per server NS records

chml

Hi guys,

I'm kind of new with Enhance, I've beed testing it for about two weeks and decided it's a go.

I need to create an Enhance cluster with about ten app servers (OLS, mariadb, dns), and, according to customer's instructions, each server must have their own name servers, so that websites hosted on server 5 only have associated ns1.server5.bla and ns2.server5.bla.

For this, I have to add all app servers name servers to the general cluster name servers, creating a huge list of 20 name servers, two for each app server.

Enhance does a great job allowing distributed dns along the entire cluster, but in my case this doesn't work well, as when creating a new website, let's call it example.com, it populates all NS records of the new websites will all 20 name servers at cluster level.

All websites are created from withing whmcs customer account, using enhance whmcs module.

As my experience is limited here, do you have any suggestion how to setup Enhance cluster so at every new website creation, dns zones to be populated only with NS records associated with the particular server websites resides on, and not the whole cluster-wide list?

I appreciate your reply, thanks!

Isaia-Arknet_PTY_LTD

chml

this is an easy fix!

For weird requirements, have weirder solutions 🙂

For each server + own DNS create 1 Cluster.
license cost is not much more expensive as enhance is very affordable and paid per domain.

Control panels can be hosted all on a virtualised server.

Name servers can be distributed as per need, you can have them all local virtualised or spread on vps across the universe 🙂

On each server you install whatever you need.

Problem solved 🙂

Isaia-Arknet_PTY_LTD

chml

There is another solution as well.

Tell you client the way web works and go with a solution that is industry standard and functional.
Client might consider it 🙂

XN-Matt

It’s not designed to work this way so per server name servers isn’t a feature.

All name servers get all zones so you don’t need them per server.

mbe81

Also, if you only have NS records pointing to a single server, you don't have redundancy. If your server is offline, your DNS does not resolve anymore. This will be at least an issue with mail delivery. If an MX-record is found but the MX-server is offline, mail servers will queue the mail to deliver it at a later moment. If no MX-records are there, the will fail.

So, just setup two (or three) nameservers and use them for all the domains.

chml

I do know that I'll lose redundancy, but this is customer request, and as long as he's paying the bills, he's the one making tech requirements.

For now, I manually delete all NS records for new accounts, keeping only those associated with the app server domain resides on. But it's lot of hard manual work for nothing.

Thank guys for your replies, any other suggestions are welcome.

rdbf

chml but this is customer request, and as long as he's paying the bills, he's the one making tech requirements.

Has the customer explained why he wants this? Because if it's because of some misunderstanding of how DNS works, it's a waste for everyone involved that a little education can fix.

cosmoshosting

Nah, this is a requirement you need to slap your client as having retarded requirements and expectations with. Had this argument with resellers before. It's often either an education problem or the client needs to get on some new meds.

Have 2-3 GOOD reliable name servers setup on different networks for the entire operation and set them up as Vanity Name Servers for your clients. Alternatively disable DNS all together and let them use a third-party DNS provider via an api.

chml For now, I manually delete all NS records for new accounts, keeping only those associated with the app server domain resides on

This will F--- you over when the zones try to resync (DNS changes, backup restores, updates etc). Manually modifying DNS zones is something I'd start chopping off people fingers off for unless they had a very good reason for it.

If he insists on it, might as well go directadmin, cPanel, or their own 'private' enhance cluster if you want one entire non-distributed stack.

ronald

I struggle to see the benefits or the purpose. You would loose redundancy and can become a much more tedious task (in the future) when changes to the stack is needed later on?

XN-Matt

Isaia-Arknet_PTY_LTD Yes!

Tell them to look at the likes of Google et all and that they don't run nameservers on each web/app server they have.

The customers has a cPanel/Plesk single server mentality.

gmakhs

Whats the point of having different name servers?
The Stronger FEATURE enhance has against other panels is how the nameservers are handled and website migrations.... you want to remove that so maybe its better if you use another panel :/

chml

Hi guys,

Thank you all for getting into this. I know you are trying to help. I was looking for a (easy) tech solution for this.

As a hosting provider myself, I know this customer doesn't follow best industry practices, but he has he's reasons which I am aware of, but not authorized to tell.

I cannot run multiple enhance clusters because of the limitation of the whmcs module. In case you don't know: if you run multiple clusters with whmcs (I run two, one for testing, one for prod), you cannot have the same customer in both (or multiple) clusters. The module will fail when creating orgID on the second cluster.

Si I'm running out of options here, and I have to get back to an old style single server panel. I'm still looking for a cheap and reliable one.

mbe81

chml

If you really want it, you can use the API to update and delete unneeded DNS-records. Make a script that gets all websites via the API including the server they run on, extract the connected domains, delete all unneeded NS records via the DNS API and run the script every day to update new domains.

XN-Matt

Best thing would be to adjust the module to your specific needs then.

Have a lookup table for the server ID and orgID, if you already have an entry for server ID where this matches, then set to use the same orgID.

Would solve that issue and allow you to run this "unique" setup 😉

Andrei

Sometimes clients think in a backwards way. Instead of telling you what problem they are trying to solve, they tell you what they assume it’s the solution to that problem, and ask you to do it.

Ask them why they want this, make them tell you the problem, not the solution. It is your role as the expert to come up with the solution, not the client.

Some understand this and are willing to communicate what they need and trust you to come up with a solution, while others are narcissistic psychopaths who just want to control you and manipulate you, setting you up for failure with unrealistic demands and expectations.