Knowledgebase

Private Nameservers in WHM/cPanel

To set up private nameservers we need to have 2 IP addresses. Let us set up ns1.domain.com and ns2.domain.com

Here are the steps:

Step 1. Configuring server 

Login to whm: https://YourIP:2087

Find the navigation section on the left called Basic cPanel & WHM Setup, under Server Configuration. This is the first item on the left navigation bar.

 

Find Nameservers section at the bottom. If you see ns1.domain.com and ns2.domain.com you can skip this step. If you don't see those name servers, specify them and press "Assign IP address"

 

You can also do this from command line (you must do it only from command line if you want to force cPanel/WHM using only 1 ip address for nameservers):

Remove cache file:

rm /var/cpanel/nameserverips.cache

Before you make any changes to ns file you can make a backup:

cp /var/cpanel/nameserverips.yaml /var/cpanel/nameserverips.yaml.old

Open ns file:

nano /var/cpanel/nameserverips.yaml

Edit the file so that it contain your IP adresses and name servers like below:

---

ns1.domain.com:

  89.233.106.224: 1

  count: 1

  zones: domain.com

ns2.domain.com:

  46.21.145.131: 1

  count: 1

  zones: domain.com

Step 2. Register your name servers 

Login to your domain control panel (at your registrar) and create child name servers ns1 and ns2. Exact steps may vary depending on your registrar. Here is an example:

ns1.domain.com 1.2.3.4 [your VPS IP N1]

ns2.domain.com 5.6.7.8 [your VPS IP N2]

As described above, your VPS need to have 2 IP addresses to make nameservers work. 

NOTE : WHM needs 2 IPs for setting up name servers but you can bypass that with editing /var/cpanel/nameserverips.yaml /as described before/ if you are familiar with ssh. Using two IPs for nameservers is recommended in general.

Now specify that new name servers for the domain.

Full propagation may take some time (up to 24 hours).

Step 3. DNS Zones 

Find the navigation section on the left called Edit DNS Zone, under DNS Functions.

Select your domain and press "Edit".

 

Here you can add and edit dns records.

 

If you can't see your domain in dns zones, you can add it in the navigation section on the left called Add a DNS Zone, under DNS Functions.

 

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