NOTE: This article is written for our First-Generation Cloud Control Panel. A version of this article is also available for our Next-Generation Cloud Control Panel.

This article provides a quick set of step-by-step instructions for managing your DNS records via the Rackspace Cloud Control Panel

1. Log into Control Panel

2. Click on Hosting

3. Click on Cloud Servers

4. Click on any Server (The DNS tab is accessible from the Server Details screen of any of your server instances.  DNS is NOT specific to that server.  All DNS entries are visible and editable from the DNS tab).

5. Click on the DNS Tab

6. Click the Add button to add a domain not already listed.

a. Type the domain you want to add in the domain box (for example you would use rackspacecloud.com NOT www.rackspacecloud.com)

b. It will now be in the Domain list on the DNS tab

7. To delete a domain select the domain you wish to delete by selecting the check box to the right of the domain and click the Delete Button

a. You will be prompted to confirm the deletion. You will see the domain name(s) listed here. If you are sure about the selection click the Delete button otherwise click the Cancel button to abort the deletion

b. You will be returned to the Domain Management page and the domains will have been deleted

8. To modify the records of an existing domain click on the domain whose records you want to modify or add

a. If you just created the domain there will be no records here. If this domain has existed then you will see the existing records here

b. To create a new record click the Add button (the fields are defined below)

i. Type

1. A – This is an IPv4 Address record, this is the main type of record and should be the first record you add (for example rackspacecloud.com)

2. AAAA - This is an address record for IPv6.  You should only add this if your server has an IPv6 address to point to.  At the time of this writing, IPv6 for Cloud Servers is still pending.

3. CNAME – This is a Common Name record and is used for subdomains (for example www.rackspacecloud.com)

4. MX – This is a Mail Exchange record and is used for mail delivery (for example mike@rackspacecloud.com)

5. TXT - The TXT record can be used to store several data types, like SPF or DKIM records.

6. NS - An NS record can be used to delegate an authoritative DNS server for a domain or subdomain.

7. SRV - Used to designate a host and port for certain services for a domain (like LDAP).

PTR (pointer) records, used to set up reverse lookup for an IP address, are set via a different service found under the server's DNS tab, "Reverse DNS Management".

ii. Name – This is where you will put the domain name or CNAME

iii. Content – This is where you will put the IP address or destination

iv. TTL – This is the Time To Live and is measured in seconds. This controls when the record expires (this is also how long you will have to wait for changes to take affect) We recommend you set this to 300 however you can choose any number you want up to 86400 (24 hours).

v. Priority – This will only show up for MX records and indicates preference for mail servers (for example if I had two MX records and one had a priority of 10 and the other had a priority of 20 it and someone sent me an e-mail the system would first try to deliver it to the IP address with the Priority of 10 but if it could not do so successfully it would then move on to the Priority of 20 IP address)

c. Fill in the fields as desired and click OK to proceed or if you are not sure or change your mind click cancel to abort the process with no changes made once it finishes adding the record it will appear in the Domain Records box.

9. To delete a record simply select the record you want to delete by clicking on the check box to the right of the record and click the Delete button

a. You will get a confirmation box verify the record(s) in the box are what you want to delete. If they are correct click on the Delete button if they are not click on Cancel to abort the deletion process

b. You will be brought back to the DNS page and the record will be gone

10. You cannot edit records at this time, if you need to make a change you will have to delete the old record and create a new one.

In a different section of the Control Panel, you will find the section to add a Reverse DNS record.  This different type of record is most often required for proper handling of email traffic.