Dedicating time every week to your migration will result in a seamless and timely transition from your current provider. As you prepare to migrate your DNS to NS1, use the steps below to ensure a seamless transition.
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If you don’t already have one, create an NS1 account via http://my.nsone.net.
Note
NS1 offers a free-tier option for use of the service with no time restriction and a query limit of 500,000 queries per month. A credit card is required at signup to cover any overages. A small temporary pre-authorization charge will be placed on the credit card.
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Add new users and teams to your account, assigning the appropriate permissions.
Note
You can only import a zone file if you have a current DNS provider where you have created zones for your domains previously. You will need a BIND-compatible zone file from your current DNS provider to import your zones into your NS1 account.
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Import your zones into NS1 by importing a zone file utilizing AXFR or creating zones manually via the NS1 Connect portal or API.
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Add records to the zone(s), as needed. Refer to Guide to DNS record types for details on the standard and NS1-specific record types supported on the NS1 platform.
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Within the record, configure Filter Chain options to implement advanced routing techniques. NS1 offers a wide variety of filters — each applying a unique logic to processing answers (i.e., endpoints) specified within a DNS record to determine the best answer to return for each DNS query based on characteristics of the requesting client and/or the endpoint represented by each answer. You can combine multiple filters to fine-tune the processing logic to meet your specific needs and objectives.
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Learn more about NS1’s wide range of monitoring capabilities—including Manual DNS failover, Configuring automatic DNS failover, Automatic load shedding, and other configurations using native NS1 or third-party data feeds.
Verify the configuration is accurate by reviewing the new configuration in NS1 against that within your previous provider and Testing your records. Consider the following questions:
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Are there the same number of zones and records configured with your current DNS provider as in NS1 Connect?
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If you are using NS1 as a secondary provider, have you configured the AXFR transfer IP address at both your current provider and in NS1?
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Have you verified your Filter Chain configurations? Monitors and data feeds?
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Have you performed consistency checks to ensure your zones are at parity with your current DNS provider?
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Update your domain registrar with NS1 name servers that will be authoritative for your domains. As a best practice, we recommend delegating low-traffic and non-production zones first before moving over your most critical production zones.