Managed External DNS

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NeuStar, Inc. 46000 Center Oak Plaza

Sterling, VA 20166

Phone : (888) 367-4820

www.neustar.biz

MANAGED EXTERNAL DNS USER GUIDENeustar, Inc. ®

May 3, 2010

Abstract

Neustar’s Managed External DNS Service keeps your DNS information up-to-date and available worldwide

with the Directory Service Platform’s high performance global DNS resolution.

This document includes procedures for administering your managed domains in the Neustar Managed

Services Portal.



This document is for informational purposes only. NEUSTAR MAKES NOWARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN

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Unless otherwise noted, the example companies, organizations, products,

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© 2010 Neustar, Inc. All rights reserved.

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All other trademarks and/or service marks identified or referenced are theproperty of their respective owners and subject to their usage requirements.



CONTENTS

Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1

Overview ........................................................................................................... 1

Documentation Conventions............................................................................... 1

Getting Started .................................................................................................. 2

Accessing Your Account ....................................................................................... 2

Common First tasks ............................................................................................. 2

Next Steps ............................................................................................................ 3

Dashboard ......................................................................................................... 4

External Services: Domain Management ............................................................. 4

Domains ............................................................................................................... 5

Records ................................................................................................................ 9

Permissions ........................................................................................................ 11

My Profile ........................................................................................................ 15

Profile Tab ......................................................................................................... 15

Preferences Tab ................................................................................................. 15

My Reports ...................................................................................................... 19

Support ........................................................................................................... 22

Tools ............................................................................................................... 22

Icons ................................................................................................................ 23

LIST OF PROCEDURES AND EXAMPLES

Logging In .......................................................................................................... 2

Changing Your Password or Updating Your Information ...................................... 2

Changing Your Preferences ................................................................................. 2

Adding a Primary Domain................................................................................... 5



Adding a Secondary Domain ............................................................................... 7

Exporting a Domain............................................................................................ 7

Finding a Domain ............................................................................................... 7

Deleting a Domain ............................................................................................. 8

Adding Records Manually ................................................................................... 9

Adding Multiple Records .................................................................................... 9

Finding Records ............................................................................................... 10

Deleting Records .............................................................................................. 11

Configuring Zone Transfers from Neustar ......................................................... 12

Creating a User ................................................................................................ 13

Finding and Adding a User to a Domain ............................................................ 14

To Access Reports ............................................................................................ 19

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Managed Services Portal Login ................................................................... 2

Figure 2: Managed Services Portal Dashboard .......................................................... 4

Figure 3: External Services Tab Domains Sub-Tab ..................................................... 5

Figure 4: External Services: Add a Domain ................................................................ 7

Figure 5: External DNS: Finding a Domain ................................................................. 8

Figure 6: External DNS: Delete a Domain .................................................................. 8

Figure 7: External Services Records Tab .................................................................... 9

Figure 8: External DNS Add Multiple Records .......................................................... 10

Figure 9: Searching Records ..................................................................................... 11

Figure 10: Permissions tab: Zone Transfer Access ................................................... 12

Figure 11: Permissions tab: Creating a User ............................................................ 13

Figure 12 Permissions tab: Find a User .................................................................... 14

Figure 13: My Profile: Profile Tab ............................................................................ 15

Figure 14: My Profile: Preferences Tab .................................................................... 16

Figure 15: My Reports .............................................................................................. 20



Figure 16: Audit links in Records sub-tab ................................................................ 21

Figure 17: Support ................................................................................................... 22

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: My Information Preferences tab: Domain and Record Preferences Values18



Neustar Ultra Services Managed External DNS User Guide

1

INTRODUCTION

The Neustar Ultra Services External Managed DNS Service uses a global directory platform with nodes

on four continents. The nodes form an Oracle database-driven infrastructure that replicates globally in

near real time, ensuring DNS requests are resolved with the very latest data.

OVERVIEW

This document details administering External Managed DNS using the Neustar Managed Service

Portal.

DOCUMENTATION CONVENTIONS

Narrative text.

Hyperlink (to a section in the document, e-mail link, or Web site link).

TScreen element

T(indicates an object you can click, select, or clear). For example:

1. On theTTools

Tmenu, click

TOptions

T, and then open the

TView

Ttab.

2. Select theTBookmarks

Tcheck box.

Note or helpful tip.




2

GETTING STARTED

ACCESSING YOUR ACCOUNT

After you have signed up for the Managed DNS Service, Neustar Ultra Services Support sends an email with yourusername and a temporary password. Please contact support at (888) 367-4820 or [email protected] if you

do not receive this information.

