charliekapper

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Aug 18, 2013
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Hello All,

I would like to create a DNS cluster so I can achieve the following:

Code:
webserver1 (ns1.domaina.com, ns2.domaina.com) ------ webserver2 (ns1.domaina.com, ns2.domaina.com)

Domain registrar glue record ns1.domaina.com + ns2.domaina.com to a webserver which has the domaina.com site on.
Exactly like godaddy.com uses ns1+2.godaddy.com then they have additional web servers just for clients which also use ns1+2.godaddy.com
So 1 server for just the domain's site, then 2 other web servers for clients.
Both webservers running whm/cpanel need to be able to use both name servers.

If I have 2 dns only servers 1 in europe and 1 in the united states, will the visitor be directed to whichever dns server is closest to them?

So both dns servers also need to be able to use ns1+2.domaina.com

Thanks
 

GIANT_CRAB

Well-Known Member
Mar 23, 2012
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Hello All,

I would like to create a DNS cluster so I can achieve the following:

Code:
webserver1 (ns1.domaina.com, ns2.domaina.com) ------ webserver2 (ns1.domaina.com, ns2.domaina.com)

Domain registrar glue record ns1.domaina.com + ns2.domaina.com to a webserver which has the domaina.com site on.
Exactly like godaddy.com uses ns1+2.godaddy.com then they have additional web servers just for clients which also use ns1+2.godaddy.com
So 1 server for just the domain's site, then 2 other web servers for clients.
Both webservers running whm/cpanel need to be able to use both name servers.

If I have 2 dns only servers 1 in europe and 1 in the united states, will the visitor be directed to whichever dns server is closest to them?

So both dns servers also need to be able to use ns1+2.domaina.com

Thanks
Hello,

According to RFCs, nameservers must be located in different geographical locations so you've done it correctly.

However, it will only probe the first name server and if the first name server fails, it will probe the second one.
In other words, no, it will not probe the most geographically closest DNS server.

You might want to look at State-of-the art DNS service for reasonable money for Anycast GeoDNS.
 

cPanelMichael

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 11, 2011
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Hello :)

A direct link between the web server and two nameservers is optimal. You can find documentation on this at:

cPanel - Configure Cluster

Thus, the configuration you suggested is acceptable. Keep in mind that both servers should have the same administrator. You would not want to configure this cluster for two separate servers not operated by the same company or person.

Thank you.
 

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charliekapper

Member
Aug 18, 2013
18
0
1
cPanel Access Level
Root Administrator
Hello :)

A direct link between the web server and two nameservers is optimal. You can find documentation on this at:

cPanel - Configure Cluster

Thus, the configuration you suggested is acceptable. Keep in mind that both servers should have the same administrator. You would not want to configure this cluster for two separate servers not operated by the same company or person.

Thank you.
Thanks very much.

When setting up cpanel dns only on both dns servers, is it possible for them both to host ns1+ns2.domaina.com?
Also when setting up whm it asks for nameserver1 and 2, do I set these to the dns servers?
I would glue each (or both) name servers to both dns servers, correct?
Also what would be the benefit of having the dns servers in europe and u.s if it doesn't provide faster results for closer listeners?

Cheers
 
Last edited:

cPanelMichael

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 11, 2011
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When setting up cpanel dns only on both dns servers, is it possible for them both to host ns1+ns2.domaina.com?
Yes, the "A" entries for NS1/NS2 should be added on one of the hosting servers. This will ensure the records are synced to both DNS-Only servers in the cluster.

Also when setting up whm it asks for nameserver1 and 2, do I set these to the dns servers?
Yes, these are the name servers that will be used in the DNS Zones for new accounts. You can configure the name servers for the cluster here if you plan to have new accounts use these name servers.

I would glue each (or both) name servers to both dns servers, correct?
There is no need to do this manually on each DNS-Only server. Simply do it on the hosting server and it will sync to both servers automatically when the cluster is configured.

Also what would be the benefit of having the dns servers in europe and u.s if it doesn't provide faster results for closer listeners?
It's a good idea to have them in different data centers in-case of a loss of connectivity on one name server is isolated to a data center. Geographical distribution of name servers may not really be helpful in the setup you have described.

