Getting Started with DNS Hosting

For your site to open by domain name and your email to reach the right inboxes, the domain needs to be "linked" to a server - that's exactly what DNS records are for. They translate human-readable names like example.com into the IP address of the server where your project lives.

In this guide we'll walk through how to delegate a domain to our nameservers and manage DNS records through the DNSmanager panel at Senko Digital.

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What You'll Need

Before getting started, make sure you have everything in place:

• A domain name (.com, .org, .net or any other) - if you don't have one yet, you can register one with us
• An active virtual or dedicated server at Senko Digital - that's the IP address we'll be pointing the domain at
• Access to DNSmanager - login details are sent in the DNS hosting service activation email

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DNSmanager is available free of charge to every customer - even those without active services.

Delegating Your Domain to Our Nameservers

Before creating any records, the domain needs to be delegated to our NS - otherwise the records you create in the panel simply won't work.

Set the following nameservers at your domain registrar:

ns1.senkodns.net
ns2.senkodns.net

Where exactly to change the NS depends on the registrar. If your domain is registered with us, delegation is configured in the domain settings inside your client area. If it's with a third-party registrar - look for a section called "Nameservers", "NS servers" or "DNS servers" in their domain management panel.

Important

After changing nameservers, the changes don't propagate instantly - it can take up to 72 hours. Most of the time the domain starts working much sooner, usually within a few hours.

Logging into DNSmanager

1. Open https://dns.senko.digital in your browser.
2. Enter the login and password from your DNS hosting activation email.
3. Click "Log in".

After signing in you'll land on the DNSmanager home page - that's where we'll be managing domains.

Adding a Domain to DNSmanager

Delegation is only half the job. For our nameservers to actually start handling requests for your domain, you also need to add it to the panel itself.

1. Go to "Main" → "Domain names".

2. Click the "Create" button at the top of the window.

3. Fill in the form:

   • Type - make sure to choose master. Without this, the records won't work.
   • Name - your domain name (for example, example.com).
   • IP address - the IP of the server where your site is hosted (or will be hosted).
   • Administrator email - a contact address for the domain administrator, usually your personal email.

4. Click "Ok" to save.

If everything went through, the domain will show up in the "Domain names" list, and DNSmanager will automatically create the standard set of base records for it (SOA, NS, A).

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After adding the domain, all that's left is to wait for the global DNS cache to refresh. Same story as with delegation - usually a few hours, in the worst case up to 72 hours.

Managing DNS Records

To view or edit records for an existing domain:

1. Open "Main" → "Domain names".
2. Select the domain in the list.
3. Click the "Records" button in the top toolbar.

The window that opens will show all records for the selected domain. The "Create", "Edit" and "Delete" buttons are used to edit the DNS zone.

Example: Creating an A Record for a Subdomain

Let's walk through adding an A record for the subdomain server.example.com so it points to the right IP.

1. In the records window, click "Create".

2. Fill in the fields:

   • Name - the subdomain name. You can simply enter server (the domain name will be appended automatically) or server.example.com. in full - but in that case make sure to include the trailing dot.
   • TTL - record time to live. Leave the default value if you don't know what to set it to.
   • Type - select A.
   • IP address - the IP this record should point to.

3. Click "Ok".

Important

The trailing dot at the end of a fully qualified domain name isn't a typo - it's an important detail of DNS syntax. Without it the panel will append the domain name to your record again, and instead of server.example.com you'll get server.example.com.example.com.

After saving, the new record will appear in the list. That's it - the subdomain will start resolving as soon as the DNS cache updates.

DNS Record Types

The principle behind creating any record is the same - only the fields you fill in differ. Here are the most common record types and what they're for:

Type	What it's for
A	Points a domain or subdomain at an IPv4 address.
AAAA	Same as A, but for IPv6 addresses.
CNAME	Alias - declares one domain as a "pseudonym" of another.
MX	Mail routing - which server should receive email for your domain.
TXT	Plain text. Commonly used for SPF, DKIM, DMARC and verification with various services (e.g. Google Workspace).
CAA	Specifies which certificate authorities are allowed to issue SSL certs.
NS	Delegates a subdomain to its own nameservers.
SRV	Used by certain services (Matrix, XMPP, Minecraft and others).

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If a freshly added domain still isn't opening - that's perfectly normal. Wait a bit and try again. For domains that are already set up, new records usually propagate much faster than the very first delegation.

What to Do If Nothing Works

If after all the setup the domain or subdomain still won't open, the issue is most often one of the following:

• NS servers at the registrar weren't changed to ours - double-check that they're set to ns1.senkodns.net and ns2.senkodns.net.
• Less than 72 hours have passed since the changes - DNS records need time to propagate around the world.
• The A record points to the wrong IP - make sure the IP actually belongs to the server hosting your site.
• The trailing dot is missing in a fully qualified name - without it the record gets "glued together" into the wrong name.
• The domain type in DNSmanager isn't set to master - in that case our nameservers won't serve the records.

You can check how your domain looks from the outside with the dig utility or online services like dnschecker.org. If the NS servers there are correct but the domain still won't open - it's most likely your ISP's cache, and it's enough to just wait it out.

Flush Your Local DNS Cache

If online services already show the new records but on your computer the domain still resolves to the old data (or doesn't resolve at all) - chances are your operating system's DNS cache is to blame. You can clear it with a single command:

• Windows (in Command Prompt as Administrator):

  ipconfig /flushdns

• macOS (in Terminal):

  sudo dscacheutil -flushcache && sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

• Linux (depends on the distribution - one of these usually works):

  sudo resolvectl flush-caches
  sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches

After flushing the cache, try opening the domain again.

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The fastest way to bypass both your ISP's and your system's caches at once is to open the site from your phone over mobile data. If it loads correctly there, the issue is definitely a cache somewhere along the way - not the records themselves.

If you've gone through the list and the issue is still there - reach out to our support team. We'll help you sort it out.

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That's it! Your domain now lives on Senko Digital nameservers, and you can manage its DNS records yourself through DNSmanager - no support tickets, no waiting.