LOGGING IN

1. Visit www.ultradns.com and click Log In (located in the upper-right corner of the browser

window).

2. Enter your User ID and Password and either click Login or press ENTER. The Dashboard

appears (Figure 2 on page 4). You can now create and edit your domains, records,

permissions, and reports.

Figure 1: Managed Services Portal Login

COMMON FIRST TASKS

CHANGING YOUR PASSWORD OR UPDATING YOUR INFORMATION

1. Click My Profile in the upper-right of the portal. The Profile tab opens.

2. Change your password or other information and click Update.

CHANGING YOUR PREFERENCES

1. Click My Profile in the upper-right of the portal. The Profile tab opens.

mailto:[email protected]



http://www.ultradns.com/








3

2. Open the Preferences tab

3. Change any Display Options, Access Control, Confirmation Control, or Domain and Record

Preferences.

4. Click Update Preferences.

NEXT STEPS

Adding a Domain page 5

Adding Records page 9

Creating Users page 13

Configuring Zone Transfers from Neustar page 12




4

DASHBOARD

The Dashboard tab includes navigation links, messages, and the status of the Neustar Network.*

Figure 2: Managed Services Portal Dashboard

EXTERNAL SERVICES: DOMAIN MANAGEMENT

The External Services tab displays your domains in the Domains sub-tab. From here you can click a

domain’s name and access the domain’s records and permissions.

We have divided this section by the available sub-tabs; each subsection includes the following

procedures:

Domains page 5

o

Adding a Primary Domain page 5o Adding a Secondary Domain page 7

o Exporting a Domain page 7

*If you have additional services (for example, SiteBacker) you may see different menu or dashboard items.




5

o Finding a Domain page 7

o Deleting a Domain page 8

Records page 9

o Adding Records Manuallypage 9

o Adding Multiple Recordspage 9

o Finding Records page 10

o Deleting Records page 11

Permissions page 11

o Configuring Zone Transfers page 12

o Creating a User page 13

o Finding and Adding a User to a Domain page 14

Figure 3: External Services Tab Domains Sub-Tab

DOMAINS

The Managed Services Portal allows you to:

create a new, empty domain to which you add records, or

transfer an existing zone into a new domain, or

copy a Neustar-controlled zone into a new domain, or

load a zone file into a new domain

ADDING A PRIMARY DOMAIN

1. Open the External Services tab and then click Add New Zone on the Domains tab.

2. The Add a Domain tab opens. (Figure 4 on page 2).

3. Enter the new domain name in the Domain field (for example, newdomain.com or

42.168.192.in-addr.arpa).




6

4. Click Add Master to create a new, empty domain OR

a. Transfer an existing zone into the new zone:

i. Enter the new domain name in the Domain field and then enter a nameserver

that contains your existing domain’s configuration in the Zone Transfer field. The

specified nameserver must accept zone transfer requests from the following

IP addresses:

204.74.97.10

156.154.63.122

156.154.63.123

204.74.97.97

204.74.100.11

204.74.100.12

ii. Click Add Master.

When transferring an existing zone, you must specify the nameserver by name, and not by IPaddress.

b. Copy a Neustar-controlled domain to which you have permissions:

i. Enter the new domain name in the Domain field and then enter an existing

Neustar controlled domain that you wish to copy in the Copy a Domain field.


c. Import an existing zone file:

i. Enter the new domain name in the Domain field and then click Browse to locate

the local file.





7

Figure 4: External Services: Add a Domain

ADDING A SECONDARY DOMAIN

1. Open the External Services tab and then click Add New Zone on the Domains tab.2. Enter the Domain name and the Primary Nameserver and click Add Secondary.

You must specify the Primary Nameserver by name, and not by IP address, when adding a

secondary domain. If you subsequently need to update the secondary domain’s primary

nameserver, you must use the IP address, and not the name.

EXPORTING A DOMAIN

1. Click External Services.2. Click export to the right of the domain name (or click Export This Zone in the Records tab). You

can open the export.txt file or save a copy.

FINDING A DOMAIN

1. Open the External Services tab.

2. Enter your search criteria in the Search box and click Go.




8

Figure 5: External DNS: Finding a Domain

Use * as a wildcard. Searching for example only matches example; example* matches records

that start with example; *exam* matches any domains that contain exam.

