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How To Set Up Custom Nameservers For VPS


This article will walk you through setting up custom nameservers for your VPS. If you have any questions about the following steps, please contact our WestHost technical support team.

Unlike our shared hosting plans, using a VPS requires you to use your own nameservers to manage your DNS records.


Step One:  Decide what nameservers you want to use.

 

These can be very simple, like ns1.domain.com and ns2.domain.com. Be sure to replace “domain.com” with your domain. We require that you have at least two nameservers, but you can have more if desired.

 

Step Two: Replace WHM To Use Nameservers.

 

Once you have decided which names you will use in conjunction with your nameservers, you must update WHM to use those nameservers for your server. Log in to your server’s WHM interface.

 
  • If you have not completed the initial WHM setup, you can configure the nameservers in Step 5 of the initial setup:

    • Choose BIND Nameserver Configuration.

    • Enter your nameservers in the respective boxes on the same page (ns1.domain.com, etc).

    • Check the box that says ‘Configure Address Records for Nameservers’ and enter the IPs you will use for your nameservers in the respective IPv4 boxes.

  • If you have gone through the initial setup and need to modify the nameservers your server is using, follow these steps:

    • Find the navigation section on the left called “Basic WebHost Manager Setup”, under “Server Configuration”.

      • At the bottom, you will find the “Nameservers” section.

      • Enter your nameservers here and configure the Address Records with the correct IPs as needed. Click “Save Changes”. The IP address is the same as what is used for your VPS. You can find the IP address in the “Show IP Address Usage” section selected from the left navigation menu.

 

Step Three: Register your custom nameservers.

 

These are called Glue Records. This will be done at the registrar level of the domain that you are using with the nameservers.

 
  • If the domain that you are using is registered with WestHost, please contact us and we will register the nameservers for you.

  • If the domain is not registered with us, you will need to contact your domain registrar or log into your account with the registrar to register your nameservers. If you ask the registrar for help, let them know you need to set up Glue Records. You will need to provide the custom nameservers and IP addresses they are pointed.

 

Step Four: Update your domains to use the new nameservers you have set up.

 

Be sure to log into the domain’s control panel and update the nameservers to point to the new set.


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