domain names for you to choose from. This is because anyone who brings their domain to Afraid.org's free DNS service adds that domain to the shared pool (unless they upgrade to a premium account and opt-out).

You can pick from options like yourname.raspberryip.com, yourname.twilightparadox.com, yourname.happyminecraft.org, or thousands of other domains. If you need more features or you want to bring your domain without sharing it among the pool, you can upgrade to an Afraid.org premium plan with prices starting at $30 per year.

No-IP is another long-time DDNS provider but more geared toward commercial users. The No-IP account is fairly limited in that you can only have one hostname, and you have to log in every 30 days to confirm your account status.

You can upgrade to the basic "enhanced" account for $2 a month to avoid that hassle, but for only a few more dollars a year, you might as well get the "Plus Managed" premium tier for $30/year to gain access to additional features like custom domains. No-IP does support port forwarding and URL forwarding.

DuckDNS is an extremely bare-bones service run by two software engineers as a hobby project and public service. The only address they offer for free users is duckDNS.org (though you can donate to the project to gain access to more domains. Free accounts can create up to 4 subdomains, but there is no support for bringing a custom personal domain to the service.

Where DuckDNS shines, the straightforward simplicity aside, is the extensive directions provided by the team. They have documentation for configuring DuckDNS on over two dozen operating systems and router platforms. They even have documentation that digs into DDNS standards. So if you're looking to learn more about DDNS and really roll your sleeves up, the DuckDNS documentation page is worth a visit.

In addition to the DDNS provider itself, the most crucial element of successfully deploying DDNS for use with your home internet connection is keeping the IP address on file with the DDNS provider up to date. Below are all the methods you can use.

Manual Updates

We're including this entry simply to note it, make you aware of it, and dismiss it. You can manually update the IP address entry for your home internet address with any Dynamic DNS provider.

Unless you have an address that changes only once or twice a year, manually updating the address is a hassle. And even if your home internet IP address stays stable for months at a time without an automated update solution, you'll still be left hanging when your ISP's DHCP system assigns a new address to your modem. There's no good reason to skip automating the process.

A Router with DDNS Support

A router with built-in Dynamic DNS support is the perfect way to keep your DDNS records up to date. Why perfect? Because it's the very thing connecting your home network to the internet. If your router is powered up and your internet connection is online, then the router's firmware will automatically update the DDNS record whenever an IP address change is detected.

Do note that this doesn't mean the router manufacturer supplies the DDNS service (as we noted some do in the previous section), but that the router has a built-in DDNS update client to connect to a DDNS provider the same way it might have a built-in VPN-client to connect to a third-party VPN provider .

Thankfully, router support for Dynamic DDNS is very common. So common, in fact, that it's unusual to find a modern router without it. Whether you're buying a stand-alone traditional router like the ASUS RT-AX88U or a mesh router like the TP-Link Deco X20 , you'll find built-in support for DDNS.

Frustratingly, Google's Nest mesh platform doesn't have a DDNS client, and the Eero platform has a DDNS client , but it's locked behind Eero's premium Eero Plus service .

But don't worry. While it's ideal to have your router doing the DDNS updating, it's not essential, and several other techniques can be used.

A Self-Hosted Update Client

If your router doesn't have a built-in DDNS client, it's not the end of the world. There are plenty of workarounds that, under real-world conditions, will be indistinguishable from having router-based updates.

PC-Based Updates

The majority of DDNS providers supply compact applications you run on your computer to phone home the DDNS provider and provide local IP address updates.

Smaller providers might only offer a Windows application, but larger providers usually have a macOS and Linux option available.

If you're using a PC-based updater, ideally, you install it on a computer that booted up at least a few times a week. Throwing it on an old laptop that you only use a few times a year won't do any good.

Phones or Tablets

Whether you're installing it on an old device you intend to dedicate to the task, or you install the app on your regular phone or tablet, several DDNS providers offer mobile apps that remotely update your DDNS entry just as a PC-based updater would. Dynu, for example, offers an Android-based DDNS updater .

Network Attached Storage (NAS) Devices

Many NAS platforms support DDNS. You simply configure the DDNS settings in the NAS in the same way you would configure DDNS in a router with DDNS support.

Alternatively, if you have a NAS that doesn't have native DDNS support, you can often download a client specific to your NAS OS or run a container platform like Docker and download a containerized version of a DDNS client such as ddclient .

Raspberry Pi

If you have a Raspberry Pi or other low-power computer lying around or already in use for various other home network projects, you can easily put one of them to work, automatically updating your DDNS provider entry.

Dynu has instructions on how to set up a DDNS update script on a Pi with their service, as does No-IP . You can also always run ddclient on your Pi , too.

Now that we've discussed what you need to get started with Dynamic DNS and the methods you can use to keep your Dynamic DNS entry current, let's look at some concrete walkthroughs to highlight how easy it is to configure various devices.

Sign Up for a Dynamic DNS Account

Let's take a look at how to set up a simple DDNS account with Dynu, point it at our home network, and set up automatic DDNS entry updating. Although we're using the Dynu web portal and settings, the general setup process is nearly identical across providers and can be easily adapted (consult the support files for your provider if you need additional help).

Head over to Dynu's sign-up page here and sign up for an account. Confirm the registration in your email. Once you've confirmed the setup, you can log in to your Dynu account and visit the Control Panel , as seen below. Click on "DDNS Services."

Once you're in the "Add Dynamic DNS" menu, create a host name and select a top-level domain name from the list of free options such as freedns.org or dnsgeek.com. Click "Save" once you're happy with your selection. (If you wish to use your own domain name you can also enter it here and follow the instructions for linking your domain name to the DDNS service.)

Confirm that the IP address in the DDNS entry is correct (if you're working from your home network, it should be, if not, you'll need to edit it here). Click save once you've confirmed everything looks good.

For basic no-frills DDNS redirection, that's all there is to it. Let's look at the next important step: setting up your home network to update the servers for you automatically.

How to Configure Your Router for Dynamic DNS

Creating the actual DDNS entry is only half the battle when it comes to time-saving and convenience. The other half is automating the whole process. Let's look at how to automate DDNS updates at the router level.

As far as router tweaks go, as long as your router supports DDNS, it's extremely simple to enable it. The complexity is about the same as selecting a wireless name and password for your network---about as easy as router changes can be.

