Bind9 - distro, ylmcc, wizzdom

bind9 is our DNS provider. Currently it runs on paphos, but this will change in the near future.

Configuration

The config files for bind are located in /etc/bind/master/. The most important files in this directory are:

• db.Redbrick.dcu.ie
• db.Rb.dcu.ie
• various other files for other socs and members

Warning

You must never update this file without following the steps below first!

Updating DNS

To update DNS:

1. Change directory to /etc/bind/master

Bash

cd /etc/bind/master

1. Back up the db.Redbrick.dcu.ie file, usually to db.Redbrick.dcu.ie.bak

Bash

cp db.Redbrick.dcu.ie{,.bak}

1. Stop changes to the file affecting DNS while you edit it

Bash

rndc freeze redbrick.dcu.ie

1. Edit db.Redbrick.dcu.ie
2. Before changing any DNS entry in the file, you must edit the serial number on 4. You can increment it by one if
   you want, or follow the format: YYYYMMDDrev where rev is revision. For example:

db.Redbrick.dcu.ie

2024033106 ; serial

1. Once you are happy with your file, you can check it with:

Bash

named-checkzone redbrick.dcu.ie db.Redbrick.dcu.ie

1. If this returns no errors, you are free to thaw the DNS freeze:

Bash

rndc thaw redbrick.dcu.ie

1. Check the status of bind9:

Bash

service bind9 status

1. You can access more logs from bind9 by checking /var/log/named/default.log:

Bash

tail -n 20 /var/log/named/default.log

Note

Once you have verified that everything is working properly. Add your changes and commit them to git.