If you need to make many DNS changes at once, there are two alternatives available:

• Use the DNS Web Appliance's import features, as described at Importing and Exporting DNS Records with the Web Appliance.
  (or)
• Send your list of changes to Hostmanager in the format described on this page.

Hostmanager is able to make certain bulk changes via scripts in cases where there are a large number of records that need to be modified at once. We recommend that you use this procedure when you are making 10 or more changes.

The format Hostmanager needs for the bulk input files is described below.

Hosts

To create a bulk input file for host changes in DNS, follow the following guidelines:

• Each domain you're changing should have a separate file (or pair of files, if you are both adding hosts and deleting them).
• Use one file for the hosts you will add and a different file for the hosts you will delete.
• Use one entry per line.
• Separate the host name and the IP address with either spaces or tabs.

Requestors will need to have permissions for both the domain and the network in contact manager for host changes. If the requestor is not listed for both, Hostmanager will request permission to make the bulk changes from the primary contact for the domain/network.

Example: Adding hosts or moving in place

To add hosts to a domain called mydomain.illinois.edu:

1. Create a file named mydomain.illinois.edu.Add.

2. In the file itself, enter your new host names and IP addresses in a format like the following:
host01 130.126.128.101
host02 130.126.128.102
host03 130.126.128.103

3. Once you have created your bulk change files, you can send these as a spreadsheet, a word doc, a text file or in the body of your email attachment to hostmgr@illinois.edu.

To move a host in place, contact hostmgr@illinois.edu, as Hostmanger can move/rename a record in place while preserving the dependencies.

Example: Deleting hosts

To remove hosts from a domain called mydomain.illinois.edu:

1. Check to see whether the hosts you will remove have associated TXT, HINFO, or CNAME records. Make a list of any records associated with the hosts that are to be deleted. Indicate whether the associated records should also be deleted, or whether they should be revised to point to other hosts.

2. Create a file named mydomain.illinois.edu.Delete.

3. In the file itself, enter the host names and IP addresses to be deleted in a format like the following:
host01 130.126.128.101
host02 130.126.128.102
host03 130.126.128.103

4. Send both the delete file and the associated records information to hostmgr@illinois.edu.

CNAMES

To create a bulk input file for host changes in DNS, follow the following guidelines:

• Each domain you'll add CNAMEs to should have a separate file (or pair of files, if you are both adding CNAMEs and deleting them).
• Use one file for the CNAMES you will add and a different file for the CNAMES you will delete.
• Use one entry per line.
• Separate the alias record and the host name with either spaces or tabs.
• Cross-domain CNAMEs: It is very important to provide the host name in a fully-qualified format (i.e. hostname.othernetwork.illinois.edu. rather than just hostname) if you want to register cross-domain CNAMEs. If your CNAME record does not cross domains from its alias record, you can provide only the hostname itself.

Requestors will need to have permissions for both the domain where the CNAME is being created and the target domain in contact manager for CNAME changes; if the requestor is not listed for both, Hostmanager will request permission to make the bulk changes from the primary contact for the domain(s).

Example: Adding CNAMEs

To add CNAMEs to a domain called mydomain.illinois.edu:

1. Create a file named mydomain.illinois.edu.Add.

2. In the file itself, enter your new aliases and hosts in a format like the following:
cname1 host1.domain.illinois.edu.
cname2 host2.otherdomain.illinois.edu.
cname3 host1

3. Once you have created your bulk change files, you can send these as a spreadsheet, a word doc, a text file or in the body of your email attachment to hostmgr@illinois.edu.

Example: Deleting CNAMEs

To remove CNAMEs from a domain called mydomain.illinois.edu:

1. Create a file named mydomain.illinois.edu.Delete.

2. In the file itself, enter the aliases and hosts to be deleted in a format like the following:
cname1 host1.domain.illinois.edu
cname2 host2.otherdomain.illinois.edu
cname3 host1

3. Once you have created your bulk change files, you can send these as a spreadsheet, a word doc, a text file or in the body of your email attachment to hostmgr@illinois.edu.