Overview
Smooth domain name migration allows you to change the DNS server of your domain name without business interruptions.
The procedure is as follows:
Prepare for the migration.
Import DNS records to Alibaba Cloud DNS.
Check the DNS records.
Change the DNS server.
Wait for the change to be updated to local DNS servers on the Internet.
Prepare for the migration
You must make your DNS records ready before the migration.
Export the DNS records from the website of your original DNS service provider. We recommend that you export the records to a .zone file. If you have to export the records to an .xls or .xlsx file, edit the file based on the DNS record template .
Import DNS records to Alibaba Cloud DNS
1 . Add a domain name.
Log on to the Alibaba Cloud DNS console. Navigate to Manage DNS > Domains and click Add Domain Name. For more information, see Add a domain name.
Note: If your domain name is registered with Alibaba Cloud, skip this step.
2 . Import DNS records.
Click the domain name you added to go to the DNS Settings page. Click Import & Export to import DNS records. For more information, see Import and Export DNS Records.
Check the DNS records
Follow these steps to check the DNS records you imported:
1 . Check the consistency of the DNS records.
Make sure that the DNS records on Alibaba Cloud DNS are the same as those you configure on the website of your original DNS service provider.
2 . Check whether the domain name in the CNAME record can be resolved. If you have not added a CNAME record, skip this step.
If the CNAME domain name cannot be resolved, your business may be affected. You can use the dig command to resolve the domain name, which is test.dnswork.top in the following example.
Open the command prompt in Windows.
Run the following command:
dig test.dnswork.taobao
Check whether the CNAME domain name can be resolved.
If it can be resolved, the record is configured correctly.
3 . Check whether the DNS records take effect on Alibaba Cloud DNS.
Run the following command:
dig www.dns-example.com @vip3.alidns.com
Note: You can obtain the DNS server address assigned by Alibaba Cloud DNS on the DNS Settings page.
Check whether the resolution result returned by the dig command is the same as the DNS record on Alibaba Cloud DNS.
If they are the same, the DNS records take effect, as shown in the following figures.
4 . Check whether Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) is configured.
The paid editions of Alibaba Cloud DNS support DNSSEC.
If DNSSEC is configured for your domain name, perform one of the following operations:
Disable DNSSEC on the website of the domain name registrar. After you migrate the domain name to Alibaba Cloud DNS, configure DNSSEC again.
Configure DNSSEC on Alibaba Cloud DNS and submit the DNSSEC configuration to the domain name registrar. After you migrate the domain name, delete the DNSSEC configuration of the original DNS service provider on the website of the domain name registrar.
If you have not configured DNSSEC for your domain name, skip this step.
Change the DNS server
Go to the website of the domain name registrar to change the DNS server of your domain name. If your domain name is registered with Alibaba Cloud, see Change the DNS server.
Within 48 hours after you change the DNS server, pay attention to the following:
Do not modify any DNS records.
Do not delete any DNS records from the website of your original DNS service provider. Retain them for at least a week.
If you have to modify the DNS records within this period of time, modify them both on Alibaba Cloud DNS and the website of your original DNS service provider, so the records remain consistent.
Wait for the change to be updated to local DNS servers on the Internet
The local DNS servers cache the original DNS server address. It may take 48 hours for the DNS server change to take effect on all local DNS servers on the Internet.
Note: Within 48 hours after you migrate your domain name to Alibaba Cloud DNS, clients on the Internet may still send requests to the DNS server of your original DNS service provider. Therefore, do not delete the DNS records from the website of the original DNS service provider.