DELETING A DOMAIN

1. Open the External Services tab.

2. Select the Del check box to the right of the domain you wish to delete.

3. Click Delete Marked Zones and then confirm the deletion.

Deleting a domain removes all of the domain’s records. Take care deleting a domain. We

recommend exporting the domain first.

Figure 6: External DNS: Delete a Domain




9

RECORDS

From the Records sub-tab, you can manually add records, or you can add multiple records.

ADDING RECORDS MANUALLY

1. Click External Services and then click the domain name link. The Records sub-tab opens.

2. Select the record type from the Add New Record list and click Define. (You may already have a

“blank add” in the window if you have previously added the same type of record, or if you

have configured Display Options in the My Profile menu.)

3. Enter the information and click Save or press ENTER.

Figure 7: External Services Records Tab

ADDING MULTIPLE RECORDS

1. Open the External Services tab and then click the domain name link. The Records sub-tab opens.

2. Click Add Multiple Records. The Add Multiple Records tab opens (Figure 8 on page 10).

3. You must enter the name, the record type and the record-specific data; TTL and class are

optional. If you do not specify the domain name, the operation appends the domain name

from step 1.

4. Click Add.




10

Figure 8: External DNS Add Multiple Records

FINDING RECORDS


2. Select a record type in the Filter Type list and click Search and/or enter your search criteria in the

Search box and click Search.

Use * as a wildcard character. Searching for host only matches host ; host* matches recordsthat start with host; *host* matches any records that contain host .




11

Figure 9: Searching Records

DELETING RECORDS


2. Select the Del check box to the right of the record you wish to delete or click Select All to select

all records for deletion.

3. Click Save or press ENTER.

PERMISSIONS

From the Permissions tab, you can

add IP addresses to allow zone transfers from UltraDNS (restricted by default)

create users

find users




12

CONFIGURING ZONE TRANSFERS FROM NEUSTAR


2. Open the Permissions sub-tab.

3. In the Zone Transfer Access section, enter a range of IP addresses to which you want to transfer

Neustar-controlled zones in the Range boxes (or a single IP address in both boxes).

4. Click Update Ranges.

Figure 10: Permissions tab: Zone Transfer Access




13

CREATING A USER



3. Enter the Name, User Name, Password, and Email (User Name and Password must be between 6–32alphanumeric characters).

4. Click Create. The new user appears in the Limited Accounts you have created list. The new user can

log on to the Managed Services Portal and has read access to your zones and records.

Continue to the next step to grant the user write and delete permissions to a specific zone.

5. In the Limited Accounts you have created list, click Add to Zone to the right of the user’s name. The

user can now view the domain and add and delete records.

Figure 11: Permissions tab: Creating a User




14

FINDING AND ADDING A USER TO A DOMAIN



3. Enter at least three characters of the name or username in the Find A User box and click Find (you cannot use a wildcard character in the search string).

4. Click add user to add the user to the domain and return to the Permissions sub-tab.

Figure 12 Permissions tab: Find a User




15

MY PROFILE

PROFILE TAB

The Profile tab allows you to change your information and reset your password. See Changing Your

Password or updating Your Information on page 2 for the procedure.

Figure 13: My Profile: Profile Tab

PREFERENCES TAB

The Preferences tab (Figure 14 on page 16) controls how the Managed Services Portal displays your

information, from which IP addresses you can view your information, and default values for records

and other data. It has four main sections (you may see other sections if you have additional services):

Display Options page 17

Access Control page 17

Confirmation Control page 18

Domain and Record Preferences page 18




16

Figure 14: My Profile: Preferences Tab




17

DISPLAY OPTIONS

The Display Options menu controls how the Managed Services Portal displays your domains and records.

Domains Per Page specifies the minimum number of domains displayed in the Domains tab ranging from

5–100. If you have more domains than the specified value, the Managed Services Portal divides your

domains into linked pages. You can also enter domain information in the Search box included on pages

of the Domains tab.

Records Per Page specifies the minimum number of records displayed in the Records tab. If you have more

records than the specified value, the Managed Services Portal divides your records into linked pages.

You can also enter record information in the Search box included on pages of the Records tab.

Show “Blank Adds” For controls whether the Records tab displays a blank template for a selected record

type. This saves time if you frequently add Address records, for example, because you do not have to

take the extra steps to select the record type from a list each time you need to add a record.

ACCESS CONTROL

For enhanced security, you can restrict access to your account from one or more IP addresses. By

default, you can access your account from any IP address using the correct username and password.

