Overview
The DNS Manager in the SmartHost Customer Portal lets you view and edit the DNS records for the domains on your account. It works whether or not your website is hosted with SmartHost, and you do not need a hosting package or a cPanel login to use it.
You reach it from the portal and are signed in automatically – there is no second password to remember.
Quick Start Guide
- Log in to your account. Go to https://portal.smarthost.ie and sign in.
- Open the DNS Manager. Choose Domains from the menu, then DNS Manager (UPDATED).
- Pick a domain. The Your domains page lists every domain of yours that we hold DNS for. The Where it points now column shows, at a glance, whether the domain is actually using SmartHost nameservers.
- Edit the records. Use Add a record to create one, or the Actions menu on any row to change or delete it.
- Apply your changes. Edits are staged first. Nothing goes live until you click Apply changes.
In-depth Guide
Zones you already have, and zones you do not
Every domain on your account that we already hold DNS for is listed for you automatically, with its existing records in place – there is nothing to set up.
If we do not hold a zone for a domain yet – which is normal for a domain you have just pointed at our nameservers – opening it shows a short Set up DNS page instead. It asks where your website should point and where your email should be delivered, then creates the zone for you. Both questions are optional, so you can create an empty zone and add the records yourself.
Until that zone exists the domain will not resolve at all, even with the nameservers set correctly, because our nameservers have nothing to answer with.
Record types you can manage
| Record type | Description |
|---|---|
| A | Points a domain to an IPv4 address. |
| AAAA | Points a domain to an IPv6 address. |
| CNAME | Maps a name to another domain name rather than an IP address. |
| MX | Specifies the mail servers for a domain. |
| TXT | Arbitrary text, commonly used for SPF, DKIM and domain verification. |
| SRV | Specifies the host and port for particular services. |
| CAA | States which certificate authorities may issue certificates for the domain. |
| NS | Delegates a subdomain to another set of nameservers. |
The SOA record and the nameserver records for the domain itself are shown as System-managed and cannot be edited. These are the records that keep your domain answering at all, so they are protected deliberately. If you genuinely need one changed, contact support and we will do it with you.
Changes are staged before they go live
Every edit you make is held as a pending change until you approve it. This lets you review a set of edits together rather than saving them one at a time.
- Apply changes – saves everything you have staged.
- Discard all – throws the staged edits away and leaves your live records untouched.
If you try to navigate away with unsaved changes, you will be asked first.
TTL explained
TTL, or Time To Live, tells other DNS servers how long to remember a record before checking again. The default is 14400 seconds (4 hours), and you can set anything from 60 seconds to 7 days.
Before a planned change, lower the TTL a day in advance. Other networks will then pick up the new value quickly when you make the switch.
Records that share a name and a type must share a TTL. This is a rule of the DNS itself, not a SmartHost restriction – if a change would break it, the DNS Manager tells you which records are involved and offers to correct them for you.
Other tools on the zone page
- Import a zone file – bring in records from another provider instead of retyping them. The file is checked and summarised before anything is applied.
- Change the selected records – apply one change across many records at once, such as setting the TTL of everything selected, or finding and replacing text in the values.
- Earlier versions of this zone – restore the zone as it was before a previous save.
- Export – download the zone as a standard zone file. Worth doing before any large change.
- Audit log for this zone – every change made to this domain, who made it and when.
Nameserver information
For records edited here to have any effect, the domain must point at SmartHost’s nameservers:
ns1.smarthost.iens2.smarthost.ie
Domains registered through SmartHost use these automatically. For a domain registered elsewhere, set them at that registrar. If your domain points somewhere else, the DNS Manager will tell you so on the zone page, and name the nameservers it found.
FAQ about the DNS Manager
Can I manage DNS for a domain that is not hosted by SmartHost?
Yes. As long as the domain is on your SmartHost account and points at our nameservers, you can manage its DNS here regardless of where the website itself is hosted.
Why is a domain missing from my list?
Usually because it is registered to a different SmartHost account, is not registered with us at all, or the domain or hosting is not currently active. If a renewal is outstanding, the domain drops out of the list until the account is up to date. A domain that is on your account but has no DNS zone yet is not missing – it is listed, and opening it offers to set one up.
My domain is listed but nothing resolves, and the nameservers are right.
That is the case above: the nameservers point at us but we hold no zone, so there is nothing for them to answer with. Open the domain and use Set up DNS.
Why does a domain show a warning?
Two warnings are common. Delegated elsewhere means the domain currently points at another provider’s nameservers, so records here have no effect until that changes. Not live at the registry means the domain is not yet active with the registry – your records are saved correctly, but the domain will not resolve until registration completes or a hold is lifted.
Can I delete a DNS zone?
No. Removing a zone entirely would take the domain offline across the internet, so it is not something the portal will do on your behalf. Contact support if you need a zone removed and we will discuss it with you first.
Can I set custom TTL values?
Yes, on any record you can edit, from 60 seconds to 7 days.
I made a mistake – can I undo it?
Yes. Open Earlier versions of this zone and restore the version from before the change.
Need a hand?
Email support@smarthost.ie or call (01) 901 9700 during business hours.
