Nameserver Lookup

This page explains the Nameserver Lookup tool in GoAdmio. It queries and displays the authoritative nameservers (NS records) for any domain — showing which DNS servers are responsible for answering queries about that domain.

Location: Admin Panel → DNS Tools → Nameserver Lookup
Location (User Panel): DNS Tools → Nameserver Lookup

Overview

Every domain on the internet is delegated to a set of authoritative nameservers. These are the servers that hold the domain's DNS zone and answer queries for its records (A, MX, TXT, etc.). The Nameserver Lookup tool retrieves that delegation information for any domain.

Use Nameserver Lookup to:

• Confirm where DNS is managed — is it your GoAdmio server, Cloudflare, the registrar, or another provider?
• Verify a nameserver change — after switching a domain to your server, confirm the NS records updated
• Diagnose DNS propagation — check whether the new nameservers are visible globally
• Investigate "site down" issues — if the nameservers are wrong, the domain will not resolve correctly
• Audit domains — confirm all customer domains point to the expected nameservers
• Check for delegation failures — a domain with broken nameservers cannot resolve at all

What the Page Shows

| Field / Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Domain | The domain being queried |
| Nameservers | The list of NS records returned (e.g., ns1.goadmio.com, ns2.goadmio.com) |
| TTL | Time-to-live for the NS records |
| Response Time | How long the lookup took (if shown) |
| Resolution Status | Whether the nameservers responded correctly |
| Query Server | The resolver that answered the query |

> Tip: The exact layout depends on your GoAdmio version. Some versions show a single NS list; others show a side-by-side comparison with a specific resolver (e.g., dig @8.8.8.8).

How to Look Up Nameservers

1. Log in to the GoAdmio Admin Panel (or User Panel).
2. Navigate to DNS Tools → Nameserver Lookup.
3. Enter the domain name (e.g., example.com).
4. Click Lookup (or Search).

Understanding the Results

Common Nameserver Patterns

| Nameserver pattern | DNS managed by |
|---|---|
| ns1.goadmio.com, ns2.goadmio.com | GoAdmio (the server or its DNS cluster) |
| *.ns.cloudflare.com | Cloudflare |
| ns1.yourregistrar.com | The registrar's default DNS |
| *.awsdns-*.com | Amazon Route 53 |
| dns1.registrar-servers.com | Namecheap (or similar) |
| ns1.digitalocean.com | DigitalOcean |
| *.googledomains.com | Google Domains / Squarespace |
| ns1.hover.com | Hover |

> Tip: If the nameservers are not your server's, then changes made in DNS Manager will have no effect — the domain's DNS is controlled elsewhere. The customer must either change the nameservers to your server's, or make changes at the current DNS provider.

Multiple Nameservers

Domains typically have two or more nameservers for redundancy. If only one is listed:

| Situation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| One nameserver | The domain has no redundancy — a single point of failure |
| Two nameservers | Standard — recommended minimum |
| Three or more | High redundancy — common with large providers |

> Warning: A domain with only one nameserver is at risk — if that server goes down, the domain stops resolving. Advise the customer to add a second nameserver.

TTL

The TTL tells you how long resolvers cache the NS records.

| TTL | Effect on propagation |
|---|---|
| 300 (5 minutes) | Nameserver changes propagate quickly |
| 3600 (1 hour) | Standard |
| 86400 (24 hours) | Changes take a day to propagate worldwide |

> Tip: When switching nameservers, lower the TTL before the switch to speed up propagation.

Resolution Status

| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OK | Nameservers responded correctly |
| NXDOMAIN | The domain does not exist |
| SERVFAIL | The nameservers are unreachable or misconfigured |
| Timeout | The query timed out — nameservers may be down |
| No NS records | The domain has no nameserver delegation — it will not resolve |

> Warning: A SERVFAIL or No NS records result means the domain cannot resolve at all. Check Whois for the domain's status — it may be expired, suspended, or have a delegation problem at the registry.

Verifying a Nameserver Change

After switching a domain to your GoAdmio server's nameservers:

1. Run Nameserver Lookup on the domain.
2. Confirm the results show your server's nameservers (e.g., ns1.goadmio.com, ns2.goadmio.com).
3. If the old nameservers still appear:

> Tip: Propagation can take anywhere from minutes to 48 hours, depending on the TTL and the registries involved. Use Track DNS and external tools like dnschecker.org to see the change from multiple locations.

Common Scenarios

"The site is not loading after I changed nameservers"

1. Run Nameserver Lookup.
2. If the new nameservers are shown:

1. If the old nameservers are still shown:

"The domain does not resolve at all"

1. Run Nameserver Lookup.
2. If there are no NS records or the lookup fails:

"DNS changes I made in GoAdmio are not working"

1. Run Nameserver Lookup.
2. If the nameservers are not GoAdmio's:

"One customer's domain points to different nameservers"

If a customer uses external DNS (Cloudflare, Route 53, etc.), their nameservers will not be GoAdmio's — this is expected. Manage DNS at that provider, or point the domain at GoAdmio's nameservers.

> Tip: GoAdmio can change nameservers at the registrar automatically for supported registrars (Spaceship, Dynadot, ResellerClub) when the registrar API is configured. See Cloudflare API, Spaceship API, Dynadot API, and Reseller Club API.

Via CLI

The shell provides the same information with more detail:

```bash

Basic NS lookup

Short output (nameservers only)

Query a specific resolver

Full trace (shows delegation at each level)

Query the parent zone (registry delegation)

Use host for simple output