How to configure Plesk DNS management zones

You will learn how to create and manage DNS zones, configure forwarders, and add records using the Plesk Control Panel. These steps apply to Plesk Obsidian 18.x installed on Linux or Windows servers with the DNS module enabled.

Prerequisites

• Access to a server running Plesk Obsidian 18.x (Linux or Windows).
• Root or administrator privileges to access the Plesk Control Panel.
• An active internet connection for DNS propagation and external lookups.
• Knowledge of domain names and IP addresses for the zones you intend to manage.
• The Plesk DNS module must be installed and enabled in the panel settings.

Step 1: Access the DNS Management Interface

Log in to your Plesk Control Panel using your administrator credentials. Navigate to the Tools & Settings section in the left-hand sidebar. Click on DNS Management to open the zone editor. You will see a list of existing zones or a prompt to create a new one.

# Navigate to DNS Management in the browser
https://your-server-ip:8443/

Once inside, locate the My Zones tab at the top of the page. Click Add Zone to start the creation process. Ensure the Zone type is set to Primary for your main domains or Secondary if you are acting as a slave server.

Step 2: Create a Primary DNS Zone

Enter the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for the zone, such as example.com. Select the Primary zone type from the dropdown menu. This tells Plesk that your server holds the authoritative data for this domain. Click Create to initialize the zone file. Plesk will automatically generate the default SOA and NS records based on your server's hostname.

# Example of a zone creation entry in the database (internal view)
Zone Name: example.com
Zone Type: Primary
TTL: 3600

After creation, the interface will display the zone details. You can now proceed to add specific records like A, CNAME, or MX. The zone status will change to Active immediately, though external propagation may take time depending on your TTL settings.

Step 3: Configure Forwarders for Recursive Resolution

If your Plesk server is not a caching-only resolver, you must configure forwarders to handle queries for domains you do not host. Click on the Forwarders tab within the DNS Management interface. Enter the IP addresses of your upstream DNS servers, such as your ISP's nameservers or public resolvers like 8.8.8.8. Set the Forwarding mode to Standard to forward all non-local queries. Click Apply to save the configuration. This ensures that internal clients can resolve external domains without direct root server queries.

# Example forwarder configuration
Forwarder IP: 8.8.8.8
Forwarder IP: 8.8.4.4
Mode: Standard

Verify that the forwarders are listed under the Forwarders tab. If the list is empty, recursive resolution will fail for external domains. Ensure that your server's network allows outbound DNS queries on port 53 UDP/TCP.

Step 4: Add DNS Records to the Zone

Select the zone you just created from the list on the left sidebar. Click the Records tab to manage entries. Click Add Record and choose the record type: A for IPv4 addresses, AAAA for IPv6, CNAME for aliases, or MX for mail routing. Enter the host name (e.g., www or mail) and the corresponding value. Set the TTL (Time To Live) to control how long resolvers cache the record. Click Add to save the record.

# Example record entry
Host: www
Type: A
Value: 192.168.1.50
TTL: 3600

Repeat this process for MX records to configure email delivery. For MX records, ensure the priority value is set correctly (lower numbers indicate higher priority). You can also add TXT records for SPF or DKIM validation. Each record appears in the list below the Records tab.

Step 5: Create a Secondary DNS Zone

If you need to replicate zone data to another server, create a secondary zone. Click Add Zone and select Secondary as the zone type. Enter the primary master server's IP address and the zone transfer interval. Plesk will attempt to zone transfer from the primary server automatically. If the transfer fails, the zone status will show as Not Synchronized. Ensure that the primary server allows zone transfers from the IP address of your secondary server.

# Example secondary zone setup
Zone Name: example.com
Zone Type: Secondary
Master Server IP: 192.168.1.10
Transfer Interval: 3600

Monitor the Status column to confirm that the zone is syncing correctly. If the status remains Not Synchronized, check firewall rules on the primary server to allow AXFR/AXFR-secure transfers.

Verify the installation

After configuring your zones and records, verify that the DNS server is responding correctly. Use the Tools & Settings > DNS Management > Check DNS feature within Plesk. This tool runs a series of tests to ensure that your zones are active and that records resolve properly. Alternatively, use the dig or nslookup command from your server's terminal to query your own domain.

# Query your own zone from the server
dig @localhost example.com

Expected output should show an ANSWER SECTION containing the correct IP address or CNAME. If the query returns NOERROR, your configuration is valid. Check the Logs tab in DNS Management for any errors or warnings regarding zone transfers or query failures.

Troubleshooting

If your zone does not appear in the list, ensure that the Plesk DNS service is running. Restart the service using the systemctl command if on Linux, or the Services panel if on Windows. Check for firewall rules blocking port 53 on the server. If records do not resolve externally, verify the TTL settings and wait for the cache to expire. If zone transfers fail, ensure that the primary server allows AXFR from the secondary server's IP address. Review the Logs tab for specific error messages related to replication or query failures. If issues persist, check the Plesk system logs for application-level errors related to DNS module initialization.

# Restart DNS service on Linux
systemctl restart plesk-dns

Ensure that the Zone Transfer settings on the primary server are configured to allow the secondary server's IP. If using SSL for zone transfers, verify that the certificates are valid and trusted. Always test your configuration from an external network to confirm that the DNS server is reachable and responding to queries.