Thank you.
 

charliekapper

Member
Aug 18, 2013
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Root Administrator
Yes, the "A" entries for NS1/NS2 should be added on one of the hosting servers. This will ensure the records are synced to both DNS-Only servers in the cluster.



Yes, these are the name servers that will be used in the DNS Zones for new accounts. You can configure the name servers for the cluster here if you plan to have new accounts use these name servers.



There is no need to do this manually on each DNS-Only server. Simply do it on the hosting server and it will sync to both servers automatically when the cluster is configured.



It's a good idea to have them in different data centers in-case of a loss of connectivity on one name server is isolated to a data center. Geographical distribution of name servers may not really be helpful in the setup you have described.

Thank you.
Ok thanks.

dns-only servers - choose bind or mydns?

name servers: ns1.domaina.com + ns2.domaina.com

What do i set the name servers on the dns only server1?
What do i set the name servers on the dns only server2?
what do i set the name servers on the whm/cpanel server?

what ip's do ns1+2 go to (dns1, dns2 or whm/cpanel)?

should I disable dns server on whm/cpanel upon setup?

I suppose dns server 2 will be just a backup and only be used if dns server 1 fails.

Also just wondering, What hardware specifications do you recommend just for the dns-only servers (minimum ram, minimum cpu, vps, dedicated server, intel atom cpu) (i'll be using centos 6.4)?

Thanks
 

cPanelMichael

Administrator
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Apr 11, 2011
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Bind is the default choice and is recommended for most systems. Your name servers should be the same on all DNS-Only and cPanel servers. NS1 should be the IP address of DNS-Only1. NS2 should be the IP address of DNS-Only2. You can disable Bind on the cPanel server but it's not required to do so. The installation requirements are the same as a standard cPanel installation. You can find them at:

System Requirements

Thank you.
 

charliekapper

Member
Aug 18, 2013
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Root Administrator
Bind is the default choice and is recommended for most systems. Your name servers should be the same on all DNS-Only and cPanel servers. NS1 should be the IP address of DNS-Only1. NS2 should be the IP address of DNS-Only2. You can disable Bind on the cPanel server but it's not required to do so. The installation requirements are the same as a standard cPanel installation. You can find them at:

System Requirements

Thank you.
Thanks.

For the 2 dns servers, what dns role should I choose to achieve the image below?


Also should I have reverse trust enabled?

On the whm/cpanel server, what dns role should I choose?
Also what dns service should I choose on whm (e.g. bind)?

Thanks, almost there!
 

cPanelMichael

Administrator
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Apr 11, 2011
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You can start with the first step at:

Add a new server to the cluster

It explains what to select for the DNS role and the purpose of the reverse trust option. Bind is the default choice and is fine for the cPanel/WHM server.

Thank you.
 

charliekapper

Member
Aug 18, 2013
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cPanel Access Level
Root Administrator
You can start with the first step at:

Add a new server to the cluster

It explains what to select for the DNS role and the purpose of the reverse trust option. Bind is the default choice and is fine for the cPanel/WHM server.

Thank you.
Thanks.

On the site it says "We do not recommend that you set up the nameserver to synchronize data to a web server", so should I choose write only for the web server?
Will this still work as shown in the image?

Thanks
 

cPanelMichael

Administrator
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That is essentially saying that you do not want to access WHM on the DNS-Only server and configure it to synchronize changes to the cPanel/WHM hosting server. Synchronization from the hosting server to the DNS-Only server is fine.

Thank you.
 

charliekapper

Member
Aug 18, 2013
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1
cPanel Access Level
Root Administrator
That is essentially saying that you do not want to access WHM on the DNS-Only server and configure it to synchronize changes to the cPanel/WHM hosting server. Synchronization from the hosting server to the DNS-Only server is fine.

Thank you.
I have the following:
DNS1: [Image-Removed]
DNS2: [Image-Removed]
WHM1: [Image-Removed]
WHM2: [Image-Removed]

Is this correct?

If I move an account from one cpanel server to another will the dns records update automatically?
 
Last edited by a moderator:

cPanelMichael

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 11, 2011
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Hello :)

Yes, the images you provided indicated an accurate configuration. Note that I removed the links to the third-party URLs. Please attach images directly to the post.

DNS records will update automatically when transferring an account. Note that you should ensure the zone is not terminated when you delete the account on the source server.

Thank you.