DNS Record Definition

DNS records are stored in zone files and are used for translating domain names to IP addresses. They also contain other data, including the domain name’s name server and mail server information. If there are domain name aliases, such as the commonly used “www” preceding the domain name, these will also be listed in the DNS record.

A typical DNS record may look something like this:

;   Nameservers
;
IN   NS   ns1.4servers.com.   ; 123.456.789.01
IN   NS   ns2.4servers.com.   ; 123.456.789.02
;
;   Domain Mail Handlers
;
yourdomain.com.     IN   MX   0   mail
yourdomain.com.     IN   MX  10   mail
;
;
;   hosts in order
;
yourdomain.    IN   A   Your.IP.XXX
www            IN   A   Your.IP.XXX
smtp           IN   CNAME   www
pop            IN   CNAME   www
ftp            IN   CNAME   www
mail           IN   A   Your.IP.XXX
;
; end

Since DNS records are made up entirely of text, they are easy to modify when needed. However, one small typo could redirect a domain name to the wrong Web server or prevent it from showing up at all. This is why it is important to enter DNS information accurately and double-check your changes entry before saving the zone file.