This article covers DNS problems. If you do not find a solution here, try the guides Domains – Troubleshooting or Webhosting – Troubleshooting.
In this article you will learn:
Diagnosing DNS problems
Non-functional or incorrectly configured DNS may show up as a non-functional domain, that is, a browser message saying the website is unavailable, with the code DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN. Alternatively, the website may show old content or errors from the web hosting provider (e.g. a suspended or deleted service), emails may not be delivered, and so on.
To run a system diagnostic of your domain, you can use the tool in the Customer Administration. You can find the guide in the article Domains – Diagnostics.
Troubleshooting DNS problems
DNS problems fall into two categories: either the DNS servers, from which domains obtain the data they need to work properly, are set up incorrectly, or the DNS records (usually those pointing the domain to a website or emails).
DNS servers
Common problems with DNS servers include:
- Unavailable DNS servers. This is usually a problem with the domain and its settings, which are covered in the article Domains – Troubleshooting.
- DNS server change in progress. A DNS server change takes a relatively long time to propagate across the internet, typically 6 to 48 hours. To avoid inconsistent behavior or service outages during this time, make sure that identical DNS records are set up on both sets of DNS servers. While the changes are in progress, turn off DNSSEC.
- Record changes on the wrong DNS servers. If the records you set do not propagate even after tens of minutes, make sure you are making the changes with the correct provider. WEDOS DNS records have no effect on a domain that uses the DNS servers of another provider.
DNS records
Common problems with DNS records in general include:
- Time needed for records to propagate. For WEDOS DNS records, allow roughly 30 minutes for propagation with a TTL value of 300. For higher TTL values, propagation may take longer.
- Incorrect record name. Different DNS providers enter records in different ways. When entering record names in WEDOS DNS, avoid entering the character
@(instead of this character, leave the field Name empty) and the domain itself (the system adds the name of the main domain automatically). - Subdomain conflict. If you rely on routing subdomains with a record named
*, make sure that no other records conflict with this routing. Subdomains for which a specific record of any type exists do not use the record named*Set up all routing directly on such subdomains. - Incompatible record settings. The system warns you about incorrect or incompatible record settings before you save a new record or a change. Resolve the problem according to the instructions in the error message.
Website DNS records
A website is served by DNS records of the type A, AAAA, CNAME and ALIAS. Common problems with DNS settings for a website include:
- Insufficiently configured DNS records. When entering or changing DNS records, make sure you enter all the records that your web hosting provider requires. These are usually records for the main domain (A, AAAA, ALIAS) and for all subdomains (name
*) or at least for the subdomainwww. - AAAA records of an older service. When switching to a web hosting service that uses only A records, delete all AAAA records with the same names as the edited A records.
Email DNS records
For email to work properly, you need to set up correctly above all the MX records, and also DKIM and SPF. Common problems with DNS settings for email include:
- MX records with a name. You usually enter MX records for the main domain (
@domain.tld), field Name field empty. - MX records of different providers. If you are switching MX records to a different provider, delete all remaining records of the original provider.
- Incorrect SPF record. Make sure you have exactly one SPF record. If you need to enter SPF records for several email service providers, combine them all into one according to the guide Email – SPF record.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if nothing in the guide helped?
If you did not find a solution here, try the guides Domains – Troubleshooting and Webhosting – Troubleshooting.