To demonstrate, here's what the DDNS options on an ASUS router look like. Toggling DDNS on is as simple as selecting "Yes" for "Enable the DDNS Client," then selecting the DDNS provider (you'll typically find all the popular options in there) and plugging in your credentials like hostname, user name, and password.

You'll also typically find a "Custom" option in the DDNS server selection menu on more advanced routers. There you can specify parameters for a self-hosted DDNS service or other fringe cases, though needing the custom settings is uncommon.

When in doubt, search the support documentation provided by your router manufacturer for additional information about DDNS compatibility and settings.

How to Use Dynamic DNS with a PC Updater

Router-based updating is far superior to using a PC-based updater, but if you don't have a DDNS-friendly router, a PC-based updater is an easy way to automate the update process.

To use a PC-based updater, first swing by the downloads section in the control panel of your DDNS provider. You can find the downloads section for Dynu Systems here . Grab the appropriate application for your system (in our case, Windows) and download it.

After installing the application, run it for the first time,  input your username and password, and click "Sign In" to launch the updater. You should see something like the screenshot below indicating the time your IP address was checked, what the IP address is, and an entry labeled "Good" in the status log.

Click the X in the upper right corner to send the app to the system tray and, more or less, forget about it. By default, the app will start with Windows. Every few minutes, it will report your public-facing IP address to Dynu to ensure your IP and DDNS address are in sync. Apps from other DDNS providers function in the same way.

The following FAQ entries cover common questions people curious about dynamic DNS have. If you popped down to this section using the Table of Contents and still have questions about other DDNS topics, like selecting a host or a compatible router, we recommend reading the article from the start for a full rundown.

How Do I Check If My Dynamic DNS Address Is Working?

The simplest way to confirm if your dynamic DNS is working as expected is to use the ping command to ping your dynamic DNS address. It should resolve to the public IP address of the local network you have pointed the address at.

You can also simply use the address as you intend to use it. If yourname.someDDNS.net resolves to the location you expect (such as your self-hosted ebook server or the weather station dashboard you set up to share with your students), you're in business.

Do I Need Dynamic DNS If I Have a Static IP?

Some residential ISPs allow you to purchase a static IP for a modest fee or upgrade to the " business account ," which includes a static IP address.

If you have a static IP address, you do not need a dynamic DNS provider, as you could simply purchase a cheap domain name and point that domain at your static IP address.

That said, dynamic DNS providers simplify managing your DNS entry and include additional features like simple subdomain setup, forwarding, and such.

Do I Need a Premium Dynamic DNS Provider?

No, the majority of people don't need to pay for a premium DDNS provider. The free services (or the free tiers of premium providers) offer more than enough options to meet the needs of people simply looking to create a convenient and memorable shortcut to their home network.

Can I Use My Own Domain Name with Dynamic DNS?

Yes, you can use your own domain name. If you already own a novelty domain or a simple yourname.net type domain name, you can use that domain name with a dynamic DNS host.

It will work exactly the same as a somename.someDDNS.net type address, except it will be your personal domain instead.

Can I Use Custom Sub Domains with Dynamic DNS?

Yes, most dynamic DNS providers support aliases that allow you to set custom subdomains for organizational purposes, like books.yourname.someDDNS.net and music.yourname.someDDNS.net.

This feature is best paired with web redirects/forwarding, as that will allow you to point the subdomain directly at the resource on your local network (such as the address with a custom port number) for the service the address points to.

What Happens If My Dynamic DNS Updater Is Offline?

If the tool you use to update your dynamic DNS entry is offline---whether the tool is part of your router firmware or a separate application on your PC---the DDNS entry will stay current only as long as your ISP doesn't change your IP address.

If your ISP changes your IP address while the update tool is offline the DDNS entry and your local IP address will be out of sync and anyone visiting your DDNS address will receive either an unavailable resource error or whatever custom error or page forward your DDNS provider supports.

Do I Need to Leave My Dynamic DNS Updater Online All the Time?

Typically ISP-driven IP changes are fairly infrequent. Back in the day, when people reconnected to their ISP each time they used their computer, IP addresses were assigned on-the-fly as people dialed in. If you were using a Dynamic DNS updater back then, it needed to be on all the time to function.

Home IP addresses change much less frequently for people with cable modems, fiber modems, and other stable broadband connections. While it's ideal to have your DDNS updater online all the time, if it's only on your PC and you don't boot up your PC every single day, it's not the end of the world. It's very unlikely your ISP is changing your IP address every day.

What Happens If My Dynamic DNS Provider Is Offline?

This would be an unusual situation, but if your DDNS provider is offline, then any DDNS addresses hosted by that provider would be unresolvable.

This would not impact your local internet connection in any way, but you would have to use your IP address to access your home network remotely instead of the DDNS address. In other words, you (and any friends that use your network) would be forced to connect as if you'd never had a DDNS provider in the first place.

Is Dynamic DNS Encrypted?

Dynamic DNS is not encrypted and simply provides an alternative to creating and manually updating a regular DNS entry. It functions identically to regular DNS as far as the end user is concerned and inherits any benefits and shortcomings of regular DNS.

There is such a thing as encrypted DNS , but it's a separate concept from dynamic DDNS.

Does Dynamic DNS Hide My Home IP Address?

No, dynamic DNS does not hide your IP address. Although Dynamic DNS might give you a sense that your home network is hidden because it is behind a different address, that is a false sense of security.

While the name of your Dynamic DNS provider supplied address, such as yourname.freeDDNS.org, will resolve to the provider's DNS entry (because they own the domain), any network-based communication like a ping or other query will show your real IP address as it is the end destination for the connection.

If you wish to hide your home IP address for privacy purposes, you must use a VPN service in tandem with DDNS. Though be forewarned that doing so adds significant complexity and will require a VPN provider, such as NordVPN , that offers dedicated IP addresses for VPN subscribers.

Can I Use Dynamic DNS to Self-Host a Web Site?

Yes, you can use dynamic DNS to assist in self-hosting a website on your home network. You will need some type of hardware (such as a Raspberry Pi or old laptop) to run the actual web server, but you can use a dynamic DNS host to assign a memorable name to the site and direct people to your self-hosted server.

