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General
- Where is SafeDNS hosted?
- Where are the Name Server physically located?
- What needs to be done to set up my Branded NameServers?
- How long does SafeDNS take to set up?
- Does SafeDNS support Round Robin DNS?
- Do domains need to be tagged to UKFast for me to be able to control them using this system?
- What are A Name records?
- What are C Name records?
- What are MX Name records?
- What are NS Records?
- What are Txt and SPF Records?
- What are SRV Records?
- What is a Recursive DNS?
Where is SafeDNS hosted?
Reliability is everything with DNS. To maximise and guarantee up-time, SafeDNS is located in 2 separate data-centres, in London and Manchester. Each location is equipped with their own UPS (uninterrupted power supplies) Back up Generators, Early warning Fire Detection systems, coupled with unparalleled connectivity on the UKFast backbone. All the servers in the SafeDNS solution are RAID5, each with it's own dedicated back up server. It is company policy to have duplicate machines available and spare parts to insure that even in the worst case scenario the solution remains redundant.
The servers, switches and routers in the SafeDNS solution are monitored around the clock 365 days a year. Our engineers are at hand to make sure that SafeDNS remains the most robust managed DNS system in the UK.
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Where are the Name Server physically located?
NS0.ukfast.net is in Manchester
NS1.ukfast.net is in London
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What needs to be done to set up my Branded NameServers?
To start the process, the domain you wish to use for your Branded Nameservers must be moved under the control of UKFast.
For a UK domain, please change the TAG to UKFAST
For a US Domain, please transfer the domain into our eNom account.
We will then setup the unique IPs on the DNS Server as well as setting up Reverse DNS.
Finally, we will create the glue records.
Alternatively, if you are unable or unwilling to get your existing IPS to transfer your domain to UKFast, you can request they set up the glue records once we have provided the IP address.
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How long does SafeDNS take to set up?
Branded Safe DNS
In an optimum situation where the domain to be used is already with UKFast, the set up takes approximately 24 hours.
If the domain needs to be transferred to UKFast first, the timeframe will be dictated by the length of time it takes the losing ISP to authorise the domain transfer.
Unbranded Safe DNS
Once you have conmpleted the sign up process, an email will be sent to you containing your username and password for your SafeDNS Control Panel. You will be able to start making channges to your DNS in just 15 minutes.
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Does SafeDNS support Round Robin DNS?
Whilst we don't necessarily recommend using Round Robin, we do support it. For further information, please contact the Technical Support department on 0870 111 88 66.
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Do domains need to be tagged to UKFast for me to be able to control them using this system?
No. For a domain to be controlled by your SafeDNS control panel. The DNS for the domain must be pointed to the name servers specified in your account.
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How will I be charged for SafeDNS?
You can either pay for the service over a 12 month period, quarterly or annually. When purchasing the service by either quarterly or monthly instalments, it is for a 12 month period.
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Do you accept major credit cards?
Yes we accept Switch/Maestro, Visa, MasterCard, along with direct debit and you can sign up online or call us on 0800 458 4545.
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What are A Name records?
Address, or "A" records, map the name of a machine to its numeric IP address. In clearer terms, this record states the hostname and IP address of a certain machine. To "resolve" a hostname means to find its matching IP address. This is the record that A NAME server would send another name server to answer a resolution query. The record below is an example of how an A record should look:
www.safeDNS.co.uk IN A 81.201.128.1333
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What are C Name records?
Canonical or "CNAME" records simply allow a machine to be known by more than one hostname. There must always be an A record for the machine before aliases can be added. The host name of a machine that is stated in an A record is called the canonical, or official name of the machine. Other records should point to the canonical name. Here is an example of a CNAME:
www.safeDNS.co.uk IN CNAME demo.safeDNS.co.uk
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What are MX Name records?
Mail Exchange or "MX" records are far more important than they sound. They allow all mail for a domain to be routed to one host. This is exceedingly useful -- it abates the load on your internal hosts since they do not have to route incoming mail, and it allows your mail to be sent to any address in your domain even if that particular address does not have a computer associated with it. Here is an example of a MX NAME:
IN MX 10 punt-1.mail.magicmail.co.uk
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What are NS Records?
Name Server or "NS" records are imperative to functioning domian name system entries. They are very simple; they merely state the authoritative name servers for the given domain. There must be at least two NS records in every entry. UKFast NS records look like this:
IN NS ns0.ukfast.net
IN NS ns1.ukfast.net
However, if you take the branded version with UKFast, your NS records would be on the following basis:
IN NS ns0.yourcompany.co.uk
IN NS ns1.yourcompany.co.uk
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What are Txt and SPF Records?
Sender Policy Framework or "SPF" fights return-path address forgery and makes it easier to identify spoofs. SPF records are DNS TXT resource records that provide a list of servers that may legitimately send mail on behalf of a domain. This allows domain owners to identify sending mail servers in DNS. SMTP receivers verify the envelope sender address against this information, and can distinguish authentic messages from forgeries before any message data is transmitted. By correctly setting up your SPF records, you are contributing to the worldwide fight against the current spam epidemic.
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What are SRV Records?
A Service or "SRV" record is intended to provide information on available services. A SRV record has four fields and a unique system for naming. The naming system is an underscore followed by the name of the service, followed by a period, and underscore, and then the protocol, another dot, and then the name of the domain.
The four fields are.
1. Priority, just AS in MX records
2. Weight, used to determine relative capacity between to SRV fields with the priority. Hits will be assigned proportionately by weight, allowing a powerful and a weak server to share appropriate loads.
3. Port, the port of the service offered
4. Hostname
For Example
_http._tcp.example.com. SRV 10 5 80. www.example.com
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What is a Recursive DNS?
It is a server that can process requests for domains for which it isn't authoritative and which contacts other DNS servers to resolve a given node. As standard our Domain name servers have recursion disabled and cannot process requests unless they're for a requested domain that our servers are authorative for. It is up to the discression of the Technical Director as to whether we will enable Recursive DNS.
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How can I contact you directly with any questions?
Simply ring 0800 458 4545 and our support team will answer your questions between 8 - 8 pm Monday- Friday.
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