Primary Domain & Server Domain

[nobaloney]

I'm not sure what you're asking about your name server A records. Your nameserver A records must be in the nameserver(s) domain(s). NS records point to nameservers and should be in every domain using those nameservers. You can set that up by setting up virtual nameservers in DirectAdmin; at least that's how we do it. Note that if you set up virtual nameservers DirectAdmin doesn't check the IP#s (as they could be on different servers), so be sure you do it right.

Also make sure the nameservers themselves are registered at the registry where the domain is registered. How you do that differs from registrar to registrar; you must ask them.

Jeff

 

[IT_Architect]

Your nameserver A records must be in the nameserver(s) domain(s). NS records point to nameservers and should be in every domain using those nameservers. You can set that up by setting up virtual nameservers in DirectAdmin; at least that's how we do it. Note that if you set up virtual nameservers DirectAdmin doesn't check the IP#s (as they could be on different servers), so be sure you do it right.Jeff

The hostersdomain.com zone would normally look be like this
hostersdomain.com. A 70.70.70.10
ftp A 70.70.70.10
localhost A 127.0.0.1
mail A 70.70.70.10
ns1.hostersdomain.com. A 70.70.70.10
ns2.hostersdomain.com. A 70.70.70.11
pop A 70.70.70.10
server A 70.70.70.10
www A 70.70.70.10
hostersdomain.com. NS ns1.hostersdomain.com.
hostersdomain.com. NS ns2.hostersdomain.com.
mail MX 10
hostersdomain.com. TXT "v=spf1 a mx ip4:70.70.70.10 ?all"

If I were to add A records for 2 other servers they would look like this.
server2.hostersdomain.com A 70.70.71.10
server3.hostersdomain.com A 70.70.72.10

The user domains on these two additional servers have their name servers located on their local server and thus the name servers' running on them and hosting their zones must have A and NS records that point to the local machine where their zone resides. It appears that Floyd indicates this:
ns1.server2.hostersdomain.com A 70.70.71.10
ns2.server2.hostersdomain.com A 70.70.71.11
server2.hostersdomain.com. NS ns1.server2.hostersdomain.com.
server2.hostersdomain.com. NS ns2.server2.hostersdomain.com.

ns1.server3.hostersdomain.com A 70.70.72.10
ns2.server3.hostersdomain.com A 70.70.72.11
server3.hostersdomain.com. NS ns1.server3.hostersdomain.com.
server3.hostersdomain.com. NS ns2.server3.hostersdomain.com.

Using server 3 as an example:
I would register as name servers:
ns1.server3.hostersdomain.com
ns2.server3.hostersdomain.com

At the reseller level on the server you would add:
Name Server 1: ns1.server3.hostersdomain.com
Name Server 2: ns2.server3.hostersdomain.com

The domain owner would go to the registrar and enter these as his name servers for usersdomain.com:
ns1.server3.hostersdomain.com
ns2.server3.hostersdomain.com

If that's the case, I've never tried or seen anything like that.

 

[nobaloney]

You've lost me completely.

Jeff

 

[IT_Architect]

You've lost me completely.

The responses and the lack thereof have made it crystal clear to all that the reason my questions are not being answered is it would expose the simple truth that unless one sets up DirectAdmin with a primary domain on each server, he works against the inbuilt DNS automation. The best way to set up a primary domain is to use a non-production domain for that role to insure there will never be a requirement to move it since, unless every domain on the server were to register their own name servers, other domains on the server will list the primary domain name servers in their DNS settings at the registrar. If you have a primary domain for the server, it only makes sense to use a server name that is part of the primary domain, rather than have all servers be part of another domain, to insure there will not be a single point of failure for the domain resolution of multiple servers.

 

[floyd]

Floyd puts all of his servers in a single domain. The zone they are a member of does not reside on the same server as the host itself. He apparently uses a 4th level for his name servers in the same zone. That's the confirmation I'm requesting in the preceding question. What is puzzling to me is what his zones look like.

You mean like:

ns1.server2.newwebsite.com	IN	A	70.70.71.10
ns2.server2.newwebsite.com	IN	A	70.70.71.11

I don't understand the confusion. Surely you know how to set up DNS zones.

