Unleash the Power of Your Own DNS
Running your own primary Domain Name System (DNS) server can feel like taking the reins of your digital presence. It offers granular control and a deeper understanding of how the internet connects users to your services. When you pair a powerful control panel like Plesk with a robust DNS provider like InternetX/AutoDNS, you get a professional-grade setup that ensures reliability and performance. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to configure Plesk as your primary DNS server while using AutoDNS as a secondary, or „Hidden Primary,“ service.
Part 1: Laying the Groundwork in Plesk
Before you can hand off your DNS zones to AutoDNS, you need to get your Plesk server in order. This involves telling Plesk which nameservers are authoritative for your domains.
1. Fine-Tuning Your DNS Template
First, log into your Plesk server and navigate to the global DNS settings. This is where you’ll set up a template that will apply to all new domains you create.
- Location:
Tools & Settings=>DNS Settings=>DNS Template
Here, you’ll need to adjust the NS (Nameserver) records. You will be adding the nameservers provided by InternetX/AutoDNS. These act as the secondary servers that will mirror your primary Plesk DNS.
<domain>. NS b.ns14.net.<domain>. NS c.ns14.net.<domain>. NS d.ns14.net.
Crucially, don’t forget to include the nameserver for your own Plesk instance. This is your primary server!
<domain>. NS my-awesome-ns.xyz.
Important: You must use the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of your server, not its IP address, for the NS record.
2. Setting the Primary Nameserver and SOA Record
Still within the DNS template, you need to explicitly define your Plesk server as the primary source of truth for your DNS zones.
- Under the „Zone Settings Template“ tab, set the „Primary Nameserver“ to your server’s hostname:
my-awesome-ns.xyz.
You may also want to review the SOA (Start of Authority) record settings. The SOA record contains important administrative information about the zone, such as the serial number and refresh timers. Some registrars require a specific format for the SOA serial number, which you can often adjust here.
3. Authorizing the Zone Transfer
A zone transfer (specifically, an AXFR) is the process by which your secondary nameservers (AutoDNS) will copy the DNS records from your primary server (Plesk). For this to happen securely, you must explicitly grant them permission.
- Navigate to the „Transfer Restrictions Template“.
- Add the IP addresses for the AutoDNS nameservers you added earlier. These are currently:
217.160.113.32(b.ns14.net)195.34.161.195(c.ns14.net)74.208.164.110(d.ns14.net)
Critical Step: InternetX/AutoDNS uses a central server to perform the actual zone transfers. You must also add its IP address to the allow list:
62.116.132.5
Without this final IP, the connection will be refused, and your setup will fail.
Part 2: Configuring AutoDNS
With Plesk now ready to serve, it’s time to head over to your AutoDNS account and tell it where to pull its information from.
1. Setting Up Your Domain’s DNS Zones
In your AutoDNS dashboard, navigate to the „DNS Zones“ for the domain you’re configuring.
2. Engaging „Hidden Primary“ Mode
Select the „Nameserver“ tab. Here, you’ll change the mode to „Hidden Primary.“ This is a powerful feature that tells AutoDNS that while its nameservers will be the ones publicly listed for your domain, the actual „master“ records are held secretly on another server—your Plesk server.
Now, list the nameservers exactly as you did in the Plesk template, but with one key difference: replace a.ns14.net with your own Plesk server’s hostname (my-awesome-ns.xyz in our example).
3. Initiating the First Zone Transfer
As soon as you save these settings, AutoDNS will attempt to perform a zone transfer from your Plesk server. If it succeeds, congratulations! If not, the most common culprit is a firewall.
- Firewall Check: Ensure that your firewall (on the Plesk server and at your hosting provider level) allows incoming TCP connections on port 53 from the AutoDNS transfer IP (
62.116.132.5). While standard DNS lookups use UDP port 53, zone transfers require the more reliable TCP protocol.
You can run a quick check from any command line to see if your nameserver is responding correctly:dig @my-awesome-ns.xyz your-domain.xyz -t NS
This command asks your Plesk server directly for the NS records of your domain. It should return the list of AutoDNS servers and your own.
4. Verifying the Records
Once the transfer is successful, refresh the page in AutoDNS. You can now switch to the „AXFR“ tab. This will display a complete copy of the DNS records it just pulled from your Plesk server. Carefully compare these entries with what you have in Plesk to ensure everything matches perfectly.
Final Step: Going Live
Once you’ve confirmed that Plesk and AutoDNS are in sync, you have one last task. You need to officially tell the domain registry about your new nameserver setup.
In AutoDNS, go to the domain’s main configuration page (not the DNS Zones section) and find the „Nameserver“ tab. Enter the exact same set of nameservers you just configured in the Hidden Primary settings.
Save your changes. This updates the domain at the registry level. And with that, you’re done!
Troubleshooting Common Errors
If you encounter an error like „ERROR: 118 Inconsistent set of NS RRs (IP, NS host names)“, it’s a clear signal that there’s a mismatch. The error means that the nameservers you are trying to assign to the domain at the registry do not match the NS records found within the DNS zone itself.
To fix this, meticulously check that the NS records in your Plesk DNS template are identical to the nameservers you’ve set in AutoDNS’s Hidden Primary configuration. Any small typo can cause this error. After making corrections, you may need to re-initiate the zone transfer and try saving the domain’s nameservers again.