virtual nameservers vs normal nameserver setup

[Djunity]

Hi all,

I would like to start a little discussion to see how others think about the following.

As we all know ipv4 ip addresses are running short and every one try's to spare them.

If you sell reseller hosting many resellers want there own nameservers so it will cost 2 ip adresses how ever you can select create virtual nameservers instead.
So basicly if you are going to create all nameservers virtual you can host all nameservers of all resellers with 2 ip addresses instead of more.

To do you off course first have to assing the ip's to an reseller create the virtual nameservers remove the ip's from the reseller and start over.

What do you thinks is the best technical way to use the nameservers add then with static own ip addresses or virtual as i discrib above.

 

[nobaloney]

We always use virtual nameservers. My understanding is that the only difference is that virtual nameservers don't need the IP#s on the same server and don't try to start them. Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

My understanding is that when an IP# is added to a server BIND will always answer on that IP# whether or not it's specifically configured anywhere, and if that's true, virtual nameservers are all you need.

Again, someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Jeff

 

[DirectAdmin Support]

Hello,

I've got an older guide here on some basic nameserver faqs with DA:
http://help.directadmin.com/item.php?id=283

In any case, I coined the term "virtual nameservers" back when it was added so that the nameserver field didn't need to add the value to the IP.
The differences with a "virtual" vs "full" set of NSs is nothing more than cosmetics: an NS being virtual does not change much with regards to what DA does to create them.. except leaves the IP config file alone (doesn't set a "nameserver" field in the IP config).

You do not need to assign a Reseller any IPs to create virtual NSs.
When the checkbox is selected for a virtual NS.
There is no need to select *any* IPs
DA will then go find IPs to use for ns1/ns2 that you just created.. and the values it will use will be whatever the ns1/ns2 values in:
Admin Level -> Admin Settings -> ns1/ns2
resolve to. So those 2 main ns values are what all virtual NSs will use.

Once those IPs are resolved, DA adds the 2 "A" records for ns1 and ns2 in to the selected domain's zone.
It also does the logic of who to add the values to (user.conf, reseller.conf, NS records, etc..) like for main nameservers.
eg: Depending who owns the domain will determine where DA sets the ns1/ns2 values in the conf files (but this is the same as for full nameservers)


And yes, named returns values from any IP queried (with a DA setup).
It really makes no different which IP you set them to, as long as they resolve to any IP on a box that hosts the the zones.

John