SdNOG DNS infrastructure

SDNOG DNS Structure Using PowerDNS

Overview

The SDNOG DNS infrastructure is designed for high availability and reliability. It consists of a hidden master DNS server and two publicly visible secondary DNS servers, all running PowerDNS. This structure ensures secure DNS management and effective load distribution.

Structure

Hidden Master DNS Server

• Role: Manages DNS zone files and makes updates. This server is not publicly accessible.
• Software: PowerDNS Authoritative Server
• Responsibilities: Primary source for DNS data, handles updates, and replicates changes to secondary servers.
• Access: Users do not interact with this server directly. Zone management is done through the PowerDNS web GUI "https://powerdns.sdnog.sd".

Public Secondary DNS Servers

• Role: Serve DNS records to the public, providing redundancy and load balancing.
• Software: PowerDNS Authoritative Server
• Responsibilities: Retrieve and serve DNS data from the master server.
• DNS Names:

     -  ns1.hosting.sdnog.sd 

     -  ns2.hosting.sdnog.sd 

User Interaction

Users need to contact their Domain provider (eg. for .sd domains contact Sudan Internet Society) to map their domain’s NS records to the SDNOG public secondary servers. They will manage their DNS zones using the PowerDNS web GUI provided by the hidden master server. Changes made in the master server are automatically replicated to the secondary servers.

Prerequisites

Three servers with PowerDNS installed: one hidden master and two public secondaries. Proper network configuration and access controls. Basic understanding of DNS and PowerDNS configuration.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Install PowerDNS on All Servers

On each server (master and secondaries), install PowerDNS Authoritative Server. This example uses a Debian-based system:

 
 sudo apt update
 sudo apt install pdns-server pdns-backend-mysql
 

follow this page to setup DB: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-and-configure-powerdns-with-a-mariadb-backend-on-ubuntu-14-04

2. Configure the Hidden Master DNS Server

Edit the PowerDNS Configuration File

Open /etc/powerdns/pdns.conf and configure the following parameters:

 
 master=yes
 allow-axfr-ips=IP_OF_SECONDARY1,IP_OF_SECONDARY2
 webserver=yes
 webserver-address=127.0.0.1
 webserver-port=8081
 

Replace IP_OF_SECONDARY1 and IP_OF_SECONDARY2 with the IP addresses of the secondary servers. Ensure the web server is only accessible from internal IPs or localhost.

Set Up the Database

Configure the database connection in /etc/powerdns/pdns.conf. For mysql:

mysql -u powerdns_user -p USE powerdns;

Next we will crate a new row in the supermasters table. This row will specify the master server IP address, and the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the slave server we are currently configuring.

insert into supermasters values ('111.111.111.111', 'ns2.example-dns.com', 'admin');

Add DNS Zones

Use the PowerDNS web GUI or pdnsutil tool to add and manage DNS zones:

 
 pdnsutil create-zone example.com
 pdnsutil add-record example.com www A 192.0.2.1
 

Restart PowerDNS

 
 sudo systemctl restart pdns
 

3. Configure the Public Secondary DNS Servers

Edit the PowerDNS Configuration File

On each secondary server, open /etc/powerdns/pdns.conf and configure:

 
 master=no
 

Set Up Zone Transfers

Configure the secondary servers to request zone transfers from the master server:

 
 notify-axfr-ips=MASTER_IP
 

Replace MASTER_IP with the IP address of the hidden master server.

Reload DNS Zones

Use the pdnsutil tool to add the zones as secondary:

 
 pdnsutil add-zone example.com ns1.hosting.sdnog.sd
 

Restart PowerDNS

 
 sudo systemctl restart pdns
 

4. Update NS Records

Contact your Domain provider (eg.the Sudan Internet Society) to map your domain’s NS records to:

ns1.hosting.sdnog.sd ns2.hosting.sdnog.sd

5. Verify the Configuration

Test DNS resolution and replication using tools like dig:

 
 dig @ns1.hosting.sdnog.sd example.com
 dig @ns2.hosting.sdnog.sd example.com
 

Ensure that updates on the master are correctly replicated to the secondary servers.

Troubleshooting

• Check Logs: Review logs in /var/log/syslog or /var/log/pdns.log for errors.
• Verify Connectivity: Ensure all servers communicate properly and that firewalls are correctly configured.
• Zone Transfer Issues: Confirm that allow-axfr-ips and notify-axfr-ips are set correctly.

Author

• Author: Manhal Mohamed , Sdnog Team