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How to Set Up DNS Records for Your Webmail in DirectAdmin (Evolution Skin)

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Introduction

Proper DNS configuration plays a vital role in ensuring reliable email delivery and protecting your domain’s reputation. Without the correct DNS records, emails may fail to reach recipients or be flagged as spam by mail servers. DirectAdmin with the Evolution Skin provides an intuitive DNS Management interface, making it easy to configure the necessary records without advanced technical expertise.

This guide will walk you through setting up the key DNS records required for webmail—A, MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Configuring these records not only improves deliverability but also helps secure your domain against spoofing and phishing attempts. Before proceeding, make sure your domain is using DirectAdmin’s nameservers and that you have permission to manage DNS settings. Keep in mind that while setup is quick, DNS changes can take up to 24–48 hours to propagate globally.

Prerequisites

  • Access to DirectAdmin with permissions to modify DNS records.
  • Make sure your domain is pointing to DirectAdmin’s nameservers.
  • A public IP address of the server hosting the mail services

Step-by-step Guide

Step 1: Access Direct Admin

  • Log in to your DirectAdmin control panel.

Step 2: Access DNS Records

  1. on left menu click Account Manager
  2. Click DNS Manager

Step 3: Set Up A Record for mail.<yourdomian>.com

  1. Click ADD RECORD
  2. Record Type:  A
  3. Name: mail
  4. Value: <your server ip>
Tips 🖊️: The Name field is set to mail because it creates the hostname mail.<yourdomain.com>, which is commonly used by email clients (Outlook, Thunderbird, mobile devices) to connect to your mail server. Using mail as the prefix is a standard practice that makes configuration and troubleshooting easier.

Step 4: Set Up MX Record for <yourdomian>.com

  • Click ADD RECORD
  1. Record Type:  MX
  2. Name: (leave blank or use @ ) → means the record applies to the root domain (<yourdomain.com>)
  3. Value: mail(the name created in Step 3)
Tips 🖊️: The number (10) in the MX record represents priority. A lower value means higher priority. If you only have one MX record, the number doesn’t matter much, but if you add multiple mail servers, the server with the lowest value will be tried first.

Step 5: Set Up TXT Records

For mail servers, TXT records are essential for verifying your domain and preventing email spoofing. You’ll need to set up three key TXT records to ensure your emails are delivered correctly and securely: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

1. SPF Record

  1. Record Type:  TXT
  2. TXT Record Type: SPF
  3. IP Addresses: <your server ip>
  4. Click ADD
Tips 🖊️: The IP Addresses field is where you specify the exact server IP addresses that are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. The Include Domain field is used to incorporate the SPF records of other domains, which is essential when you use a third-party service for sending emails. Finally, the Mode determines the strictness of the SPF check; Fail is the most secure option as it instructs the recipient’s server to reject any emails that do not originate from an authorized IP address.

2.DKIM Record

  1. on left menu click Email Manager
  2. Click Email Accounts
  3. Click Enable DKIM
  4. Verify DKIM

You can verify that the DKIM record has been generated in DNS Management.

3. DMARC Record

Go back to DNS Management. Click Add Record follow the step bellow:

  • Record Type:  TXT
  • TXT Record Type: DMARC
  • Domain policy type: Reject 
  • Subdomain policy type: Reject
  • Alignment mode for DKIM: Strict
  • Alignment mode for SPF: Strict
Tips 🖊️: The Reject policy will reject any email that fails authentication, while Strict alignment requires an exact match between the header and authentication domains, providing the strongest protection against domain spoofing.

Step 6: Verify DNS Records

After setting the records, use websites such as:

Example dig command:

dig txt _dmarc.yourdomain.com

Check for correct propagation and syntax. It may take up to 48 hours for DNS changes to take effect.

Step 7: Verify Email Sending and Receiving

After few hours, kindly try sending and receiving emails from your account to confirm that your webmail system is working correctly.

If the DNS changes do not take effect, or if there are issues in sending and receiving, please contact us at support@ipserverone.com for further assistance.

Conclusion

Configuring DNS records for email services through DirectAdmin is a straightforward process that significantly improves email deliverability and security. By properly setting up A, MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, you establish proper email authentication and protect your domain reputation. These configurations ensure your emails reach their intended recipients while maintaining security best practices.

Remember that DNS changes may take up to 48 hours to fully propagate across all DNS servers. Regular monitoring using tools like MXToolbox can help verify that your records are functioning correctly and your email system maintains optimal performance.

Should you have any inquiries about the guidelines, please feel free to open a ticket through your portal account or contact us at support@ipserverone.com. We’ll be happy to assist you further.

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