DNS FAQs

Frequently asked questions for DNS and Domain Name Registration might include questions about server addresses, name server options, and other common inquiries. To find all FAQs for IBM Cloud®, see the FAQ library.

What are the DNS servers?

The DNS servers are 161.26.0.10 and 161.26.0.11.

What are the local (or private) IBM Cloud DNS resolvers?

The local resolving name servers on the IBM Cloud private network are:

rs1.service.softlayer.com 10.0.80.11
rs2.service.softlayer.com 10.0.80.12

These local resolving name servers are on IBM's private network, so they don't use up public bandwidth.

What are the IBM Cloud name server addresses?

IBM has two addresses for authoritative name servers and two addresses for resolving name servers. These local resolving name servers are on the IBM private network, so they don't use up public bandwidth.

Authoritative name servers
- ns1.softlayer.com 67.228.254.4
- ns2.softlayer.com 67.228.255.5
Resolving name servers
- rs1.service.softlayer.com 10.0.80.11
- rs2.service.softlayer.com 10.0.80.12

What IBM Cloud DNS servers answer for my secondary domains?

The IBM Cloud Anycast, IPv-enabled authoritative DNS Servers answer for your secondary domains. These servers are found at the following addresses:

ns1.softlayer.com
ns2.softlayer.com

Which IP addresses are used for my secondary domain zone transfers?

Transfers for your secondary domains come from one of the following four IP addresses:

66.228.118.67
67.228.119.235
208.43.119.235
12.96.161.249

What is the difference between the public and private name servers?

IBM's public name servers act as authoritative name servers for domain names that reside in our DNS servers and are managed through the IBM Cloud console. These servers answer and resolve domain names to your IP address for the general internet population.

IBM's resolving name servers are on the private network and act as DNS resolvers for your server. The private resolvers query the internet's root name servers for domain lookups. For example, sending mail from your server requires an NSlookup of the destination domain name. The private DNS servers resolve this information over the private network to keep your bandwidth usage down, reduce the load on the authoritative servers, and offer quick resolution. Private network resolvers are a convenience service.

What are my name server options?

With a bare metal server, you have our typical options for name servers:

Use your domain name registrar's name servers to manage your domain names.
Use IBM Cloud name servers to manage your domain names.
Use a third-party DNS service to manage your domain names.
Run your own name servers on your server to manage your domain names.

For the first three options, you use name servers of the third party (for example, ns1.softlayer.com and ns2.softlayer.com). The last option uses your domain as the name server (for example, ns1.yourdomain.com and ns2.yourdomain.com), and it requires you to run DNS services on your server. You must also register your domain as a name server with your registrar. Name server registration is usually free, but it requires an extra step beyond the basic domain name registration process.

Our customers have free DNS services that are fully managed through the IBM Cloud console. It is recommended that you allow IBM Cloud to manage your DNS and your name servers, due to our redundant systems, ease of management, and ability to troubleshoot DNS-related issues quickly.

How do I renew my domain name?

To renew a registration for an existing domain, select Classic Infrastructure from the menu in the IBM Cloud console, and then go to Services > Domain Registration. See Renewing existing domains.

Where do I find cost estimates for domain name registration?

You can estimate the cost of a service by using the cost estimator on the provisioning pages for domain name registration. For example, log in to the Domain Name Service console and click Create in the Summary window. In the Domains page, click the Register list menu. Pricing for registering domains is shown in a list menu in the Register New Domain section.

How do I manage DNS zones?

Using the DNS interface, you can manage Forward Zones, Secondary Zones, and Reverse Records. To use this interface, select Classic Infrastructure from the menu in the IBM Cloud console, and then go to Network > DNS.

How do I set up my reverse DNS?

Reverse DNS setup takes place by using our IBM Cloud console. For instructions on how to set up your reverse DNS, refer to Managing reverse DNS records.

How long does it take for DNS changes to propagate?

DNS change propagation times depend on the time-to-live (TTL) setting for the DNS record. The default TTL is one day, which means any modifications to a domain name take one day to propagate throughout the entire internet. TTL can be lowered if you plan to make changes frequently; however, the lower the TTL is, the higher the load becomes on the name server. Higher loads have a potential to increase the response time to users, which might impact their overall satisfaction.

The higher the TTL setting, the higher DNS performance is due to local ISP caching. The lower the TTL setting, the lower DNS performance is due to increased name resolution.

To verify TTL, check the Start of Authority (SOA) record for the domain. CentralOps.net is a great tool for reviewing domain information.

TTL is listed in seconds. Divide by 60 to convert TTL to minutes, or by 3600 to convert to hours.

After a domain is transferred, how long does it take for the domain and the changes that are made to become visible?

Your domain or changes to it are visible on IBM Cloud DNS servers immediately after the transfer completes. Due to the propagation nature of DNS, there is a delay before changes are visible on other DNS servers.

Can I complete AXFR requests on the private network?

Currently, IBM Cloud does not support AXFR request on the private network. All AXFR requests must be completed on the public network.

How can I run my own name servers?

You can run and manage your own name servers by using a control page tool, such as Plesk or cPanel. Both of these products have built-in domain name servers that allow you to add, modify, or delete domain names.

To begin, register your domain name as a name server with your domain name registrar and assign two IP addresses from your server IP ranges.

Are zone update notifiers supported for secondary DNS zones?

Currently, zone update notifiers are not supported.

How immediate is the transfer now button for secondary DNS zones?

After you click the transfer now button, the domain is transferred at the beginning of the next minute.

Can a master be configured on the private network or must it go through the public?

All AXFR requests are made over the public network currently.

Is 1 minute the lowest transfer frequency for secondary DNS zones?

The lowest transfer frequency is 1 minute.

If frequency is set to 1920 minutes, then back to 10, do the 1920 minutes expire before the new frequency goes into effect?

The system calculates the retransfer queue by taking the time of our last transfer attempt and adding the frequency to it. So, if you have the frequency set to 1920 and you then change it to 10 minutes, as long as at least 10 minutes elapsed since the system last tried to transfer, it retries immediately and then every 10 minutes thereafter.