Many ISPs don't allow you to self-host websites and block port 80, the default web host port, so if you wish to self-host a site, you will need to set the local webserver to use a port other than 80, via router port forwarding , and then opt to use a DDNS provider that supports web redirects. This will redirect visitors from your dynamic address to the proper address, bypassing your ISP's port 80 restrictions.

Does Dynamic DNS Offer Security Benefits?

No, dynamic DNS doesn't offer any sort of security benefits. There is nothing inherently secure or security-enhancing about using it. You're simply tacking a memorable name onto your less-than-memorable IP address.

From a security standpoint, it's not much different than calling your home "The Grand Manor" instead of "3958 W. North County Rd." The latter might be more memorable, but changing the name doesn't change the locks on the house or add security cameras.

However robust or lacking the security of your home network may be, it's unchanged by adding dynamic DNS into the mix. So be sure to properly secure your router and be selective with what ports and services you expose to the internet . Dynamic DNS doesn't protect against port scanning .

Is It a Security Risk to Use Dynamic DNS?

Practically speaking, there isn't a security risk to using dynamic DNS. There is, however, one fringe but potential security risk to be aware of.

If you're using dynamic DNS and a malicious user has discovered a vulnerability in your network they can exploit, it dynamic DNS makes it easier for them to continue to locate you and exploit that vulnerability as regardless of how many times your ISP changes your IP address the attacker can keep coming back to the same fixed dynamic DNS address.

That's an astronomically small fringe scenario, though. Rather than worry about it at all, it would be much smarter to focus instead on keeping your router up to date , using best-practice security practices on your home network, and replacing your old router with a new and updated model .

How to configure a static IP on Windows 10 or 11

Do you need to switch from a dynamic to a static IP address configuration on Windows 11 or 10? Here's how.

• Windows 11 static IP
• Windows 10 static IP

On Windows, the router's Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server is (usually) responsible for assigning a dynamic Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) configuration to every device in the network, including to your computer running Windows 11 or Windows 10.

Although a dynamic IP address is the recommended configuration for most situations, you may need to change to a static IP address if you're thinking about setting up a printer or file sharing, or you have to configure port forwarding on the router to your computer.

The reason is that a dynamic network configuration can change at any time after the lease from the DHCP expires and if the address changes, network resources you may have configured will stop working. Setting a static IP address will always stay the same on the computer, allowing a more reliable experience sharing resources in the network or forwarding ports.

Whatever the reason, on Windows 10 and 11, you have many ways to configure a static TCP/IP address, including using the Settings app and Command Prompt.

This guide will walk you through the different ways to configure a static network configuration on Windows 11 and 10.

How to set a static TCP/IP network configuration on Windows 11

On Windows 11, you can change your computer's dynamic IP configuration to static in at least two ways through the Settings app or commands.

Configure IP from Settings app

To assign a permanent TCP/IP configuration on Windows 11, use these steps:

• Open  Settings .
• Click on  Network & internet .
• (Optional) Click on Advanced network settings .
• Under the "More settings" section, click on Hardware and connection properties.
• Note the current IPv4 ,  Subnet mask ,  Default Gateway , and  DNS server addresses to determine the new configuration, as it has to be in the same network scope.
• Click the  Ethernet  or  Wi-Fi  page on the right side from the "Network & internet." page.
• Quick note:  If you select the Wi-Fi page, you need to click on the connection properties to access the network settings.
• Click on the  Edit  button for the "IP assignment" setting.
• Select the  Manual  option from the drop-down menu.
• Turn on the  IPv4  toggle switch.
• Confirm the IP address for the computer – for example, 10.1.4.90.
• Confirm the subnet mask for the configuration – for example, 255.255.255.0.
• Confirm the default gateway address (usually your router's IP) – for example, 10.1.4.1.
• Confirm the preferred DNS address – for example, 10.1.4.1.
•   Quick note:  In a home network, you may also be able to use the router's IP address for the DNS configuration. You can also use third-party DNS services like Google Public DNS, Cloudflare, Cisco's OpenDNS, and others. 
• (Optional) Select the  "On (automatic template)"  option for the "DNS over HTTPS" setting and leave the  "Fallback to plaintext"  option disabled unless you want to encrypted as well as unencrypted traffic or you're troubleshooting connectivity.
• Quick note:  DNS over HTTPS (DoH) is a feature that encrypts the DNS queries over the HTTPS protocol to improve security and privacy on the internet. You only want to enable this feature if the DNS server supports this feature.
• Confirm the alternate DNS address (if applicable).
• (Optional) Select the  "On (automatic template)"  option for the "DNS over HTTPS" setting and leave the  "Fallback to plaintext"  option disabled.
• Click the  Save  button.

Once you complete the steps, the computer will start using the static network configuration. If everything has been configured correctly, you should be able to open the web browser to access the internet.

If you entered an address (such as the DNS address) and then changed it, you probably won't be able to save the settings. If this is the case, cancel the configuration, start over, enter the correct configuration, and then try to save the settings.

Configure IP from Command Prompt

To set a static TCP/IP configuration on Windows 11, use these steps:

• Open  Start .
• Search for  Command Prompt , right-click the top result, and select the  Run as administrator  option.
• Type the following command to see your current networking configuration and press  Enter : ipconfig /all
• Confirm the name of the adapter and the networking configuration, including the IPv4 , Subnet mask , Default Gateway , and DNS Servers .
• Type the following command to configure a static TCP/IP address and press  Enter :  netsh interface ip set address name= "ADAPTER-NAME" static IP-ADDRESS SUBNET-ADDRESS DEFAULT-GATEWAY-ADDRESS

In the above command, replace  ADAPTER-NAME  with the name of your network adapter. Change  IP-ADDRESS SUBNET-ADDRESS    DEFAULT-GATEWAY-ADDRESS  with the device IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway addresses you want. For example, this command sets the 10.1.4.90, 255.255.255.0, 10.1.4.1 configuration:  netsh interface ip set address name="Ethernet 10Gb" static 10.1.4.90 255.255.255.0 10.1.4.1

• Type the following command to set a DNS server address and press  Enter :  netsh interface ip set dns name="ADAPTER-NAME" static DNS-ADDRESS  

In the command, change  ADAPTER-NAME  with your adapter's name and  DNS-ADDRESS  with the DNS server address of the network. For example, this command sets the local router as the DNS server:  netsh interface ip set dns name="Ethernet 10Gb" static 10.1.4.1

• Type the following command to set an alternate DNS server address and press  Enter :  netsh interface ip add dns name="ADAPTER-NAME" DNS-ADDRESS index=2

In the command, change  ADAPTER-NAME  with the adapter's name and  DNS-ADDRESS  with an alternate DNS server address. For example, netsh interface ip add dns name="Ethernet 10Gb" 1.1.1.1 index=2

After you complete the steps, the commands will set a static network configuration on Windows 11.

