How do you communicate and coordinate with your team or clients when deleting DNS wildcard records?

1 Identify the impact of deletion

The first step is to identify which services and domains use the DNS wildcard record you want to delete. You can use tools like dig, nslookup, or online DNS checkers to query the DNS server and see what subdomains are resolved by the wildcard record. You should also check your web server configuration, firewall rules, SSL certificates, and any other settings that depend on the wildcard record. Make a list of all the affected services and domains and share it with your team or clients.

2 Notify the stakeholders

The next step is to notify the stakeholders who are responsible for or affected by the services and domains that use the DNS wildcard record. You should explain why you want to delete the record, what the consequences are, and when you plan to do it. You should also ask for their approval and feedback, and address any concerns or questions they may have. You can use email, phone, chat, or any other communication channel that works for your team or clients.

3 Prepare the alternatives

The third step is to prepare the alternatives for the services and domains that will lose the DNS wildcard record. You may need to create individual DNS records for each subdomain, update your web server configuration, firewall rules, SSL certificates, and any other settings that depend on the wildcard record. You should also test the alternatives and make sure they work as expected. You should document the changes and backup the original settings in case you need to restore them.

4 Delete the record

The fourth step is to delete the DNS wildcard record from the DNS server. You should do this at a time when the traffic and usage of the services and domains are low, and when you have enough time to monitor and troubleshoot any issues. You should also inform your team or clients when you start and finish the deletion, and ask them to verify that everything is working properly.

5 Validate the results

The fifth step is to validate the results of the deletion. You should use tools like dig, nslookup, or online DNS checkers to query the DNS server and see if the subdomains are resolved by the individual DNS records or not. You should also check your web server logs, firewall logs, SSL certificates, and any other indicators that show the status and performance of the services and domains. You should report any errors or anomalies to your team or clients and fix them as soon as possible.

6 Document the process

The final step is to document the process of deleting the DNS wildcard record. You should write a summary of what you did, why you did it, what the impact was, and how you resolved any issues. You should also include the list of the affected services and domains, the alternatives you prepared, and the validation results. You should share this document with your team or clients and keep it for future reference.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?