This guide describes how to run your own nameservers on your server using Plesk, so that your domains are served by ns.vm00000.sayob.com and ns2.vm00000.sayob.com instead of external DNS, where vm00000 is the identifier of your server.
What you need first
- A second IP address on the server — the two nameservers must answer on different addresses. See Additional IP addresses for how to order one.
- Delegation of the zone to your server. Open a ticket with our Technical Support department asking us to delegate vm00000.sayob.com to your server. Without this your nameservers are not reachable from the internet, however correctly they are configured in the panel.
Arrange the delegation before you change anything at the registrar. If the registrar starts pointing your domains at nameservers that are not yet delegated, the domains stop resolving.
1. Create the host domain
Open the Domains tab and create a new subscription for the domain vm00000.sayob.com.
Then set the hosting type for it to No web hosting in the hosting settings: this domain exists only to hold the DNS records, and does not need a website.
2. Add the nameserver records
Select the domain and open its DNS settings. Add the records that are missing:
- an A record ns pointing to the first IP address of the server;
- an A record ns2 pointing to the second IP address;
- NS records for the zone: ns.vm00000.sayob.com and ns2.vm00000.sayob.com.
Apply the changes.
3. Point your domains at these nameservers
For each domain you want to serve from this server, open its DNS settings and edit the NS records so that they read ns.vm00000.sayob.com and ns2.vm00000.sayob.com. Apply the changes.
4. Change the nameservers at the registrar
Finally, in the control panel of the registrar of each domain, set the nameservers to ns.vm00000.sayob.com and ns2.vm00000.sayob.com.
Until this step is done, nothing changes for visitors: the domain is still answered by whichever nameservers the registrar has on record.
Worth knowing
Both nameservers are on the same server. That satisfies the requirement for two nameservers, but it is not real redundancy: if the server is unavailable, both are unavailable, and the domains stop resolving even if the sites themselves are hosted elsewhere. For anything critical, a secondary nameserver on separate infrastructure is worth having.
DNS changes propagate gradually — allow several hours before concluding that something is wrong. If it does not work, open a ticket from your client area with the domain name and we will check the delegation.
