Geographic redundancy for your name servers with automatic AXFR zone transfers, DNSSEC support, and multiple authoritative DNS servers. Ensure 100% DNS uptime.
* All prices include UK VAT at 20% • Cancel anytime • No setup fees • No account needed
Secondary DNS provides critical name server redundancy for just £1 per month without having to manage your own network of DNS servers. Ideal for hosting providers, ISPs, and businesses who run their own primary DNS server but require additional geographic redundancy and fault tolerance. Our secondary servers automatically clone your DNS zones via AXFR zone transfers and serve authoritative responses globally. Having multiple name servers in geographically diverse locations is critical to your online presence - if your primary DNS fails, secondary servers ensure continuous resolution. Perfect for high-availability requirements, disaster recovery planning, and meeting DNS best practices.
Multiple authoritative name servers in geographically diverse locations ensure continuous DNS resolution even if entire data centers or regions experience outages.
Full zone transfers (AXFR) and incremental transfers (IXFR) automatically synchronize zone data from your primary server. Changes propagate instantly to all secondary servers.
Full support for DNSSEC-signed zones. Our servers transfer and serve DNSSEC records (DNSKEY, RRSIG, NSEC, DS) authoritatively while maintaining signature validity.
Specify multiple primary servers for each zone. Our servers rotate through masters automatically if one fails, ensuring zone transfers always succeed.
All name servers support both IPv4 and IPv6 resolution. Dual-stack architecture ensures compatibility with all internet users and modern network infrastructures.
Add zones through the web control panel and begin zone transfers immediately. No waiting, no approval processes - start protecting your DNS within minutes.
No arbitrary zone limits. Add as many domains as needed for a single flat rate. Perfect for hosting providers, registrars, and businesses with large domain portfolios.
Manage zones, monitor transfer status, view statistics, and configure settings through an intuitive web interface. No command-line expertise required.
Complete DNS Secondary Service specs - £1/month
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Service Type | Secondary/Slave authoritative DNS |
| Zone Transfers | AXFR (full) and IXFR (incremental) supported |
| Zone Limit | Unlimited zones per account |
| Transfer Method | NOTIFY-triggered and refresh interval |
| Primary Server IPs | Dedicated transfer servers (not public resolvers) |
| Multiple Masters | Yes - specify multiple primary servers per zone |
| DNSSEC | Full support - transfers and serves signed zones |
| TSIG Authentication | Transaction signatures for secure zone transfers |
| IPv4 Support | All name servers support IPv4 queries |
| IPv6 Support | All name servers support IPv6 queries |
| Name Servers | 5 geographically distributed authoritative servers |
| Server Locations | Multiple continents for geographic diversity |
| Refresh Interval | Configurable via SOA record (typical: 3 hours) |
| Retry Interval | Configurable via SOA record (typical: 1 hour) |
| Expire Time | Configurable via SOA record (typical: 1 week) |
| Minimum TTL | Honors zone file TTL values (no forced minimums) |
| Wildcard Records | Fully supported - no restrictions |
| Record Types | All standard DNS record types (A, AAAA, MX, CNAME, TXT, NS, etc.) |
| Zone Validation | Automatic verification of successful transfers |
| NOTIFY Support | Receives and processes DNS NOTIFY messages |
| Query Logging | Optional query statistics and logging |
| API Access | RESTful API for zone management automation |
| Control Panel | Web-based zone and transfer management |
| Setup Time | Immediate - add zones and start transfers instantly |
| Support | 24/7 technical support for configuration |
| Contract | Monthly, cancel anytime |
When you configure a secondary zone, your primary DNS server sends the complete zone file to our servers via AXFR (Authoritative Zone Transfer). Our servers store a read-only copy and begin answering queries authoritatively. When you update records on your primary server, it sends a NOTIFY message to our servers, triggering an immediate zone transfer to synchronize changes. This typically happens within minutes of making changes.
AXFR (full zone transfer) sends the entire zone file - used for initial setup and when many records change. IXFR (incremental zone transfer) sends only changed records - more efficient for small updates. Our servers automatically use the most efficient method based on the SOA serial number comparison and change size.
Configure your primary server to allow zone transfers only to our dedicated transfer IPs. TSIG (Transaction Signature) adds authentication using pre-shared keys to ensure only authorized servers can transfer zones. For DNSSEC-signed zones, cryptographic signatures are transferred and validated to maintain the chain of trust.
Our five name servers are geographically distributed across multiple continents and network providers. This ensures that even if an entire region experiences network issues or natural disasters, DNS resolution continues from other locations. Recursive resolvers automatically query alternate servers if one is unreachable.
After zone transfers, our systems automatically verify that all secondary servers have synchronized successfully and are serving identical data. The control panel shows transfer status, timestamps, serial numbers, and any sync issues requiring attention.
Protect your DNS with geographic redundancy
No contracts • Cancel anytime • Instant activation