DNS Cluster Configuration,

DNSOnly & DNS Admin

Presenters:
Dave Lanning & Jesse Asklund

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Dave Lanning

• Studied Computer Science and Discreet

Mathematics at Texas State University
• Began working in Webhosting in 2005
• Started at cPanel in November 2007
• Currently a Level III Technical Analyst with
cPanel and a member of the new Migrations
Team

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Jesse Asklund

• Began working in Webhosting at in 2003

• Started at cPanel in July 2007
• Currently a Technical Analyst, and the Migration
Team Coordinator at cPanel

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Synopsis

• What are DNS Clusters?

• How the synchronization process works
• Cluster Topology
• Cluster Maintenance/Administration
• Cluster Troubleshooting

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 What is a DNS cluster anyway?
• In its simplest form a DNS Server is a single
machine connecting a domain name to an IP

• A DNS Cluster is a group of DNS Servers working

together as a robust infrastructure telling the world
what IP a domain is associated with

• Most of the world’s DNS Clusters are Master/Slave

• In the eyes of cPanel Master/Slave DNS Clustering
is not an acceptable solution

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 The cPanel DNS Cluster

• We take DNS clustering far past Master/Slave

• WHM allows you to configure as many cluster

nodes as you wish

• cPanel offers a FREE DNS-Only WHM version

DNS-Only installer
http://httpupdate.cpanel.net/latest-dnsonly

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 How the Synchronization Process Works

The main WHM process cpsrvd drives the cluster mechanism via dnsadmin
• /usr/local/cpanel/cpsrvd ( non-SSL via port 2086 )
- /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/bin/dnsadmin
• /usr/local/cpanel/cpsrvd-ssl ( SSL driven via port 2087 )
- /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/bin/dnsadmin-ssl

1. cpsrvd spans all cluster members locating zone files of the same name
2. The serial number within each zone is referenced
3. The zone containing the largest serial number is copied to all cluster
members
Sunday, October 18, 2009
 Single Server DNS

• WHM offers 3 choices for

standalone DNS configuration
• Cached DNS via BIND
• DNS via NSD
• Disabled DNS

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Creating your cluster Schema

The One-To-One WHM Cluster

one WHM node clustered with another WHM node

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Creating your cluster Schema
Multiple WHM node-to-node Clustering
More than 2 Fully Functional WHM Servers

Scenario - 8 WHM machines

- Each set to “synchronize changes”
- Every DNS edit would cause each WHM
machines to run a sync process
➡49 connections would take place
✴7 valid and 42 wasted connections
In relative terms if 1000 dnsadmin requests
were to take place that would net 42000
useless connections.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Creating your cluster Schema
DNS-Only Clustering
1 or more WHM nodes + 1 or more WHM DNS-Only nodes

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Creating your cluster Schema
Improper Cluster Arrangements
The Daisy Chain
A node connecting to a node ... connecting to a node ... connecting to a node ... connecting to a node ...

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Creating your cluster Schema
Improper Cluster Arrangements
The Chicken vs The Egg Cluster “Arrangement”
A node connecting to a node ... connecting to something ... arguing with a node ... connecting to Sarah
Jessica Parker looking like a horse ... why am I here?

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Creating Your Cluster
• Login to WHM
Main >> Cluster/Remote Access >> Configure Cluster
• Click “Enable DNS Clustering”
• Click “Change”
• Click “Return to Cluster Status”

★ Clustering is now enabled – Now nodes must be configured

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 • Cluster Administration
Creating Your Cluster
• Below the “Add a new server to the cluster section within
Main >> Cluster/Remote Access >> Configure Cluster
you will see “Server Ip Address”.
• Enter the IP of the node you wish to add to the cluster and
click Configure.