How to set a static TCP/IP network configuration on Windows 10

On Windows 10, you can also use the Settings app and Command Prompt to set up a static IP network configuration.

To assign a permanent TCP/IP configuration on Windows 10, use these steps:

• Click on  Ethernet  or  Wi-Fi .
• Click on the active connection on the right side.
• Click the  Edit  button for the "IP assignment" setting.
• Select the  Manual  option.
• Confirm the subnet prefix length (subnet mask) for the configuration – for example, 24 to specify the 255.255.255.0 subnet mask.
• Quick tip:  It's important to use the number that represents the network instead of the subnet mask. Otherwise, the configuration won't save. If you don't know the subnet prefix length for your subnet mask, you can use any  online subnet calculator  to find out.

Once you complete the steps, Windows 10 will start using the static IP configuration. If you lose network connectivity, restart the computer to regain access to the local network and internet.

To change from dynamic to static IP address with commands on Windows 10, use these steps:

In the command, change  ADAPTER-NAME  with your adapter's name and  DNS-ADDRESS  with the DNS server address of the network. For example, this command sets the local router as the DNS server:  netsh interface ip set dns name=" Ethernet 10Gb" static 10.1.4.1

In the command, change  ADAPTER-NAME  with the adapter's name and  DNS-ADDRESS  with an alternate DNS server address. For example, netsh interface ip add dns name="Ethernet0" 1.1.1.1 index=2

After you complete the steps, the network configuration will switch from dynamic to static on Windows 10.

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Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. His primary focus is to write comprehensive how-tos to help users get the most out of Windows 10 and its many related technologies. He has an IT background with professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and CompTIA, and he's a recognized member of the Microsoft MVP community.

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How to find and manually assign an IP address on Windows 10

Step 1: Open the Control Panel

You can also type control panel in the search bar at the lower left of the screen and press Enter to open the control panel.

Step 2: Go to Network Connections

Go to Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center .

Select Change adapter settings on the left.

Step 3: Find the IP address

Right click the Ethernet icon and select Status from the context menu.

Then click Details... to view all detailed information of network connection.

Step 4: Set the IP address

Right Click Local Area Connection and select Properties .

Then double click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) .

Select Use the Following IP address: and type in the IP address , Subnet mask and Default gateway . Click OK to apply the settings.

Note : If you need to set a static DNS server, select Use the following DNS server address : and input the address of DNS server. By default, the computer obtains the address automatically.

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What is DNS and How to Assign Best DNS Server on Windows

Everyone knows that whenever we are connected to a network, be it local or the internet, every computer is assigned a unique IP address. These might be static or dynamic depending upon the network you are trying to connect to.

Related: We have already published an in-depth article on IP Addresses  that you can refer to in case you’d like to know more.

Coming back to the point, most of us might not be aware that there’s another address that works in the background called the DNS (Domain Name System) that helps you to browse the internet .

Whenever you connect to the internet, you are assigned a default DNS server from your ISP that helps you to browse from site to site. The speed of these DNS servers assigned to you impacts your browsing. You must be wondering what a DNS server is and how your internet speed depends on it. So let me give you a simple explanation.

What is a DNS Server?

Suppose you want to call up Captain Jack Sparrow to exchange pirate advice over a handle of rum. First you will have to find the phone directory and look for Captain Jack Sparrow’s phone number, as you don’t have any of his contact information stored in your personal device. In the same way, the DNS server holds the name records from the internet and they contain the IP address of every website.

When you type in the address of a website in your browser, these names are then checked on a DNS server that relays the IP address to your browser, which is then pinged, and in reply the page opens up on your computer. So for simplicity’s sake, you can think of DNS servers as the phone books that keep a record of numbers for you. And thank goodness they do, or else you’d never be able to find Old Capt’n Jack.

Why Would You Want to Change the Default DNS?

Now the next question that might be popping into your mind is what does this mean and why would anyone want to change the default DNS. Well the simple answer would be speed. Every DNS server takes a different amount of time to relay the data to your computer, which in turn affects your internet speed.

Also, there might be times where you want access websites that have been blocked by your current DNS server. In these cases you can simply change the DNS on your network adapter and then proceed to browse in full throttle.

How to Change the DNS Manually

To change the DNS on your computer manually, open the Properties page of the network adapter and navigate to TCP/IPv4. On the TCP/IPv4 page, uncheck the option Obtain the DNS server address automatically and elect to enter manual input.

Here type in the DNS addresses you would like to use and save the settings.

Need Help Finding the Right DNS?

There are many free and secure DNS services you can use on your computer. But the question is how to find the one best suited for you? Here you can use the help of a simple program called the DNS jumper  (scroll down on the linked page to locate the grey Download button).

The app is portable, but needs admin rights to execute the necessary actions.

Using the app, you can simply click on the button Fastest DNS and get the average response time of all the DNS servers that can be used. Once you select the one you would like to use, just select the option Apply Fastest DNS  to save the settings.

You can now browse with freedom.

So that pretty much covered the DNS (Domain Name System) in brief. We’ve also written a guide on OpenDNS (an old one though) and another way to find out which DNS is fastest for you . Do check these out too.

Last updated on 02 February, 2022

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

DID YOU KNOW

Ashish Mundhra

Ashish is a staff writer and video editor at Guiding Tech. He loves all things tech and has a soft corner for Android. Apart from contributing articles here, he also takes care of our YouTube Channel.

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You can set the combination of static and DHCP, IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, edit the DNS settings, and define the proxy settings for vCenter Server .

