If you are hosting your own VDS (Virtual Dedicated Server) with ISPmanager, setting up custom name servers (NS records) allows you to manage domain DNS directly on your server.

What Are Custom Name Servers?

Custom name servers let you use your own domain for DNS resolution instead of your hosting provider defaults.

For example:

  • Instead of using ns1.hostingprovider.com
  • You can create ns1.yourdomain.com and ns2.yourdomain.com

Steps to Configure Custom Name Servers in ISPmanager

Assign Static IPs to Your Server

Before setting up name servers, ensure your VDS has at least two static IP addresses (one for each NS record).

If you have only one IP, you can use the same IP for both NS records.

To check your current IPs:

ip a

Configure DNS Zone for Your Domain

  1. Log in to ISPmanager (https://your-server-ip:1500).
  2. Navigate to "Domains" > "DNS Manager".
  3. Click "Add DNS Zone" and enter your domain name (yourdomain.com).
  4. Set your DNS Zone Name to yourdomain.com.

Add NS Records

  1. Click "Add Record".
  2. Choose "NS" (Name Server) from the dropdown.
  3. Enter the Name Server details:
Type Name Value
NS @ (root domain) ns1.yourdomain.com
NS @ (root domain) ns2.yourdomain.com
  1. Click "Save".

Add A Records for Name Servers

  1. Click "Add Record".
  2. Choose "A" (Address Record).
  3. Enter the following details:
Type Name Value (IP Address)
A ns1 192.168.1.1 (Replace with your VDS IP)
A ns2 192.168.1.2 (Replace with your second IP)
  1. Click "Save".

Update Your Registrar with Custom Name Servers

Now that the name servers are set up in ISPmanager, you must update your domain registrar settings.

Go to Your Domain Registrar

  1. Find the "Manage Nameservers" or "Custom DNS" section.
  2. Enter your custom name servers:
    3. ns1.yourdomain.com
    ns2.yourdomain.com
  3. Save and wait for DNS propagation (can take 24–48 hours).

Restart DNS Service

To apply changes, restart the DNS service on your VDS:

sudo systemctl restart named # For BIND
sudo systemctl restart pdns # For PowerDNS

Check if the DNS server is running:

systemctl status named

Verify Your Custom Name Servers

Method 1: Using dig Command

Run:

dig ns yourdomain.com

If correctly set up, you should see:

;; ANSWER SECTION:
yourdomain.com. 3600 IN NS ns1.yourdomain.com.
yourdomain.com. 3600 IN NS ns2.yourdomain.com.

Method 2: Using Online Tools

Troubleshooting Custom Name Server Issues

Issue Possible Fix
Name servers not resolving Check if NS and A records are correctly set in ISPmanager.
Propagation taking too long Flush local DNS: ipconfig /flushdns (Windows) or sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved (Linux).
Domain registrar rejecting NS Ensure the NS records match the assigned IPs in ISPmanager.
DNS service not starting Check logs with journalctl -xe -u named.
  • Custom NS records allow full DNS control for your domains on ISPmanager VDS.
  • Setting up NS and A records correctly ensures proper domain resolution.
  • Update your domain registrar with the correct name servers.