Updating DNS Records for ChamberMaster

Updating DNS Records for ChamberMaster:

A Guide

I. Introduction

II. Determining Your DNS Host and accessing your account

III. Quick Look: Summary of the Needed DNS Changes

IV. More Detailed Steps to Perform the Needed DNS Changes

I. Introduction

In our ongoing effort to serve our software over the fastest, most secure, and most reliable networks, ChamberMaster is being migrated to a 'cloud' environment.

As a result, your DNS records will need to be modified accordingly, so that your users will be able to continue to reach and use your site.

Three ways to get it done

DNS changes are not too difficult to perform, but we realize that not everyone is used to dealing with them, and time to deal with technical matters can be scarce.

So here are three ways to get this taken care of.

1. Provide us with access to make the changes in your account

Many DNS hosts allow you to allow others certain access into your account to assist with things like this.

Here are instructions for three of the DNS Hosts that we know of who provide such access.

- Cloudflare: https://helpdesk.chambermaster.com/kb/article/7166-steps/

- GoDaddy: http://helpdesk.chambermaster.com/kb/article/7167-steps/

- Network Solutions: http://helpdesk.chambermaster.com/kb/article/7168-steps/

2. Schedule a 15-minute support call with our DNS Specialist, Nick.

You can use this link to see availability, and schedule a quick session at a time that's convenient for you: Book time with Nick Owen: DNS Records Update Assistance

3. You or your IT staff can handle the DNS updates

This won't be ideal for everyone, and we do encourage you to let us help you (especially if you don't have dedicated IT personnel).

But if you do decide to go this route, we've provided instructions below.

Section III will provide a very quick summary of the needed changes, for those more familiar with this territory.

Section IV will go into a bit more detail for those who prefer it.

But whether you're providing us with access to make the change, scheduling a call with us to help you, or making the change yourself, you'll first need to know who your DNS host is.

In the next section we'll look at how to determine this if you don't already know it.

II. Determining your DNS Host and accessing your account with them

The first step for updating your DNS begins with your domain name provider. If you don’t remember who that is, don’t worry! We’ve got some tips for finding your DNS provider.

First, check your billing records. Your domain host is usually who you bought your domain from. Searching your email archives for billing records related to registering or transferring your domain may help you find it easily.

If your billing records search yielded no results, use a domain search tool like InterNIC.

To use this tool, navigate to ICANN Lookup

Type your domain name in the search box.
Select the Domain option, and then click Submit.
Scroll down to “Registrar Information,” and the registrar's name should be shown.
You can use the first Name Server Entry if the registrar is not listed.
Copy the name server (NS) information that appears after the colon (:), and then paste it into the search box at the top of the page. Select Nameserver, and then click Submit.
On the search results page, locate the Registrar entry. This entry lists your DNS hosting provider, the DNS provider who owns the name server for your domain.

III. Quick Look: Summary of the Needed DNS Changes

Some are more familiar with the language/terminology and look of DNS records. Therefore before explaining the needed changes in more detail, we want to here give a quick summary of the changes for those for whom that is all that is needed.

Here then is what needs to be done:

1. Any A-record for any sub-domain of your root domain that currently points to either:

216.17.94.183 or

216.17.94.184 or

216.17.94.185

needs to be changed into a CNAME record and pointed to public-modules.chambermaster.com

(Note, some DNS providers will allow you to change a record's type, while others will require you to create a whole new record if the change requires a 'type' change, as this one does)

2. Any 'spf' TXT record in which is found any one of the following IP's

64.90.68.63
64.90.68.64
64.90.68.65
64.90.67.156
64.90.67.155
64.90.67.154

should have those IPs removed, and substituted with: include:spf.chambermaster.com

(note, if you already have "include:spf.memberzone.com" this will work as well).

Thus, an example of an spf TXT record before the needed change would be:

v=spf1 ip4:64.90.68.63 ip4:64.90.68.64 ip4:64.90.68.65 ip4:64.90.67.156 ip4:64.90.67.155 ip4:64.90.67.154 include:_spf.google.com ~all

And an example of this record after the needed change would be:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.chambermaster.com ~all

Be sure to leave all other parts of the SPF record unchanged.

Be sure to save all your changes.

This concludes the summary of the needed DNS record changes.

For those who prefer a bit more detail/guidance, please see the next section.

IV. More Detailed Steps to Perform the Needed DNS Changes

Once you're in your DNS host account, navigate to where the DNS records are listed.

You will see many different kinds of records, but they are usually listed in a certain order according to their type.

For instance, you'll usually see 'A' records first, followed by 'CNAME' records, and then 'TXT' records.

We'll address changes needed in one of the 'TXT' records in a moment. But first...

A-record/CNAME Changes

Let's look at a screenshot from a popular DNS Host as a visual aid.

In the image below are 5 different 'A' records.

Notice the 'Name' column. We concerned here with any record that has something other than a star ('*'), a blank, or an '@' symbol, in the Name column

(Or possibly you might see just the plan 'root' domain (like "yourname.com" there, which you should ignore as well).

Any such record that has a value of either 216.17.94.183 or 216.17.94.184 or 216.17.94.185 is one that we are going to change.

Thus, the records we do want to change are the two with the arrows below, because they fit our criteria above.

As you can see, the records with the names 'business' and 'm' both fit these criteria, but the rest do not.

However, we're not going to merely change the 'Value'. We're going to change the Type of record it is.

Notice:

For some DNS Hosts, you will be able to click 'edit' and change the type. For others, you will need to delete the record entirely and create a new record of a different type altogether.

In other words, some DNS Hosts don't let you 'edit' the Type of a record.

Whether you are editing the type, or deleting and recreating, what we want instead of the A records are CNAME records that point to "public-modules.chambermaster.com"

So, after the change, we would have a CNAME type record, with the value "business", pointed to "public-modules.chambermaster.com".

And we would do the same with the "m" value record, and any other that met our above criteria.

Notice as well that we're not changing the record with the name 'www' because, despite it fitting our criteria for the Name field/column, it does not point to one of the IPs specified above.

After you've done the above, be sure to save your changes.

Now we'll turn to the TXT/spf record change that may be needed.

TXT (spf) record changes

Note this change is only needed if you are wanting to be able to use our product to send verified/validated email from your domain. If so...

Look through your TXT (type) records. You may see one that begins with "v=spf1..."

This is the record we need to look at, and possibly change.

If this record contains any values that look like this: ip4:[some IP number here] look to see if the IP number is any of the following:

64.90.68.63
64.90.68.64
64.90.68.65
64.90.67.156
64.90.67.155
64.90.67.154

If not, then you're fine. But if you do want to be able to send verified email you'll need to make sure that you have the following statement in that record:

"include:spf.chambermaster.com"

(Note: there are no spaces in this string of characters, but there should be a single space on either side of it in the record. We'll give an example below.)

If you did find one of the above IPs, then they (including their "ip4:" prefix) need to be removed and substituted with: include:spf.chambermaster.com

(note, if you already have "include:spf.memberzone.com" this will work as well).

An Example

Thus, an example of an spf TXT record before the needed change would be:

v=spf1 ip4:64.90.68.63 ip4:64.90.68.64 ip4:64.90.68.65 ip4:64.90.67.156 ip4:64.90.67.155 ip4:64.90.67.154 include:_spf.google.com ~all

And an example of this record after the needed change would be:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.chambermaster.com ~all

Be sure to leave all other parts of the SPF record unchanged.

Be sure to save all your changes.

END