Well Iv managed to get my domain name resolving to my ip address with the godaddy total dns controls but the email still aint working. Is it just a matter of changing the email records to mail.mydomain.com not the domain name of my host?
here is valid documentation on DNS in webmin.
http://doxfer.com/Webmin/BINDDNSServer
I think you should keep the mailsettings at godaddy default and just forward the mail to your private email or gmail whatever you have. GoDaddy should have a service like this, look in your account there.
I may be willing to pay somebody a few bucks to help me sort this out but it would depend how much?
Also I think one of my problems is I dont have a fully qualified hostname but is that relivent when using godaddy dns?
Well, you may need to clarify what issue you’re having.
However, in theory, you have some domains – let’s call them example1.com and example2.com.
For each, you need to setup a number of DNS records within GoDaddy that point to your server.
With one exception – example1.com should have mail go to GoDaddy, rather than your server.
So you’d just make sure the mail records point to GoDaddy’s server, rather than yours – which should be the default.
I don’t know the specifics of setting that all up at GoDaddy, but the above is the high level view of how it should work 
-Eric
I may be willing to pay somebody a few bucks to help me sort this out but it would depend how much?
You’ll want to post that sort of thing in the Jobs forum, so folks looking for Virtualmin related work will know you’re looking.
Also I think one of my problems is I dont have a fully qualified hostname but is that relivent when using godaddy dns?
Having a fully qualified hostname is always relevant. But, I think you’re missing a few fundamental bits of understanding about how DNS works that’s preventing all of this from being clear for you.
I’d like to explain the bits that you aren’t understanding…but I’m not sure which specific parts are escaping you, and if I tried to explain everything, well…it’d be just as complicated as all of the docs you’re trying to make sense out of. 
So, I will answer a few of the questions that I see stand out throughout this thread:
One of the questions is: Should you run your own name server? Only if you want to. But, if you don’t know how to setup any kind of records, it might be easier to let Virtualmin manage them. If there is a service that you like that provides DNS service for you, and you want to use it, then by all means. But, you’ll still need to understand what records you need and how to create them using whatever interface that service provides.
You asked above if you should be using Webmin for DNS configuration because there are more HOWTOs. No. Virtualmin automatically does nearly everything covered by those HOWTOs. You’d be saying, “OK, I want to do everything myself.” I really don’t think that’s a good idea, if you don’t actually understand how DNS works.
The only missing piece that Virtualmin cannot do for you is setup the glue records at your registrar. These are the records that tell the world where to find your name server.
Another piece that Virtualmin cannot do for you, which is sounds like you also haven’t done for yourself, is set a valid fully qualified domain name for your system. The system hostname is what Virtualmin uses, by default, in NS records for newly created domains. You also probably want to add another.
So, anyway, if you want to use an outside DNS server, that’s great. But no matter what, you’ve gotta at least understand what DNS is and how that applies to what you need to accomplish.
Ok thanks for that Joe!
I do understand what DNS is and what it does I just don’t understand all the steps involved in setting it up because I have never actually tried to do it before. I have degree in web development and I’m just starting out in the this career, it doesn’t help that all the education was based around windows systems not Linux and the server/networking side of things was theory not practical. So as you can imagine I have a clear understand of what DNS is and its role but actually trying to set it up for yourself it a completely different ball game.
To be honest I don’t really care if I run my own nameservers or if I let a third party do it, which ever is easiest. I would be more than happy to let virtualmin run the DNS for me but it wasn’t clear to me that it actually done that!
So lets start at the first hurdle sorting out my fully qualified domain/host name issues:
When I got the VPS, all I got was a root account and password and two IP addresses. Ubuntu was already installed and the host name was set as my user name.
So to set up a fully qualified host name for my server I will need a domain? I have several in my godaddy account that I’m not using for anything.
So the first thing I need to do is? Point this domain name to one of my IP addresses for the server?
or
Edit records in ubuntu to set the hostname?
log in over ssh and type: hostname ns1.mydomain.com
now your hostname is set.
login to godaddy and register your two IP’s with mydomain.com
done. Give it time to propagate.
see my post above with further steps you should take.
yeah but that’s not a permanent way to change the hostname in ubuntu is it? I thought you had to edit the
/etc/hostname and run hostname host.domain.tld.
Ill give it a go but your steps above are as clear as mud to me, I’m still unsure about where ns2.mydomain.com comes in?
Ok I changed the hostname to n1.flirtsnflings.com which is an old domain name i had lying around.
I then added the A records for each ip address in total DNS control. I have included a screenshot so you can check to ensure this is all i need to do
do you mean this part?:
In the servers template under BIND DNS domain (BIND DNS records for new domains) fill in ${DOM}. 38400 IN NS ns2.domainname.com.
Then go to: Virtualmin - System Settings - click Server Templates - in the right pane click Default Settings or any other template you use - look at the right pane and in the dropdown select BIND DNS domain.
The first field is called BIND DNS records for new domains. In the big empty white box fill in
${DOM}. 38400 IN NS ns2.mydomain.com.
click save. done.
Oh I thought per haps you want your own nameservers which would be easiest to do.
I don’t know godaddy’s panel but it doesn’t look right. smtp is using your domain while pop+mail etc is not.
If you have enough RAM on your VPS I advice to run your own nameservers.
It doesn’t matter which domainname you use.
You can use a domainname that will also run on your VPS as a normal website as long as it is your domain.
The only trick is to actually register the IP’s with the chosen domainname at godaddy.
Im going to just run my own namesevers as its seems easy enough once u know what your doing.
So in godaddys control panel at the top where is says host Iv put flirtnflings.com in twice and points to my ip addresses is this correct?
Its the only way in godaddy to actual point an domain to an ip address. the only other options are just pointing them to nameservers
Oh yeah that was me who changes the smtp to my server. Ill change it back. I take it I dont need to edit any of the other records if i run my nameservers?
to both No I dont think so. Those would be A records.
You need to Register the IP’s at GoDaddy which would be done elsewhere in your GoDaddy’s account.
sorry I dont know GoDaddy, you’ll need to ask them where to do this.
Pointing IP’s to A or NS records is something very different to Registering the IP’s.
right i think i no what you mean. So I want to register the ips with the domain name as nameserver?
yes. but not in that panel as ns records/nameservers (in your image at the bottom, that’s not it).
You might want to try advanced options.
Alternatively you can buy a whatevername.info for under $3 at namecheap.com. That’s what I use and registering IP’s is easy there.
in namecheap it looks like you see in the pic.
I found this guide and seems you do, do it in the total dns interface but the godaddy interface has been changed a bit since then.
yes indeed. it also says in that guide “registering nameservers” so that seems good. I’m not familiar with godaddy.
Once that is set up you can further configure virtualmin as described and once propagated (can take a while) it should work as expected.
Ok I think I managed to setup the fully qualified domain name and register the nameservers by following the ispconfig guide.
Once its propagated how will I check its working?
the dig command doesnt seem to work in my version of Ubuntu.
Edit:
I got dig installed with
apt-get install dnsutils
First set up your vps/virtualmin as described above.
Once that is done and you can create the first domain/server using your own nameservers.
Tools I consider the best are: www.intodns.com and http://www.squish.net/dnscheck/
In the latter you can fill in ns1.flirtsnflings.com and see what happens