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dnsmigrator

Amazon Route 53 IBM Cloud Classic (SoftLayer) DNS

Migrate DNS from Route 53 to SoftLayer.

9 record types move as they are. 4 things work differently at SoftLayer, and the preview shows exactly which of your records they affect.

Free preview. Read-only. Nothing changes until you apply.

What works differently

Generated from the same provider capability data the migration engine uses.

Moves as-is

  • A
  • AAAA
  • CNAME
  • MX
  • TXT
  • NS
  • SRV
  • PTR
  • SPF

Alias records are converted

Route 53 alias records become CNAMEs below the apex. At the apex they need static addresses, and the preview shows which ones.

Routing policies are flattened

SoftLayer has no routing policies. Weighted, geo and latency sets collapse into one set of answers, and failover keeps only the primary. Each one is flagged for review.

TTLs below 60s are raised

SoftLayer's minimum TTL is 60 seconds. Shorter TTLs are raised to 60s and shown as translated.

A typical Route 53 zone at SoftLayer

Example records for example.com. Open any flagged row to read why it changed.

Route 53 SoftLayer

  • UnsupportedA@

    Not migrated

    @ is an alias to d1a2b3.cloudfront.net at the zone apex. SoftLayer doesn't support apex aliases or CNAMEs.

  • ExactMX@

    10 mx1.mail.example.net. +1

  • ExactTXT@

    "v=spf1 include:_spf.example.net -all"

  • UnsupportedCAA@

    Not migrated

    SoftLayer doesn't support CAA records through its API.

  • ExactTXT_dmarc

    "v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com"

  • ExactSRV_sip._tls

    100 1 443 sip.example.net.

  • ReviewAapi

    192.0.2.10 +1

    Weighted routing isn't available at the destination. All 2 answers are served together as simple round-robin.

  • ExactSPFlegacy

    "v=spf1 -all"

  • ExactCNAMEwww

    example.com.

How the move works

  1. 1

    Connect Route 53

    Connect Route 53 with read-only access (Cross-account IAM role with an external ID).

  2. 2

    Connect SoftLayer

    Connect SoftLayer (Classic infrastructure username + API key). Write access is only used when you apply.

  3. 3

    Review the preview

    Check every record marked Review or Unsupported. Each one explains what changes and why.

  4. 4

    Apply to SoftLayer

    We snapshot the SoftLayer zone, write in batches, and leave Route 53 untouched.

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query SoftLayer's own nameservers for every record and compare the answers before you switch.

  6. 6

    Switch nameservers

    Lower TTLs a day or two ahead, remove any DS record if DNSSEC is on, then point the domain at the new nameservers at your registrar.

Good to know about Route 53

  • Alias records can only target AWS resources or records in the same hosted zone.
  • Weighted, latency, geolocation and failover routing are Route 53 features. Most other providers can't reproduce them.
  • Apex CNAMEs are not allowed. Use an alias record instead.

Access we need: route53:ListHostedZones, GetHostedZone, ListResourceRecordSets for the preview; ChangeResourceRecordSets and CreateHostedZone to apply.

Good to know about SoftLayer

  • Domains must already exist in the IBM Cloud classic DNS console. We can't create them.
  • Only A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, PTR, SPF, SRV and TXT records are supported, so CAA records can't be migrated here.
  • The minimum TTL is 60 seconds, and the DNSControl provider for SoftLayer is unmaintained, so treat this integration with extra care.

Access we need: A classic infrastructure user with the Manage DNS permission for both preview and apply.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Route 53 to SoftLayer?

Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to SoftLayer and verified before you change nameservers, so resolvers get the same answer from either side while caches expire.

Do I have to delete anything at Route 53?

No. We never write to Route 53. Keep the old zone for a week after cutover so you can switch back instantly if anything looks wrong.

What about DNSSEC?

If DNSSEC is on, remove the DS record at your registrar and wait for it to expire before switching nameservers. Then enable DNSSEC at SoftLayer and publish its new DS record. The cutover plan walks you through each step.

Related migrations

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