Domain won't resolve and nameservers show as unreachable? You need glue records.
What Glue Records Are
IP addresses for nameservers when the nameserver hostname is under the domain it serves.
Example:
Domain: example.com Nameservers: ns1.example.com, ns2.example.com
This creates circular dependency: can't resolve example.com without asking ns1.example.com, can't find ns1.example.com without resolving example.com first.
Glue records break the loop by providing the nameserver IPs at registry level.
When You Need Them
Need glue: Nameserver is subdomain of domain it serves
example.com uses ns1.example.com
Don't need glue: Nameserver is external domain
example.com uses ns1.arkhost.com & ns2.arkhost.com
If you're using ArkHost nameservers (ns1.arkhost.com, ns2.arkhost.com), you don't need glue records.
Setting Glue Records
Glue records are set at your domain registrar, not in DNS Manager.
- Login to registrar where domain is registered
- Find nameserver management (sometimes called "register nameserver" or "host records")
- Add nameserver hostname + IP address:
- ns1.yourdomain.com → 192.0.2.1
- ns2.yourdomain.com → 192.0.2.2
- Point domain to these nameservers
Propagation: 24-48 hours.
Checking Glue Records
dig +trace yourdomain.com
Look for A records in the authority section from parent zone. If missing = no glue.
Or check WHOIS:
whois yourdomain.com
Should show nameserver IPs in registry data.
Common Problems
SERVFAIL when querying domain: Missing glue records. Nameservers unreachable.
Domain resolves from some locations, not others: Glue records not propagated yet or cached incorrectly.
Changed server IP but domain still points to old server: Glue records at registrar still have old IP. Update glue, not just DNS zone.
IPv6 Glue Records
Same concept, AAAA records instead of A records:
ns1.yourdomain.com → 2001:db8::1 ns2.yourdomain.com → 2001:db8::2
Set both IPv4 and IPv6 glue if your nameservers have both.
Who Manages Glue Records
Always managed at the registrar where domain is registered, not at hosting provider.
If domain registered at ArkHost but hosted elsewhere: set glue records in your ArkHost account.
If domain registered elsewhere but hosted at ArkHost: set glue records at your other registrar.
Troubleshooting Unreachable Nameservers
Domain not resolving at all:
- Check if nameservers are subdomains of your domain:
whois yourdomain.com | grep "Name Server" - If yes, verify glue records exist:
dig +trace yourdomain.com - If no glue records in output: add them at registrar
- If glue exists but wrong IP: update at registrar
Can take 24-48 hours for registry to update and propagate changes.