Prerequisites

• To change the IP address of the appliance, verify that the system name of the appliance is an FQDN. The system name is used as a primary network identifier. If you set an IP address as a system name during the deployment of the appliance, you can later change the PNID to an FQDN. Note: You can set only IPv4 IP address as system name. The IPv4 IP address must be enabled before this setting.
• If PNID of backed up VC resolves to IPv4 and IPv4 is configured static, the base VC during stage1 should have static or DHCP IPv4 configured.
• If PNID of backed up VC resolves to IPv4 and IPv4 is configured DHCP, the base VC during stage1 should have DHCP IPv4 configured.
• If PNID of backed up VC resolves to IPv6 and IPv6 is configured static, the base VC during stage1 should have static or DHCP IPv6 configured.
• If PNID of backed up VC resolves to IPv6 and IPv6 is configured DHCP, the base VC during stage1 should have DHCP IPv6 configured.

Log in to the vCenter Server Management Interface as root.

• In the vCenter Server Management Interface, click Networking .
• From the Network Settings page, click Edit .
• NIC 1 is reserved for VCHA and should not be used in multi-NIC configurations.
• As mentioned in the UI specifications, DGW should be set to NIC 0.
• As access to vSphere Client is redirected to PNID, only access to NIC 0 is supported or recommended even in multi-NIC configurations.

You can configure the appliance to obtain the IPv6 settings automatically through both DHCP and router advertisement. You can assign static a IPv6 address at the same time.

• To configure a proxy server, in the Proxy Settings section, click Edit .
• Enter the server hostname or IP address.
• Enter the port.
• Enter the username (optional).
• Enter the password (optional).
• Click Save .

Amazon EC2 instance IP addressing

Amazon EC2 and Amazon VPC support both the IPv4 and IPv6 addressing protocols. By default, Amazon VPC uses the IPv4 addressing protocol; you can't disable this behavior. When you create a VPC, you must specify an IPv4 CIDR block (a range of private IPv4 addresses). You can optionally assign an IPv6 CIDR block to your VPC and assign IPv6 addresses from that block to instances in your subnets.

Private IPv4 addresses

Public ipv4 addresses, elastic ip addresses (ipv4), ipv6 addresses, work with the ipv4 addresses for your instances, work with the ipv6 addresses for your instances.

• Multiple IP addresses

EC2 instance hostnames

Link-local addresses.

A private IPv4 address is an IP address that's not reachable over the Internet. You can use private IPv4 addresses for communication between instances in the same VPC. For more information about the standards and specifications of private IPv4 addresses, see RFC 1918 . We allocate private IPv4 addresses to instances using DHCP.

You can create a VPC with a publicly routable CIDR block that falls outside of the private IPv4 address ranges specified in RFC 1918. However, for the purposes of this documentation, we refer to private IPv4 addresses (or 'private IP addresses') as the IP addresses that are within the IPv4 CIDR range of your VPC.

VPC subnets can be one of the following types:

IPv4-only subnets: You can only create resources in these subnets with IPv4 addresses assigned to them.

IPv6-only subnets: You can only create resources in these subnets with IPv6 addresses assigned to them.

IPv4 and IPv6 subnets: You can create resources in these subnets with either IPv4 or IPv6 addresses assigned to them.

When you launch an EC2 instance into an IPv4-only or dual stack (IPv4 and IPv6) subnet, the instance receives a primary private IP address from the IPv4 address range of the subnet. For more information, see IP addressing in the Amazon VPC User Guide . If you don't specify a primary private IP address when you launch the instance, we select an available IP address in the subnet's IPv4 range for you. Each instance has a default network interface (eth0) that is assigned the primary private IPv4 address. You can also specify additional private IPv4 addresses, known as secondary private IPv4 addresses . Unlike primary private IP addresses, secondary private IP addresses can be reassigned from one instance to another. For more information, see Multiple IP addresses .

A private IPv4 address, regardless of whether it is a primary or secondary address, remains associated with the network interface when the instance is stopped and started, or hibernated and started, and is released when the instance is terminated.

A public IP address is an IPv4 address that's reachable from the Internet. You can use public addresses for communication between your instances and the Internet.

When you launch an instance in a default VPC, we assign it a public IP address by default. When you launch an instance into a nondefault VPC, the subnet has an attribute that determines whether instances launched into that subnet receive a public IP address from the public IPv4 address pool. By default, we don't assign a public IP address to instances launched in a nondefault subnet.

You can control whether your instance receives a public IP address as follows:

Modifying the public IP addressing attribute of your subnet. For more information, see Modify the public IPv4 addressing attribute for your subnet in the Amazon VPC User Guide .

Enabling or disabling the public IP addressing feature during launch, which overrides the subnet's public IP addressing attribute. For more information, see Assign a public IPv4 address during instance launch .

A public IP address is assigned to your instance from Amazon's pool of public IPv4 addresses, and is not associated with your AWS account. When a public IP address is disassociated from your instance, it is released back into the public IPv4 address pool, and you cannot reuse it.

You cannot manually associate or disassociate a public IP (IPv4) address from your instance. Instead, in certain cases, we release the public IP address from your instance, or assign it a new one:

We release your instance's public IP address when it is stopped, hibernated, or terminated. Your stopped or hibernated instance receives a new public IP address when it is started.

We release your instance's public IP address when you associate an Elastic IP address with it. When you disassociate the Elastic IP address from your instance, it receives a new public IP address.

If the public IP address of your instance in a VPC has been released, it will not receive a new one if there is more than one network interface attached to your instance.

If your instance's public IP address is released while it has a secondary private IP address that is associated with an Elastic IP address, the instance does not receive a new public IP address.

If you require a persistent public IP address that can be associated to and from instances as you require, use an Elastic IP address instead.

If you use dynamic DNS to map an existing DNS name to a new instance's public IP address, it might take up to 24 hours for the IP address to propagate through the Internet. As a result, new instances might not receive traffic while terminated instances continue to receive requests. To solve this problem, use an Elastic IP address. You can allocate your own Elastic IP address, and associate it with your instance. For more information, see Elastic IP addresses .

Instances that access other instances through their public NAT IP address are charged for regional or Internet data transfer, depending on whether the instances are in the same Region.

An Elastic IP address is a public IPv4 address that you can allocate to your account. You can associate it to and disassociate it from instances as you require. It's allocated to your account until you choose to release it. For more information about Elastic IP addresses and how to use them, see Elastic IP addresses .

