Manual renewal
Procedure
Log on to the Alibaba Cloud DNS console.
On the Domain Name Resolution page, click the Editions tab, find the desired instance, and then click Renew in the Actions column.
Auto-renewal
Log on to the Alibaba Cloud DNS console.
On the Domain Name Resolution page, click the Editions tab and click the Configure Auto-renewal button.
Find the ID of the instance for which you want to enable auto-renewal and click Enable Auto Renewal in the Actions column.
Instances will be released after expiration. To prevent your business from being affected, we recommend that you enable auto-renewal for your instances. After auto-renewal is enabled, you can enjoy a 15% discount for an annual payment.
Auto-renewal takes effect the next day after you enable the feature. After auto-renewal takes effect, the system first attempts to deduct fees from your Alibaba Cloud account at 08:00:00 on the ninth day before your instances expire. If the first deduction fails due to reasons such as insufficient balance in your Alibaba Cloud account, the system attempts to deduct fees once a day until the deduction is successful or at 08:00:00 on the previous day before the instances expire. If the deduction still fails, renew the instances by yourself. In this case, you cannot enjoy the 15% discount for the annual payment.
The discount only applies to the Alibaba Cloud China site (aliyun.com).
Upgrade
Log on to the Alibaba Cloud DNS console.
On the Domain Name Resolution page, click the Editions tab, find the desired instance, and then click Upgrade in the Actions column.
If you upgrade the edition of the instance, you must change the IP addresses of the Domain Name System (DNS) servers for the domain names that are bound to the instance. Alibaba Cloud DNS automatically attempts to change the IP addresses of the DNS servers after the instance is upgraded. However, you need to manually change the IP addresses of the DNS servers if the update prohibition lock is enabled for the domain names or a network error occurs.
For more information, see Manage DNS servers assigned by Alibaba Cloud DNS.
Limits
Renewal
You will be notified of renewal by emails or text messages before an Alibaba Cloud DNS instance is due to expire. After the instance expires, your DNS configuration will be retained for another seven days. If you do not renew the instance after the instance expires for seven days, the system automatically releases the Alibaba Cloud DNS instance. The system also moves your DNS records to a free DNS server cluster of Alibaba Cloud DNS.
If your domain name is registered with HiChina, DNS resolution is not interrupted when the DNS servers are switched from a paid cluster to a free cluster. If your domain name is in the serverUpdateProhibited or clientUpdateProhibited state, the security lock is enabled for your domain name. In this case, the automatic downgrade may fail and the website may be inaccessible. To resolve this issue, you must manually change the DNS servers.
If your domain name is not registered with HiChina, you must change the DNS servers to the DNS servers provided by the domain name registrar or the free DNS servers provided by Alibaba Cloud.
Auto-renewal
If you select Auto-renewal when you purchase an Alibaba Cloud DNS instance, the system will send you a notification and automatically generate a renewal order before your purchased instance expires. Manual renewal is not required. The auto-renewal period for an Alibaba Cloud DNS instance with a monthly subscription is one month. The auto-renewal period of an Alibaba Cloud DNS instance with a yearly subscription is one year.
Upgrade
Alibaba Cloud DNS can be upgraded but cannot be downgraded.