DNS check, what's this really mean?

[LunaC]

Checking my DNS with online tools I see this error, what does it mean?

SOA MNAME CheckERROR:
Your SOA (Start of Authority) record states that your master (primary) name server is: ns1.example.com. That server is not listed at the parent servers, which is not correct.

Another place wrote it like this:
SOA MNAME entry
WARNING: SOA MNAME (ns1.example.com) is not listed as a primary nameserver at your parent nameserver!

One person told me that it's set that way for privacy but that feels wrong. Any advice or info?

[rocknbil]

Your friend would be incorrect. I **just** went through this and don't fully understand DNS (programmner, not an admin!) but the scenario is like this:

You have a registrar at which you point the DNS:

Primary: example.com -> ns1.nameservers.host-company.com
Secondary: example.com -> ns2.nameservers.host-company.com

These are your "parent nameservers." The registrar registers ns1... and ns2.... as your DNS servers.

At your web host, there is an internal DNS that registers the web site so it can respond with the pages. This internal DNS *IS* ns1/2. Your web site must have an NS entry for each of those name servers. If you manage a dedicated/VPS, you should have something like this in your DNS settings:

example.com.  NS  ns1.nameservers.host-company.com 
example.com.  NS  ns2.nameservers.host-company.com 

Bottom line is those must MATCH the parent name servers. This message (I am pretty sure) is telling you that your host's internal DNS has an ns record that is not registered at the parent name servers. They don't match.

[LunaC]

Ah, OK. Then this is something with my hosts set up, not the registrar? I'm on a managed VPS is that changes anything.

So much to learn! I'll contact my host to see if they can correct it.

Thanks for the explanation.

[LunaC]

Wow, I wish I could say the name of my host, I emailed shortly after posting the last message here... got an email already that they've taken care of it =D.

I checked and it's totally fixed. Now that's service!