 

[floyd]

The responses and the lack thereof have made it crystal clear to all that the reason my questions are not being answered

Your questions have been answered. But this is a volunteer organization. I cannot monitor the forum 24/7. So sometimes you may have to wait. If you would like to hire us or anybody else then you will get priority service.

is it would expose the simple truth that unless one sets up DirectAdmin with a primary domain on each server,

No such thing as "primary domain."

he works against the inbuilt DNS automation. The best way to set up a primary domain is to use a non-production domain for that role to insure there will never be a requirement to move it since,

Why would there be a requirement to move it? Move what?

unless every domain on the server were to register their own name servers, other domains on the server will list the primary domain name servers in their DNS settings at the registrar.

Every domain on a server will, at the registrar, list the nameservers assigned to it at the registrar by the domain owner. The dns zones will list the nameservers in the reseller settings by default but these can be changed to match the registrar listings.

If you have a primary domain for the server, it only makes sense to use a server name that is part of the primary domain, rather than have all servers be part of another domain, to insure there will not be a single point of failure for the domain resolution of multiple servers.

Single point of failure true to some extent. But that is not what you asked originally.

All the subdomain nameservers will still work for the most part because they are listed in the root nameservers.

I know what you are saying and what you are doing. And that is one valid way of doing it. But its not the only way and there are pros and cons to all the different ways of doing things.

 

[IT_Architect]

No such thing as "primary domain."

http://www.directadmin.com/installguide.html
Important: The hostname should not be the same as the primary domain name.

The primary domain name has been part of the form for every dedicated server we've ever purchased with a control panel. That includes cPanel, Plesk, and DirectAdmin. We could not even complete the signup process without one.

 

[floyd]

See the rest of the paragraph:

The hostname should not be the same as the primary domain name. e.g. gary.com is not a good hostname, where server.gary.com is. Having the same host/main domain name will cause e-mail and FTP problems. Also, please make sure the hostname resolves once you setup DNS.

If you are going to have gary.com on the server then the hostname needs to be different than gary.com.

The emphasis is on the hostname being unique and different. gary.com is the primary domain of the hostname server.gary.com. That is what they mean by primary domain. But as far as the server itself there is no primary domain. gary.com will be treated the same as any other domain on the server. But gary.com does not have to exist on that particular server at all. It can exist on another server and have dns set up for server.gary.com. You can have multiple servers set up for hostnames based on gary.com.

We keep going around and around on this. I feel like I keep saying the same things over and over again. I don't know how to make it any clearer. I hope somebody else can.

 

[nobaloney]

We've never had a domain under the user part of DirectAdmin's admin login. And I've already mentioned, in my first post on this thread, to use virtual nameservers.

Why? Because they're not checked against the server and they can be defined anywhere.

We're very happily using redundant DNS on nameservers all over the world, and we have no problem pointing domains to them.

Jeff

 

[IT_Architect]

We're very happily using redundant DNS on nameservers all over the world, and we have no problem pointing domains to them.

...unless one sets up DirectAdmin with a primary domain on each server, he works against the inbuilt DNS automation

You've elected not to use DirectAdmin's inbuilt DNS, no mystery there. One can do anything he wants to outside of DA. This entire conversation is about doing it within DA.

 

[nobaloney]

All our domains hosted on DirectAdmin use DirectAdmin to manage DNS on hidden masters, but we don't use DirectAdmin to tell other nameservers to slave our hidden masters, which are all DirectAdmin-based nameservers. I even wrote that we used the DirectAdmin facility to set up virtual nameservers.

The reason we don't use DirectAdmin to slave our hidden masters is because we don't want to have DirectAdmin licenses on our other nameservers; they're only nameservers and don't run anything else, because they host DNS for many tens of thousands of domains.

Surely the thousands of DirectAdmin users that aren't adding that they're having similar problems means that many are using DirectAdmin successfully to run DNS.

Or maybe they're all experts and we're the dummies . I'm no longer sure.

What I am sure is that this thread has served it's purpose. I'll leave it open for now, because there are always helpful posts out there waiting to be written, but let's not rehash this over and over again.

Thanks.

Jeff