DNS resolution FAQ

1. How do I configure domain name resolution if my domain name and Website Builder are in different Alibaba Cloud accounts?

2. What are the authorization states and what do they mean?

3. What do the system prompts mean when a resolution error occurs, and what should I do?

4. How do I handle resolution for multiple domain names? Do I need to authorize each one?

5. How do I resolve a conflict between a CNAME record and an MX record by using an explicit URL record?

1. DNS resolution for domains in different accounts

In this scenario, you cannot use the one-click resolution feature. You must configure DNS records manually.

1. Log on to the Alibaba Cloud account where you purchased Website Builder. In the website backend, navigate to Website Management > Domain Management, add your domain name, and then wait one minute to obtain the record value.

2. Log on to the Alibaba Cloud account where you purchased the domain name. Go to Alibaba Cloud DNS, find and click your domain name.

3. Click Add Record. The record type must be CNAME. For more information, see the CNAME record section in Add a DNS record.

4. After you add the DNS record, it takes effect in about 10 minutes.

   Note

   You can configure domain name resolution only after your domain name has an ICP filing.

2. Authorization states

There are three authorization states: Resolution Not Set, Added, waiting for resolution to take effect, and A record resolution successful/CNAME record resolution successful.

• Resolution not configured: This status indicates that a domain name has been added, but one-click resolution has not been performed.

• Added successfully. Please wait for the resolution to take effect. This status indicates that one-click authorization has been completed, but the resolution has not yet taken effect.

• A record resolution successful / CNAME resolution successful: The status of a domain name whose resolution has taken effect.

3. Resolution error prompts

• The DNS record already exists: This message indicates that the domain name is already resolved, which prevents a duplicate entry. If you want to overwrite the existing DNS record, click one-click resolution again and confirm the overwrite.

• The domain name does not exist under the account: This message indicates that the domain name is not in the current Alibaba Cloud account. Log on to the Alibaba Cloud account that owns the domain name and then grant authorization.

• The resolution has not taken effect: This message may appear for the following reasons:

  • You did not use one-click resolution.

  • You used one-click resolution, but the CDN has not yet returned a CNAME value. The system automatically configures the domain name resolution after it receives the CNAME value, provided the authorization is still valid.

  • You used one-click resolution, but the authorization expired before the CDN returned a CNAME value. You must use one-click resolution again.

• A DNS record conflict occurs: Go to your domain name console and delete the records that conflict with the CNAME record. Then, return to the Website Builder console and use one-click resolution again.

4. Resolution and authorization for multiple domains

If you need to use one-click resolution for multiple domain names, you must authorize each one separately. If the domain names are in different Alibaba Cloud accounts, switch to the correct account for each domain name before using one-click resolution. This prevents the system from using the wrong account's authorization.

5. Resolve CNAME and MX record conflicts

Scenario: You need to resolve both www.example.com and the root domain example.com. You have successfully resolved www.example.com. However, when you try to resolve example.com, a conflict with an existing MX record occurs. To resolve this, you can configure an explicit URL record to redirect traffic. After configuration, users who enter example.com in their browser are redirected to www.example.com.

1. Log on to the Alibaba Cloud account that manages your domain name. Go to the Alibaba Cloud DNS page and click Add Domain Name. Add the root domain name (for example, example.com, without the "www" prefix). After you add the domain name, click Configure next to it.

2. On the Configure page, click Add Record.

3. Configure the DNS record with the following settings:

   • Record type: Select "explicit URL".

   • Host record: @.

   • Resolution request source: Keep the default value.

   • Record value: Enter the full domain name with the "www" prefix.

     Important

     Do not omit the protocol prefix. If your domain name has a security certificate, enter https://www.example.com. Otherwise, enter http://www.example.com.

   • TTL: Set to 10 minutes.

4. After completing the settings, click OK. The changes take effect in about 10 minutes.