We do not support Elastic IP addresses for IPv6.

You can optionally associate an IPv6 CIDR block with your VPC and associate IPv6 CIDR blocks with your subnets. The IPv6 CIDR block for your VPC is automatically assigned from Amazon's pool of IPv6 addresses; you cannot choose the range yourself. For more information, see the following topics in the Amazon VPC User Guide :

IP addressing for your VPCs and subnets

Add an IPv6 CIDR block to your VPC

Add an IPv6 CIDR block to your subnet

IPv6 addresses are globally unique and can be configured to remain private or reachable over the Internet. Your instance receives an IPv6 address if an IPv6 CIDR block is associated with your VPC and subnet, and if one of the following is true:

Your subnet is configured to automatically assign an IPv6 address to an instance during launch. For more information, see Modify the IPv6 addressing attribute for your subnet .

You assign an IPv6 address to your instance during launch.

You assign an IPv6 address to the primary network interface of your instance after launch.

You assign an IPv6 address to a network interface in the same subnet, and attach the network interface to your instance after launch.

When your instance receives an IPv6 address during launch, the address is associated with the primary network interface (eth0) of the instance. You can manage the IPv6 addresses for your instances primary network interface (eth0) in the following ways:

Assign and unassign IPv6 addresses from the network interface. The number of IPv6 addresses you can assign to a network interface and the number of network interfaces you can attach to an instance varies per instance type. For more information, see IP addresses per network interface per instance type .

Enable a primary IPv6 address. A primary IPv6 address enables you to avoid disrupting traffic to instances or ENIs. For more information, see Create a network interface or Manage IP addresses .

An IPv6 address persists when you stop and start, or hibernate and start, your instance, and is released when you terminate your instance. You cannot reassign an IPv6 address while it's assigned to another network interface—you must first unassign it.

You can control whether instances are reachable via their IPv6 addresses by controlling the routing for your subnet or by using security group and network ACL rules. For more information, see Internetwork traffic privacy in the Amazon VPC User Guide .

For more information about reserved IPv6 address ranges, see IANA IPv6 Special-Purpose Address Registry and RFC4291 .

You can assign a public IPv4 address to your instance when you launch it. You can view the IPv4 addresses for your instance in the console through either the Instances page or the Network Interfaces page.

View the IPv4 addresses

Assign a public ipv4 address during instance launch.

You can use the Amazon EC2 console to view the public and private IPv4 addresses of your instances. You can also determine the public IPv4 and private IPv4 addresses of your instance from within your instance by using instance metadata. For more information, see Instance metadata and user data .

The public IPv4 address is displayed as a property of the network interface in the console, but it's mapped to the primary private IPv4 address through NAT. Therefore, if you inspect the properties of your network interface on your instance, for example, through ifconfig (Linux) or ipconfig (Windows), the public IPv4 address is not displayed. To determine your instance's public IPv4 address from an instance, use instance metadata.

To view the IPv4 addresses for an instance using the console

Open the Amazon EC2 console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/ .

In the navigation pane, choose Instances and select your instance.

The following information is available on the Networking tab:

Public IPv4 address — The public IPv4 address. If you associated an Elastic IP address with the instance or the primary network interface, this is the Elastic IP address.

Private IPv4 addresses — The private IPv4 address.

Secondary private IPv4 addresses — Any secondary private IPv4 addresses.

Alternatively, under Network interfaces on the Networking tab, choose the interface ID for the primary network interface (for example, eni-123abc456def78901). The following information is available:

Private IPv4 address — The primary private IPv4 address.

To view the IPv4 addresses for an instance using the command line

You can use one of the following commands. For more information about these command line interfaces, see Access Amazon EC2 .

describe-instances (AWS CLI)

Get-EC2Instance (AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell).

To determine your instance's IPv4 addresses using instance metadata

Connect to your instance. For more information, see Connect to your Linux instance .

Use the following command to access the private IP address:

Use the following command to access the public IP address:

If an Elastic IP address is associated with the instance, the value returned is that of the Elastic IP address.

Each subnet has an attribute that determines whether instances launched into that subnet are assigned a public IP address. By default, nondefault subnets have this attribute set to false, and default subnets have this attribute set to true. When you launch an instance, a public IPv4 addressing feature is also available for you to control whether your instance is assigned a public IPv4 address; you can override the default behavior of the subnet's IP addressing attribute. The public IPv4 address is assigned from Amazon's pool of public IPv4 addresses, and is assigned to the network interface with the device index of eth0. This feature depends on certain conditions at the time you launch your instance.

Considerations

You can't manually disassociate the public IP address from your instance after launch. Instead, it's automatically released in certain cases, after which you cannot reuse it. For more information, see Public IPv4 addresses . If you require a persistent public IP address that you can associate or disassociate at will, assign an Elastic IP address to the instance after launch instead. For more information, see Elastic IP addresses .

You cannot auto-assign a public IP address if you specify more than one network interface. Additionally, you cannot override the subnet setting using the auto-assign public IP feature if you specify an existing network interface for eth0.

The public IP addressing feature is only available during launch. However, whether you assign a public IP address to your instance during launch or not, you can associate an Elastic IP address with your instance after it's launched. For more information, see Elastic IP addresses . You can also modify your subnet's public IPv4 addressing behavior. For more information, see Modify the public IPv4 addressing attribute for your subnet .

To assign a public IPv4 address during instance launch using the console

Follow the procedure to launch an instance , and when you configure Network Settings , choose the option to Auto-assign Public IP .

To enable or disable the public IP addressing feature using the command line

Use the --associate-public-ip-address or the --no-associate-public-ip-address option with the run-instances command (AWS CLI)

Use the -AssociatePublicIp parameter with the New-EC2Instance command (AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell)

You can view the IPv6 addresses assigned to your instance, assign a public IPv6 address to your instance, or unassign an IPv6 address from your instance. You can view these addresses in the console through either the Instances page or the Network Interfaces page.

View the IPv6 addresses

Assign an ipv6 address to an instance, unassign an ipv6 address from an instance.

You can use the Amazon EC2 console, AWS CLI, and instance metadata to view the IPv6 addresses for your instances.

To view the IPv6 addresses for an instance using the console

In the navigation pane, choose Instances .

Select the instance.

On the Networking tab, locate IPv6 addresses .

