{"id":1997,"date":"2017-09-09T13:51:27","date_gmt":"2017-09-09T08:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=1997"},"modified":"2026-09-09T10:29:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T04:59:40","slug":"dns-cluster-setup-cpanel-servers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/dns-cluster-setup-cpanel-servers\/","title":{"rendered":"DNS Cluster Setup between cPanel Servers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">cPanel is widely used for managing web hosting servers and DNS records. A <strong>DNS cluster<\/strong> allows multiple cPanel servers to synchronize DNS zone information between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this setup, we will configure <strong>two cPanel DNS-only servers<\/strong> as nameservers and connect them to a <strong>cPanel web server<\/strong>. The nameservers (<code>ns1<\/code> and <code>ns2<\/code>) will receive and synchronize DNS records from the cPanel web server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">cPanel DNS-Only can be used as a dedicated DNS server without hosting websites on the DNS-only servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prerequisites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before starting, make sure you have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Two cPanel DNS-Only servers with WHM access.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One cPanel web server with WHM access.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Root or WHM access to all three servers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The required DNS records and nameservers configured for the domains.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For this example, we will use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>ns1<\/code> \u2013 DNS-only server 1<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>ns2<\/code> \u2013 DNS-only server 2<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>cPanel web server \u2013 Main hosting server<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <code>ns1<\/code> and <code>ns2<\/code> servers will fetch DNS records from the cPanel web server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Implementation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1: Get the Remote Access Key from ns1.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Log in to WHM on the first DNS-only server:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"EnlighterJSRAW\" data-enlighter-language=\"generic\" data-enlighter-theme=\"\" data-enlighter-highlight=\"\" data-enlighter-linenumbers=\"\" data-enlighter-lineoffset=\"\" data-enlighter-title=\"\" data-enlighter-group=\"\">https:\/\/IP:2087<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navigate to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Home \u2192 Clusters \u2192 Remote Access Key<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The remote access key is required to authenticate communication between the cPanel servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/image.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"707\" height=\"330\" src=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/image.png 707w, https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/image-300x140.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 707px) 100vw, 707px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2: Open DNS Cluster on the cPanel Web Server<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Log in to WHM on the cPanel web server:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"EnlighterJSRAW\" data-enlighter-language=\"generic\" data-enlighter-theme=\"\" data-enlighter-highlight=\"\" data-enlighter-linenumbers=\"\" data-enlighter-lineoffset=\"\" data-enlighter-title=\"\" data-enlighter-group=\"\">https:\/\/IP:2087<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navigate to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Home \u2192 Clusters \u2192 DNS Cluster<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Click:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Enable DNS Clustering<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/image-2.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"705\" height=\"340\" src=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/image-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11565\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/image-2.png 705w, https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/image-2-300x145.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 705px) 100vw, 705px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3: Add ns1 to the DNS Cluster<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under <strong>Add a new server to the cluster<\/strong>, select:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Backend Type: cPanel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enter the required details for the <code>ns1<\/code> DNS-only server, including its IP address and remote access credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 4: Select Synchronization Mode<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Select:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Synchronize Changes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This option is used when DNS changes made on the cPanel web server should be propagated to the connected DNS server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The available synchronization options are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Synchronize Changes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All changes made on this server will propagate to linked servers in the cluster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Synchronization is one-way. Changes made on another server will not propagate back unless the other server is also configured to synchronize changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Standalone<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Changes made on this server will not propagate to other servers in the cluster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Write-only<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This server writes changes to the remote server, but changes made on the remote server are not propagated back to this server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 5: Add ns2 to the Cluster<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Repeat the same configuration for the second DNS-only server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Add the <code>ns2<\/code> server to the DNS Cluster on the cPanel web server and configure the required synchronization settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After adding both DNS-only servers, the setup will contain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"EnlighterJSRAW\" data-enlighter-language=\"generic\" data-enlighter-theme=\"\" data-enlighter-highlight=\"\" data-enlighter-linenumbers=\"\" data-enlighter-lineoffset=\"\" data-enlighter-title=\"\" data-enlighter-group=\"\">             cPanel Web Server\n                    |\n          ---------------------\n          |                   |\n         ns1                 ns2\n    DNS-Only Server     DNS-Only Server<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 6: Verify the DNS Cluster<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After successfully adding both DNS-only servers, the DNS Cluster section in WHM should display the configured servers and their synchronization relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You should see a DNS cluster diagram showing the cPanel web server connected to <code>ns1<\/code> and <code>ns2<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This confirms that the DNS servers have been added to the cluster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A cPanel DNS Cluster provides a convenient way to distribute DNS records across multiple servers. In this configuration, the main cPanel web server manages the DNS zones, while the two DNS-only servers act as dedicated nameservers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using <strong>Synchronize Changes<\/strong> allows DNS updates made on the web server to be propagated to the connected DNS servers, helping maintain consistent DNS records across the cluster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. What is a cPanel DNS Cluster?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A cPanel DNS Cluster connects multiple cPanel or DNS-only servers so that DNS zone information can be distributed and synchronized between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Why use two DNS-only servers?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using two dedicated DNS servers provides separate nameserver endpoints and helps distribute DNS service across multiple servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. What is the Synchronize Changes option?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Synchronize Changes<\/strong> propagates DNS changes from one server to connected servers in the configured cluster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Where can I configure the DNS cluster in WHM?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Go to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>WHM \u2192 Clusters \u2192 DNS Cluster<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. What is the Remote Access Key used for?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Remote Access Key is used to authenticate communication between cPanel servers when configuring remote services such as DNS clustering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Articles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">DNS Not Working in VestaCP<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn how to troubleshoot DNS-related issues in VestaCP and identify common configuration problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/dns-not-working-vestacp\/\">https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/dns-not-working-vestacp\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Do I Flush a Computer DNS Cache?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn how to clear the DNS cache on a computer when troubleshooting DNS resolution and propagation issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/how-do-i-flush-a-computer-dns-cache\/\">https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/how-do-i-flush-a-computer-dns-cache\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Talk to our experts.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking for the right technology solution for your business? Our team of experts can help you with development, cloud, DevOps, design, and a wide range of other technology needs. Get in touch with our team&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction cPanel is widely used for managing web hosting servers and DNS records. A DNS cluster allows multiple cPanel servers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1019],"tags":[263,373],"class_list":["post-1997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cloud-aws","tag-cpanel","tag-dns-cluster","psol-cat-cloud-aws"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phn2x7-wd","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1997"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11566,"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997\/revisions\/11566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}