# DNS & Domain Management
# DNS Record Types
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#### CNAME (Canonical Name) Record:
Links a domain to the A name record of another domain for ease of redirection. So, when you setup a CNAME you are basically saying “Use the same IP for this domain (X) as this other domain (Y)”.
##### Example:
[](https://bookstack.b4sed.xyz/uploads/images/gallery/2024-06/dmximage.png)
abc.b4sed.xyz points to 123.b4sed.xyz and has its traffic proxied through Cloudflare.
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#### CAA (Certification Authority Authorisation)
CAA records are used to allow domain owners to declare which certificate authorities are allowed to issue a certificate for that domain. If a CAA record is present, only the CAs listed in the records are allowed to issue certificates for that hostname.
**Use Case:** CAA records are primarily beneficial if you want to restrict certificate issuance to specific CAs other than Cloudflare's default ones. This can be useful for increased security or policy compliance within your organization.
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#### TXT (Text) Record:
A TXT record allows you to provide extra information about a domain in an unformatted human readable way. This is commonly used to provide information about a server, network, data centre etc.
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#### A Record (Address):
An A record is used to map domain names to the IPv4 address of a resource on the internet, such as another computer or server.
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#### AAAA (Quad-Address) Record:
An AAAA record is the same as the A record except it points the hostname to an IPv6 address instead of an IPv4 address. These records are only required if your server supports IPv6 traffic.
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#### MX Record (Mail Exchanger):
An MX record specifies the servers that deal with incoming email and in which order your servers will be tried if you have several and the preferred one is unavailable.
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#### SPF (Sender Policy Framework) Record:
SPF records are designed to prevent spammers from spoofing emails from your domain by providing you with a statement confirming which servers are authorised to send email on your domain’s behalf.
Whilst there is a dedicated SPF record type, it's important to note that many mail providers will only support SPF records in the form of a TXT record.
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#### SRV Record (Service)
SRV records provide data regarding a domain that tells you its location within the domain name system, e.g. its host name and port number.
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#### SOA Record (Start of Authority):
SOA records are used to define the authoritative settings for your domain. This controls how your zone propagates to secondary nameservers across the Internet. SafeDNS creates an SOA record automatically for each domain added into our system.
SOA Records have the following fields:
Primary Nameserver - This is the authoritative nameserver that other nameservers will use to get the most up-to-date records for the domain to resolve conflicting records from other nameservers.
Administrator Email - This specifies the mailbox of the person responsible for managing records on this domain.
Refresh - The time interval (in seconds) before records should be refreshed. Recommended value - 86400 (24 Hours).
Retry - The time interval (in seconds) before a failed refresh should be retried. Recommended value - 7200 (2 Hours).
Expire - The time interval (in seconds) that specifies the upper limit on the time interval that can elapse before the records are no longer valid. Recommended value - up to 2419200 (672 Hours).
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#### TTL
The number of seconds that this record will be cached on DNS servers.
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# Domain Transfers
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The below documents the ANS methodology for domain transfers - it's important to note that there will be process variations depending on the provider and TLD type - ie .co.uk, .com.
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### Transfer In
[https://www.ans.co.uk/docs/domains/domains/transferin/](https://www.ans.co.uk/docs/domains/domains/transferin/)
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#### .UK Domains
For a domain with a `.uk` TLD, moving it to UKFast from another registrar should just be a matter of changing the `IPS tag` to `UKFAST` with your current registrar. Once this is changed, you can add the domain into your [MyUKFast area](https://www.ukfast.co.uk/myukfast.html) using the `Import Domain` section found at `Domains` > `Import a Domain`. The whole process can usually happen within minutes, but it does depend when the IPS tag change is sent along by the old registrar.
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#### Non-.UK Domains
For a non `.uk` TLD domain, the process is slightly more complicated. The first step you need to undertake it to ensure that the `administrative contact` for the domain has a valid email address against it. This address will be needed in the process, so if it’s out of date or inaccurate it’ll need to be updated to a valid managed inbox. This information can be checked with a `WHOIS` lookup.
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If the address is valid and visible then you’ll next need to acquire an authorisation code, usually referred to as an `EPP` code, from your current registrar. Your registrar may tell you that an authorisation code isn’t needed for the type of domain you’re transferring, it really does depend on the the TLD.
The domain in question may also be marked as `locked` with your current registrar, which prevents it from being transferred. This too can be checked via `WHOIS`. If the domain is locked, then your current registrar can unlock it for you.
Domains can be imported to ANS through the Portal:
Domains > transfer in
Here, the domains should be entered (line separated)
Once you’re done here, the next step is the authorisation. This is carried out via an email sent to the `administrative contact` email address, as mentioned earlier. This email will prompt the contact to approve the transfer and fill in the `EPP` code if necessary. At this point, the registry can approve the change.
The timing for the process varies and could take up to 5 days to complete, though it’s usually much quicker than that once the transfer has been approved by the administrative contact.
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### Transfer Out
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#### .UK Domains
To transfer a `.uk` domain away from UKFast go to `Domains` > `Transfer out`, or follow [this link](https://portal.ans.co.uk/domains/transfer_out_stage1.php). Here you can to select the domain(s) you wish to transfer away from UKFast from the left hand list, move it to the list on the right, and hit the Next button.
On the next page you will need to enter the `IPS tag` of the registrar you are transferring the domain to. Start typing into the bar to bring up the tags of different registrars, which you can then select from. If you don’t know this tag, it’s worth contacting your new registrar to confirm which tag to use.
When you are done, the tag will be changed automatically. However, in some cases the new registrar will ask for a `handshake`, which means that they need to approve the transfer in before it is final. If this is the case an information box will notify you of this, and the transfer will be pending their acceptance.
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#### Non-.UK Domains
To transfer a non-`.uk` domain away from UKFast you will have to go through the transfer in process with your new registrar.
Before you can do that you need to get the domain’s `EPP code` from us. In Domains > Transfer Out follow the process to choose the domain which you are moving away from us. This will unlock the domain so it can be moved away.
You will need to confirm the registrant contact details, as the EPP code you will need is sent to them. Then also confirm the admin contact. It’s very important that this email address is valid and a managed inbox, as the emails related to the transfer approval will be delivered there.
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# DNS NameServer
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#### Changing Nameservers for a domain with ANS
ANS Portal > Domains > Select Domain > NameServers
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