Domain hosting and dns control

[boppin]

I've read that you require externally registered domains be set to your nameservers as part of setup for web/email hosting. Why is this the case? Why can't I manage my domain zone file elsewhere and enter relevant A records (if you supply IP addresses) or CNAMEs (if you prefer host aliases)?

In the event that your DNS requirement cannot be avoided, how do I go about administering my domain when you are providing name service? I notice that CPanel only seems to provide functions for adding MX records. Do you have a DNS admin control panel where I can add/edit/delete A/CNAME/TXT records and TTLs for hosts that I do not have hosted with you? If so, is there a demo I can take a look at?

This is a fairly important feature to be lacking, IMO. I'm not going to shift name servers without being able to control my domain at its new home...

Hopefully this will be easily resolved, as everything else I've read about your service sounds promising.

Thanks,
Andrew

[Matt R]

Andrew,

Should you wish to host your DNS externally and just modify zone files to point multiple services to us, this is fine. Most users just choose to point the DNS because it simplifies things, but if the above is your preference then we have no problems with you doing that.

[Alan B]

Originally Posted by boppin

I've read that you require externally registered domains be set to your nameservers

It's not required. It's just what more than 99% of users want.

Originally Posted by boppin

Why can't I manage my domain zone file elsewhere and enter relevant A records

You can. I used entirely external DNS for a couple of years. Now I prefer to have my primary DNS here, but use multiple external secondary nameservers and backup mail servers.

A cPanel shared hosting account is intended to make hosting easier for the vast majority of clients. Those clients don't need to manage their DNS to the level that you wish to, so it's much more convenient for them to use their host's nameservers and let the host manage the DNS.

If you want total control over your DNS Zones here, I encourage you to get a Reseller account. In addition to cPanel for each domain/account hosted, you also get WHM control panel which gives you a lot of additional functionality, including a DNS Zone editor. You can edit the DNS for every one of your domains.

[boppin]

Thanks for the answers Matt and Alan. I couldn't find anything on the site that stated what you've said above, so it's nice to know for sure. I'll also take a look at the Reseller account and WHM before making a decision.

[JojieRT]

Originally Posted by Matt R

Andrew,

Should you wish to host your DNS externally and just modify zone files to point multiple services to us, this is fine. Most users just choose to point the DNS because it simplifies things, but if the above is your preference then we have no problems with you doing that.

It has been my experience that cpanel will fail when adding a subdomain if the nameserver for the domain is not the provider's nameservers. Does the newer cpanel not have this limitation anymore? Thanks.

[Wayne R]

Originally Posted by JojieRT

It has been my experience that cpanel will fail when adding a subdomain if the nameserver for the domain is not the provider's nameservers. Does the newer cpanel not have this limitation anymore? Thanks.

I'm pretty sure it's an option that still remains in the latest cPanel builds, but support can assist you with getting this done if you run into any issue.

[Alan B]

Originally Posted by JojieRT

It has been my experience that cpanel will fail when adding a subdomain if the nameserver for the domain is not the provider's nameservers. Does the newer cpanel not have this limitation anymore? Thanks.

I'm not aware that it ever had this limitation. I used external nameservers for several years with my cPanel hosting and did not have such sub-domain failures. Besides, what does "cpanel will fail" mean anyway?

Perhaps there was a bug for a time n some updates of cPanel, as such bugs do occur and sometimes they affect DNS.