Type an IP address in the Add an IP address restriction field and press ENTER or click Update Preferences.

Repeat to add multiple addresses.

To delete an address, select the address and press DELETE, and then press ENTER or click Update

Preferences. Repeat for each address you wish to delete.

Note: Double-check the list before you logout. If you have entered an address incorrectly, you can lock

yourself out of the Managed Services Portal. Contact support at (888) 367-4820 or

[email protected] if you need help.

Note: If the specified IP address is an outbound NAT address, the entire network will have access to the

Managed Services Portal. Contact your local system administrator if you are uncertain of your IP

address.

INACTIVITY TIMEOUT

Enter the amount of time, from 10 minutes–1 hour, after which the Managed Services Portal

automatically disconnects due to inactivity. The default is 10 minutes. Changes made to the Inactivity

Timeout take effect immediately.







18

CONFIRMATION CONTROL

Confirmation Control determines whether you need to confirm requests to delete data (Yes) or allow the

deletion without any confirmation (No).

DOMAIN AND RECORD PREFERENCES

Domain and Record Preferences control the default TTL (time-to-live) of records, how the Managed

Services Portal displays values, and whether the Managed Services Portal automatically creates PTR

records for A records.

Table 1: My Information Preferences tab: Domain and Record Preferences Values

Field Definition Default ValueShow TTL as Scaled Value Controls whether the Managed Services Portal

displays TTL values as an integer number of

seconds (No) or as a scaled value (Yes). A scaled

TTL value is an integer followed by s for seconds,

m for minutes, d for days, or w for weeks (forexample 1d instead of 86400).

No

Domain Specifies the default TTL for your domain. 86400 (1d)SOA (Start of Authority) Refresh Elapsed time, in seconds, before a secondary

nameserver checks with the Neustar

nameservers for updated domain data.

10800

SOA (Start of Authority) Retry Elapsed time, in seconds, before a secondary

nameserver retries a failed connection to the

Neustar nameservers.

3600

SOA (Start of Authority) Expire Elapsed time, in seconds, before a secondary

nameserver will not answer queries for your

domain if it has been unable to contact theNeustar nameservers for an update.

2592000

SOA (Start of Authority) Min Cache Elapsed time, in seconds, before recursive

nameservers must refresh your domain’s

information. If your domain information changes

often, you may want to lower this value to force

queried items to time out of nameserver caches

more frequently.

86400

SOA TTL The TTL of the domain’s SOA record 86400 (1d)A (IPv4 Host)CNAME (Alias)MX (Mail Exchanger)

NS (Nameserver)PTR (Pointer)HINFO (Host Info)TXT (Text)SRV (Service Locator)AAAA (IPv6 Host)NAPTR (Naming Authority Pointer)

TTLs of records used in your domain. 86400 (1d)

Automatically create PTR records Automatically creates a PTR record (if an

appropriate reverse zone exists) when you

create an Address record.

No




19

MY REPORTS

By default, your External DNS Service includes three report snapshots in the Managed Services Portal:

1. Overall DNS Activity

2. Usage Summary (rolling daily average)3. Service Package Summary

If you have the SiteBacker service, you will also see the SiteBacker/Traffic Controller tab.

TO ACCESS REPORTS

1. Open the Reports tab.

2. Click Download to save the basic Usage Summary as a CSV file.

Some web browsers may display the report. In this case, right-click Save and choose save target

as or save link as.

3. Click Launch UltraDNS Report Center to open the report center, which contains extensive reports

on your domains, records, queries, and responses.




20

Figure 15: My Reports




21

AUDITING (DOMAIN AND RESOURCE RECORD CHANGES)

You can view changes made to your domain or resource records via links in the domain’s Records sub-

tab.

If your account includes optional audit logging, you can click next to any record to obtain object-

specific logging information.

Figure 16: Audit links in Records sub-tab




22

SUPPORT

The Support page includes links to user guides, primers, an FAQ, and contact information.

Figure 17: Support

TOOLS

NOTES

Click next to any object to add or edit notes.

HELP

Click to obtain context-specific help.




ICONS

Depending on your contracted services, you may not see all of these icons in your Managed Services

Portal.

Icon Indicates Where Used Comments

Service status. Dashboard page; SiteBacker

Directional DNS record

enabled or disabled

Records page Requires Directional DNS

service

Note Throughout Managed Service

Portal

Help Throughout Managed Service

Portal

Audit Information Records page Requires Audit Logging

Service

Documents

Managed External DNS