What is a DNS zone?
DNS is like a phone book for the internet. It turns a website name into a number that computers understand. A DNS zone is the page of that phone book that belongs to your domain. It holds small entries called records. Each record says where something goes, such as your website or your email.
You edit the zone where your domain's nameservers point. Nameservers are the computers that hold the zone. If your domain uses Fasthosts nameservers, you edit the zone at Fasthosts.
Warning: A wrong record can take your website or email offline. Write down the old values before you change anything.
Before you start
- Have your Fasthosts login ready.
- Find the values you need to add. For Hostvento hosting, the server IP address is in your welcome email. If you cannot find it, ask Hostvento support.
Steps
- Log in to the Fasthosts control panel.
- Find the Domains section.
- Click the domain you want to edit.
- Look for the DNS option. It may be named Manage DNS or DNS settings.
- Read the existing records and note their values.
- To add a record, click the add button. Choose the type and fill in the host and the value. An A record links a name to an IP address. A CNAME record links one name to another name. An MX record tells the world where email goes.
- To change a record, click its edit option, update the value and save.
- To delete a record, use its delete option. Only delete what you are sure about.
- Save your changes.
If your domain uses nameservers from another company, edit the zone there instead. Fasthosts does not control it in that case.
After the change
DNS changes do not show at once. They can take from a few minutes to some hours to spread. This waiting time is called propagation. Clear your browser cache and test again later.
Need help with the Hostvento side? Open a support ticket.
Quick recap
- A DNS zone holds the records of your domain.
- Edit it at the company whose nameservers your domain uses.
- In Fasthosts, open Domains, pick your domain and find the DNS page.
- Note old values before you edit.
- Allow time for changes to spread.