Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Documentation

Getting Started with DNS

If you're new to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure DNS, this topic gives guidance on how to proceed.

What is DNS?

The Domain Name System (DNS) translates human-readable domain names  to machine-readable IP addresses. A DNS nameserver  stores the DNS records  for a zone , and responds with answers to queries against its database. When you type a domain name into your browser, your operating system queries several DNS nameservers until it finds the authoritative nameserver for that domain. The authoritative nameserver then responds with an IP address or other requested record data. The answer is then relayed back to your browser and the DNS record is resolved to the web page.

Creating a Zone

In this step, you will create a zone. A zone holds the trusted DNS records that will reside on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s nameservers.

To add a zone
  1. Open the navigation menu and click Networking. Under DNS Management, click Overview.
  2. Click Zones.
  3. Click Create Zone.

  4. In the Create Zone dialog box, choose one of the following methods:

    • Manual - Enter the following:

      • Zone Name: Enter the name of a zone you want to create. Avoid entering confidential information.
      • Create in Compartment: Specify the compartment you want to create the zone in. Be sure you have permission to work in the compartment.
      • Zone Type: If you want to control the zone contents directly within Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, select Primary. If you want Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to pull zone contents from an external server, select Secondary and enter your Zone Master Server IP address.
    • Import - Drag and drop, select, or paste a valid zone file into the Import Zone File window. The zone is imported as a primary zone. For information about formatting a zone file, see Formatting a Zone File.
  5. Click Create.

The system creates and publishes the zone, complete with the necessary SOA and NS records. For more information on adding a record to your zone, see To add a zone record.

Delegating Your Zone

In this step, you will delegate  your domain  with your registrar. Delegating your domain with your domain's registrar makes your Oracle Cloud Infrastructure hosted zone  accessible through the internet.

To delegate a zone
  1. Open the navigation menu and click Networking. Under DNS Management, click Overview.
  2. Click Zones.
  3. Click the Zone Name for the zone you want to delegate. The zone details page appears.
  4. In Resources, click Records. A list of records appear.
  5. Use the Type sort filter to locate the NS records for your zone.
  6. Note the name servers in the RDATA  field within each NS record.
  7. You can use the noted name servers to change your domain's DNS delegation. Refer to your registrar's documentation for instructions.
Note

Once delegation has completed, allow 24 hours for your delegation to propagate across the internet.
To add a zone record
Tip

There are many record types you can add to your zone, depending on your goals for the zone and its DNS management.
  1. Open the navigation menu and click Networking. Under DNS Management, click Overview.
  2. Click Zones.

  3. Click the Zone Name in which you want to add a record. The zone details page appears.

    Tip

    You can use the Zone Name sort filter to list to sort zone names alphanumerically in ascending or descending order.
  4. In Resources, click Records. A list of records appear.
  5. Click Add Record.
  6. In the Add Record dialog box, select a record type from the drop-down list, and then enter the information for the record. Avoid entering confidential information. For more information about record types, see Supported Resource Records.
  7. (Optional) Click the Add Another Record check box to add multiple records in succession.
  8. Click Submit.
  9. Once your records have been added, click Publish Changes.
  10. In the confirmation dialog box, click Publish Changes.

Common DNS Zone Record Types

For a complete list of records  supported by Oracle Cloud Infrastructure DNS, see Supported Resource Records.

A
An address record used to point a hostname to an IPv4 address. For more information about A records, see RFC 1035.
AAAA
An address record used point a hostname at an IPv6 address. For more information about AAAA records, see RFC 3596.
CNAME
A Canonical Name record identifies the canonical name for a domain. For more information about CNAME records, see RFC 1035.
Note

Per RFC 1912, CNAMES cannot be placed at the apex of the zone.
MX
A Mail Exchanger record defines the mail server accepting mail for a domain. MX records must point to a hostname. MX records must not point to a CNAME or IP address. For more information about MX records, see RFC 1035.
TXT
A Text record holds descriptive, human readable text, and can also include non-human readable content for specific uses. It is commonly used for SPF records and DKIM records that require non-human readable text items. For more information about TXT records, see RFC 1035.

Testing DNS Using BIND's dig Tool

Using the Domain Information Groper (dig) command line tool, you can test against the delegation  where your domain  is hosted, and you will immediately see whether the change took place without accounting for the cache or TTL (Time to Live) that you have configured.

For more information on using dig to test your DNS, see Testing DNS Using BIND'S dig Tool.