How to Request a DNS Change

All DNS updates for GEN customers are processed through our HelpDesk. Just tell us what you need changed and when you’d like the change to take effect – we’ll handle the rest.

What to include in your request

1. Domain name – the full hostname you want to modify (e.g. www.mydomain.co.uk).
2. Record type – A, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc. (most common is an A record).
3. Desired value – the IP address, target host, or text you want the record to point to.
4. TTL (Time‑to‑Live) – optional; if you omit it we’ll use our standard 86 400 seconds.
5. Effective date/time – when you want the change to go live (e.g. “as soon as possible” or a specific date/time).

Two ways you can write the request

Human‑readable format (easiest for most users)

Please point www.mydomain.co.uk to 192.123.100.5.
Make the change effective from 15 April 2026 at 09:00 GMT.

DNS‑style format (useful if you’re comfortable with DNS syntax)

www.mydomain.co.uk A 86400 192.123.100.5
Effective: 2026-04-15 09:00 GMT

Tip: If you’re unsure about the TTL, just leave it out – we’ll apply the default value.

What happens after you submit the request

1. A real person reviews it – our HelpDesk engineer sanity‑checks the change to make sure it won’t break any existing services.
2. We apply the update – the change is made in our authoritative DNS servers.
3. Confirmation – you’ll receive a ticket update confirming the change and the exact time it became active.

Why DNS Changes Are Handled by the HelpDesk (and why it’s free for GEN customers)

• DNS is intricate. A single typo can:
• Stop your website from resolving, showing a “server not found” error to visitors.
• Prevent email delivery, causing bounced messages and lost communication.
• Expose your domain to cache‑poisoning or man‑in‑the‑middle attacks, where an attacker redirects traffic to a malicious server.

• Mis‑configuration risks
• Broken email flow: Incorrect MX records can route inbound mail to the wrong server or to nowhere at all.
• Website downtime: Wrong A or CNAME records send visitors to the wrong IP, resulting in 404 errors or time‑outs.
• Domain hijacking: If NS (name‑server) records are altered unintentionally, an attacker could point your domain to their own DNS, gaining control of web, mail and any services that rely on the domain name.

Because the consequences can be severe, we perform a manual sanity‑check before any change goes live. This extra layer of protection is why we offer the service free of charge to all GEN customers, regardless of the size of their organisation.

Considerations

If you're using GEN for Hosting, then changing the A or CNAME Records for www or @ will stop that from working. 

If you're using GEN for Email, then changes to MX, DKIM, DMARC can break that and stop email delivery. 

If you request to change the DNS on the domain, all GEN hosted services will stop working. 

If you have any questions about which record you need or the impact of a change, feel free to ask – we’re here to help!