Alternatively, under Network interfaces on the Networking tab, choose the interface ID for the network interface (for example, eni-123abc456def78901). Locate IPv6 addresses .

To view the IPv6 addresses for an instance using the command line

To view the ipv6 addresses for an instance using instance metadata.

Use the following command to view the IPv6 address (you can get the MAC address from http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/network/interfaces/macs/ ).

If your VPC and subnet have IPv6 CIDR blocks associated with them, you can assign an IPv6 address to your instance during or after launch. The IPv6 address is assigned from the IPv6 address range of the subnet, and is assigned to the network interface with the device index of eth0.

To assign an IPv6 address during instance launch

Follow the procedure to launch an instance , and when you configure Network Settings , choose the option to Auto-assign IPv6 IP .

To assign an IPv6 address after launch

Select your instance, and choose Actions , Networking , Manage IP addresses .

Expand the network interface. Under IPv6 addresses , choose Assign new IP address . Enter an IPv6 address from the range of the subnet or leave the field blank to let Amazon choose an IPv6 address for you.

Choose Save .

To assign an IPv6 address using the command line

Use the --ipv6-addresses option with the run-instances command (AWS CLI)

Use the Ipv6Addresses property for -NetworkInterface in the New-EC2Instance command (AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell)

assign-ipv6-addresses (AWS CLI)

Register-EC2Ipv6AddressList (AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell)

You can unassign an IPv6 address from an instance at any time.

To unassign an IPv6 address from an instance using the console

Expand the network interface. Under IPv6 addresses , choose Unassign next to the IPv6 address.

To unassign an IPv6 address from an instance using the command line

unassign-ipv6-addresses (AWS CLI)

Unregister-EC2Ipv6AddressList (AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell).

When you create an EC2 instance, AWS creates a hostname for that instance. For more information on the types of hostnames and how they're provisioned by AWS, see Amazon EC2 instance hostname types . Amazon provides a DNS server that resolves Amazon-provided hostnames to IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. The Amazon DNS server is located at the base of your VPC network range plus two. For more information, see DNS attributes for your VPC in the Amazon VPC User Guide .

Link-local addresses are well-known, non-routable IP addresses. Amazon EC2 uses addresses from the link-local address space to provide services that are accessible only from an EC2 instance. These services do not run on the instance, they run on the underlying host. When you access the link-local addresses for these services, you're communicating with either the Xen hypervisor or the Nitro controller.

Link-local address ranges

IPv4 – 169.254.0.0/16 (169.254.0.0 to 169.254.255.255)

IPv6 – fe80::/10

Services that you access using link-local addresses

Instance Metadata Service

Amazon Route 53 Resolver (also known as the Amazon DNS server)

Amazon Time Sync Service

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How to Change Your DNS Address

There’s probably no reason for using your service provider’s DNS addresses. Those DNS addresses are usually slower, since your browser needs to look up the IP address of every website you try to access, and might even block some websites .

Changing your DNS address in many cases increases your internet speed and allows you to circumvent banned websites. In this detailed article we’re going to teach you how to change your DNS address to two of the most used ones: Google’s and Open DNS’s.

How Does DNS Work?

DNS stands for Domain Name System and it basically transforms names into IP addresses.

For instance, when you go to Google, you type in “Google.com”, yet the computer doesn’t perceive it at such. The computer needs an IP address, and it’s the DNS function to tell the computer exactly where that IP address is.

It works pretty much like a phonebook. The DNS looks up what’s the IP address of a given domain name and it connects you to it. The problem is that your ISP DNS address might be too slow to go through the phonebook.

Like we’ve said, using another DNS address other than your ISP’s has several advantages. Changing it is quite simple, and you can always revert the changes at any given time. There’s no limit to how many times you can change your DNS address.

Two commonly used DNS addresses are Google’s and Open DNS. Open DNS offers more than a simple DNS address if you register an account with them, but for our purposes, the difference between the two are relatively little.

Here’s how you change your DNS address in Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows 10:

• Go to the Control Panel (press the Start Button and type Control Panel).
• Open the Network and Sharing Center.
• Choose Change Adapter Settings on the left side of the window.

• On the lower half of the window click on Use the following DNS server address.The numbers you will type in are different whether you want to use Google’s DNS or Open DNS. For Google:
• Under Preferred DNS server type in 8.8.8 and under the Alternate DNS server type in 8.8.4.4 and press OK.And for Open DNS:
• Under Preferred DNS server type in 67.222.222 and under the Alternate DNS server type in 208.67.220.220 and press OK.

And that’s it. You’ve changed your DNS address. There’s a chance that you won’t notice any differences in your day-to-day browsing, but it will usually lead to an increase in page-loading speed.

If you have any other doubts regarding how to change your DNS and whether you should do it or not , let us know. We’re here to help you.

Petr is a serial tech entrepreneur and the CEO of Apro Software , a machine learning company. Whenever he’s not blogging about technology for itechgyan.com or softwarebattle.com, Petr enjoys playing sports and going to the movies. He’s also deeply interested about mediation, Buddhism and biohacking.

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Tutorial: Create an alias record to refer to an Azure public IP address

• 7 contributors

You can create an alias record to reference an Azure resource. An example is an alias record that references an Azure public IP resource.

In this tutorial, you learn how to:

• Create a virtual network and a subnet.
• Create a web server virtual machine with a public IP.
• Create an alias record that points to the public IP.
• Test the alias record.

If you don’t have an Azure subscription, create a free account before you begin.

Prerequisites

• An Azure account with an active subscription.
• A domain name hosted in Azure DNS. If you don't have an Azure DNS zone, you can create a DNS zone , then delegate your domain to Azure DNS.

In this tutorial, contoso.com is used as an example domain name. Replace contoso.com with your own domain name.

Sign in to Azure

Sign in to the Azure portal .

Create the network infrastructure

Create a virtual network and a subnet to place your web server in.

In the Azure portal, enter virtual network in the search box at the top of the portal, and then select Virtual networks from the search results.

In Virtual networks , select + Create .

In Create virtual network , enter or select the following information in the Basics tab:

Select the IP Addresses tab or select the Next: IP Addresses button at the bottom of the page.

In the IP Addresses tab, enter the following information:

Select + Add subnet , and enter this information in the Add subnet :

Select Add .

