Record entries of domain management and what you need to consider when making adjustments

As a website operator, you must also deal with the management of your domain. This involves not just purchasing a domain but also configuring it for web servers and email servers. This primarily concerns larger companies or agencies that manage domains on separate servers, which are operated by the actual web or email servers.

An example of such a scenario includes providers like NICdirect or 1Blu, where domains are purchased and managed, with a specialization in hosting large enterprises. However, regular web hosts like Mittwald, Webgo, Host Europe, etc., also offer domain configuration to some extent.

Fig.1: Record entries for a domain of internetwarriors GmbH

The Configuration of the Domain Name System

The Domain Name System, often abbreviated as DNS, is one of the most important services on the internet. So-called DNS servers ensure that URL names are converted into IP addresses.

When you type a URL into the browser, servers on the internet cannot initially do anything with that because they use IP addresses to identify themselves. An IP address is a unique numerical combination assigned individually to each device on the internet. This is most easily compared to a phone number assigned to every phone line.

To know which server has requested a webpage (the URL typed into the browser), the browser first sends a request to a DNS server. This server maintains a large database that stores the IP address of the corresponding server for each domain, similar to a phone book where each name is paired with a phone number.

In response to the request, the DNS server sends back the IP address of the corresponding server for the webpage to the browser. The browser can then directly place the request for the webpage with the actual web server.

Types of Record Entries

For the DNS server to know which IP address is behind a URL, this must be set in the domain configuration. There are various so-called record entries for different services. The most important ones are:

• NS

• A

• AAAA

• MX

Name Server Record - NS

The Name Server Record, often referred to as NS, is responsible for name resolution. This means resolving the names of services, e.g., domains, into computer-readable addresses. These addresses are the so-called IP addresses.

Each of the entries has a so-called TTL (Time to Live). This determines how long an entry remains valid in the cache before it must be renewed. Typically, this value is 86400 seconds, which means 24 hours.

The relocation of a domain to a new web server correspondingly takes 24 hours, as all global DNS servers must first be updated before the correct IP address is delivered to browsers.

Address Record - A

The Address Record or A Resource Record ensures that an IPv4 address is assigned to an entry on a DNS server. IPv4 addresses are IP addresses based on a four-octet system. This is greatly limited in the number of possible IP addresses and can no longer cover the required IP addresses for all devices connected to the internet, e.g., computers, smartphones, servers, etc. Nevertheless, it is still very common today.

Address Record - AAAA

The Address Record AAAA essentially provides the same functionality as the Address Record A. However, it is based on the so-called IPv6 addressing system, which is the successor of IPv4. It offers significantly more IP addresses and can therefore cover a much larger number of IP addresses and DNS entries.

Mail Exchange Record - MX

An MX Resource Record describes under which domain the corresponding email server can be reached. Through this, email programs can send and receive their emails. It is important to note that this entry must always include a fully spelled-out URL.

What Can We Do for You?

With our many years of experience in web hosting and domain management, we are happy to assist you in managing your website. Please contact us if you do not want to handle the technical management of your website or are planning a relaunch. We would be very pleased to discuss your individual support needs with you.