• The Create A Trust

Relationship page should now
be displayed.
‣ Reseller vs Root
Cluster configuration

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Creating Your Cluster
The Server Remote Access Key

• Obtaining the Server Remote Access key of the node via WHM
Main >> Cluster/Remote Access >> Setup Remote Access Key
• Obtaining Server Remote Access Key via Command Line Interface ( SSH )
✴ located within file /root/.accesshash

‣ Recreating the Remote Access key access key from WHM

Main >> Cluster/Remote Access >> Setup Remote Access Key
✓ Click Generate New Key
‣ Recreation of the Remote Access key from Command Line Interface ( SSH )
/usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/bin/whostmgr ./sethashpwd

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Creating Your Cluster
The Server Remote Access Key

• Once all fields are properly filled out – Click Submit

✓ You should now see output describing the addition of
the node into the Trust Relationship

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Assigning DNS Roles

• Login to your WHM node

Main >> Cluster/Remote Access >> Configure Cluster
• Each cluster member will display it's Hostname, IP Address, Username, Status, and DNS Role.

Here you can see that our machine is set to Synchronize DNS changes to the
DNS-Only machines but not the WHM node.
• Machines you wish to send records to should have the Sync Role
• Machines you wish to Simply read records from should be set to Standalone

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Maintaining your cluster
Cluster Synchronization
Synchronizing a zone from the cluster to the local machine
‣ via WHM
Main >> DNS Functions >> Synchronize DNS Records >>

‣ via SSH
/scripts/dnscluster synczonelocal domain.tld

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Maintaining your cluster
Cluster Synchronization

Synchronizing all zones from the cluster to the local machine

‣ via WHM
Main >> DNS Functions >> Synchronize DNS Records >>

‣ via SSH
/scripts/dnscluster synczalllocal --full

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Maintaining your cluster
Cluster Synchronization
Synchronizing one zone within the cluster

‣ via WHM
Main >> DNS Functions >> Synchronize DNS Records >>

‣ via SSH
/scripts/dnscluster synczone domain.tld

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Maintaining your cluster
Cluster Synchronization
Synchronizing all local zones within the cluster

‣ via WHM
Main >> DNS Functions >> Synchronize DNS Records >>

‣ via SSH
/scripts/dnscluster syncall

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Maintaining your cluster
Cluster Synchronization
Synchronizing all zones within the cluster

‣ via WHM
Main >> DNS Functions >> Synchronize DNS Records >>

‣ via SSH
/scripts/dnscluster syncall --full

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Maintaining your cluster
Proper Zone Administration
Editing Zones

‣ Via WHM
•DNS Alterations within WHM will always be your best bet

‣Via SSH/CLI
• Stick to ee, vi/vim, nano/pico -w
• Remember to increment the Serial number within zone file
• Finalized? Then sync.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Maintaining your cluster
Proper Zone Administration
Zone Creation and Termination
‣ Via WHM
Main >> DNS Functions >> Add a DNS Zone
&
Main >> DNS Functions >> Delete a DNS Zone

‣Via SSH/CLI
• Use /scripts/adddns & /scripts/killdns

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Troubleshooting your cluster
• Are your machines able to reach ports 2086/2087 on peers?
➡ Telnet from one host machine to another via those ports to test

vs.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Troubleshooting your cluster
• Use DNSADMIN’s GETZONELIST
/usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/bin/dnsadmin ( 2086 - non-SSL)
/usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/bin/dnsadmin-ssl ( 2087 - SSL)

1) Start DNSADMIN - /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/bin/dnsadmin - <press Enter>

2) Give your command - GETZONELIST <press Enter>
3) Execute the command - <press CTRL+d>

Sunday, October 18, 2009

 Cluster Administration
Troubleshooting your cluster
• Use DNSADMIN’s GETZONE
/usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/bin/dnsadmin ( 2086 - non-SSL)
/usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/bin/dnsadmin-ssl ( 2087 - SSL)

1) Start DNSADMIN - /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/bin/dnsadmin - <press Enter>

2) Give your command - GETZONE <press Enter>
3) Specify the zone - zone=domain.tld <press Enter>
3) Execute the command - <press CTRL+d>
Sunday, October 18, 2009
 Questions & Answers

Sunday, October 18, 2009