SERVFAIL looking up A for example.com error causing trouble? We have your back.

At Bobcares, we offer solutions for every query, big and small, as a part of our Server Management Service.

Let’s take a look at how our Support Team is ready to help customers resolve the error: SERVFAIL looking up A for example.com.

How to resolve the error: SERVFAIL looking up A for example.com

Has your Let’s Encrypt installation been failing with one of the following messages?

• Invalid response from https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org/acme/authz/DEADBEEFMwVU3eZxfBU9-PRUcd51tflRLJD7CoBTxrQ.
  Details:
  Type: urn:acme:error:dns
  Status: 400
  Detail: DNS problem: SERVFAIL looking up A for example.com

• DNS problem: NXDOMAIN looking up A for example.com
  - check that a DNS record exists for this domain

• Error: Could not issue a Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS certificate for example.com. Authorization for the domain failed.
  Details
  Invalid response from https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org/acme/authz/0VWhDoTjEzzwPXNzPHd-zO73YAdXa8qgyac7eEiPQqY.
  Details:
  Type: urn:acme:error:connection
  Status: 400
  Detail: unknownHost :: No valid IP addresses found for example.com

If yes, our Support Engineers have a solution for you. This specific scenario may also result in not being able to resolve the domain name against global DNS resolvers

 # dig example.com @8.8.8.8 +short

According to our Support Techs, this error is due to a non-existent record or incomplete DNS propagation.

Solutions for SERVFAIL looking up A for example.com failure

Our Support Team recommends adding A record for the domain to resolve the error. If we are not sure which NS servers are managing DNS for the domain, this is how we get the job done:

1. First, head to the online NS record checker.
2. Next, verify if NS servers are the same as Domains > example.com > DNS Settings. If yes, then Plesk is managing DNS, else, a third-party DNS server is in use.

In case, Plesk is managing DNS, here are the steps:

1. First, log in to Plesk.
2. Then head to Plesk > Domains > example.com > DNS Settings > Add Record and add record (type A) for the domain as seen in the image below and click OK:

However, if DNS is managed by a third-party DNS provider, our Support Techs recommend contacting the domain provider in order to add the appropriate A record.

[Looking for a solution to another query? We are just a click away.]

Conclusion

To sum up, our skilled Support Engineers at Bobcares demonstrated how to resolve the error: SERVFAIL looking up A for example.com.