Select the Review + create tab or select the Review + create button.

Select Create .

Create a web server virtual machine

Create a Windows Server virtual machine and then install IIS web server on it.

Create the virtual machine

Create a Windows Server 2019 virtual machine.

• In the Azure portal, enter virtual machine in the search box at the top of the portal, and then select Virtual machines from the search results.

In Virtual machines , select + Create and then select Azure virtual machine .

In Create a virtual machine , enter or select the following information in the Basics tab:

Select the Networking tab, or select Next: Disks , then Next: Networking .

In the Networking tab, enter or select the following information:

Select Review + create .

Review the settings, and then select Create .

This deployment may take a few minutes to complete.

Web-01 virtual machine has an attached NIC with a basic dynamic public IP that changes every time the virtual machine is restarted.

Install IIS web server

Install IIS web server on Web-01 .

In the Overview page of Web-01 , select Connect and then RDP .

In the RDP page, select Download RDP File .

Open Web-01.rdp , and select Connect .

Enter the username and password entered during virtual machine creation.

On the Server Manager dashboard, select Manage then Add Roles and Features .

Select Server Roles or select Next three times. On the Server Roles screen, select Web Server (IIS) .

Select Add Features , and then select Next .

Select Confirmation or select Next three times, and then select Install . The installation process takes a few minutes to finish.

After the installation finishes, select Close .

Open a web browser. Browse to localhost to verify that the default IIS web page appears.

Create an alias record

Create an alias record that points to the public IP address.

In the Azure portal, enter contoso.com in the search box at the top of the portal, and then select contoso.com DNS zone from the search results.

In the Overview page, select the + Record set button.

In the Add record set , enter web01 in the Name .

Select A for the Type .

Select Yes for the Alias record set , and then select the Azure Resource for the Alias type .

Select the Web-01-ip public IP address for the Azure resource .

Select OK .

Test the alias record

• Select the Web-01 virtual machine. Note the public IP address in the Overview page.
• From a web browser, browse to web01.contoso.com , which is the fully qualified domain name of the Web-01 virtual machine. You now see the IIS default web page.
• Close the web browser.
• Stop the Web-01 virtual machine, and then restart it.
• After the virtual machine restarts, note the new public IP address for the virtual machine.
• From a web browser, browse again to web01.contoso.com .

This procedure succeeds because you used an alias record to point to the public IP resource instead of a standard A record that points to the public IP address, not the resource.

Clean up resources

When no longer needed, you can delete all resources created in this tutorial by following these steps:

• On the Azure portal menu, select Resource groups .
• Select the PIPResourceGroup resource group.
• On the Overview page, select Delete resource group .
• Enter PIPResourceGroup and select Delete .
• On the Azure portal menu, select All resources .
• Select contoso.com DNS zone.
• On the Overview page, select the web01 record created in this tutorial.
• Select Delete and then Yes .

In this tutorial, you learned how to create an alias record to refer to an Azure public IP address resource. To learn how to create an alias record to support an apex domain name with Traffic Manager, continue with the next tutorial:

Create alias records for Traffic Manager

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How to point your domain name to a dedicated server's IP address

To point your domain name to your dedicated server's public IP address, you need to create an address record for the domain — an A record. An A record is part of the DNS system and it simply maps a domain name to an IP address.

An A record is stored as a DNS entry on the domain’s name servers. To add an A record for your domain, you can use your domain registrar’s name servers or switch to the name servers provided by Servers.com .

Creating an A record using name servers of a domain name registrar

Before you can add an A record for your domain, you need to find a public IP address of your server in “Dedicated Servers > Manage” section of the Servers.com Portal:

Please use the obtained IP address to add an A record for your domain by following the instructions provided by your domain’s registrar. Here are the links to instructions by several popular domain name registrars:

• GoDaddy: Add an A record ;
• Name.com: Adding an A record;
• Namecheap: How can I set up an A (address) record for my domain?

Please note, that the domain need to be configured to work with the default registrar's name servers.

Creating an A record using name servers of Servers.com

You can change your domain’s name servers to those provided by Servers.com, and then use the “DNS” section of the Servers.com portal to add an A record for your domain.

Changing your domain’s name servers

Before you can manage your domain’s DNS entries using Servers.com Portal, you need to set the following name servers for the domain:

• ns01.srvrsdns.com
• ns01.srvrsdns.net
• ns01.srvrsdns.org
• ns01.srvrsdns.co.uk

To change name servers of your domain, please follow the instructions provided by your domain’s registrar. Here are the links to instructions by several popular domain name registrars:

• GoDaddy: Set custom nameservers for domains registered with GoDaddy;
• Name.com: Changing nameservers for DNS management;
• Namecheap: How can I change the nameservers for my domain? (see the CustomDNS option).

You may need to wait up to 72 hours for your domain’s new name servers to be propagated.

You can use the following commands to view name servers of a domain to be sure new name servers were propagated.

In Microsoft Windows:

After new name servers are propagated, you can add an A record for your domain in the “DNS” section of the Servers.com portal.

Adding your domain in the “DNS” section of the Servers.com portal

In the “DNS” section of the Servers.com portal click “Add new domain” button. Enter your domain name in the displayed form and click “Save”:

Your domain should now be listed in the “Domains” subsection:

If you are getting error saying “No TXT record with special value, or NS records pointing to our nameservers” , you may need to wait for your domain’s new name servers to be propagated, in some cases this process might take up to 72 hours.

After successfully adding your domain name to the DNS service of Servers.com, you need to point the domain to your dedicated server's public IP address by adding an A record for the domain.

Creating A and CNAME records for your domain

Before you can add an A record for your domain, you need to find a public IP address of your server in “Dedicated Servers > Manage” section of the Portal:

Find your recently added domain in the “DNS” section of the Servers.com portal and click “View details” button, then click “Add A record” . Leave the “Domain” field blank, enter your server’s public IP address in the “IP” field and click “Add record” :

You can also add a CNAME record to make WWW subdomain alias for your domain:

By now you should have A and CNAME records added for your domain as follows:

Your server should be now accessible by your domain name.

Use the following command in Linux to view your domain’s A record:

Or in Microsoft Windows:

Use the following command to make sure your server is running and can be accessed using the domain name:

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