This tutorial explains how to set up a secondary DNS zone in IONOS Cloud by running a bind9 server on an Ubuntu operating system. The setup includes the following configuration steps:
Set up a Dedicated Core server in IONOS Cloud.
Configure a primary nameserver on a Dedicated Core Server in IONOS Cloud running a bind9 server on an Ubuntu operating system.
Create a secondary DNS zone using IONOS Cloud DNS API.
Establish and verify the zone transfer between primary and secondary zones.
Set up a Dedicated Core Server in IONOS Cloud
Note:
The user who creates the server has full root or administrator access rights. A server, once provisioned, retains all its settings (resources, drive allocation, password, and so on), even after server restart at the operating system level.
The server will only be removed from your virtual data center once you delete it in the DCD.
To set up a Dedicated Core server in IONOS Cloud, follow these steps:
1. Create a Dedicated Core server and configure the server in the Settings tab by following the steps in Create a Dedicated Core Server.
3. LAN: Select the LAN connection that is connected to the internet, by default LAN 1.
4. Firewall: By default, the firewall is disabled. To enable firewall rules, make sure that incoming and outgoing traffic is allowed on port 53 for UDP and TCP.
5. IPv4 Configuration: Leave to default values.
Result: The Network settings for a Dedicated Core server are configured.
Dedicated Core Server storage settings
Warning: The storage type cannot be changed after provisioning.
In the DCD > Inspector pane on the right, configure the following storage details in the Storage tab.
1. Click SSD and a new pop-up window Create New Attached Storage appears.
2. Configure the following storage details:
Name: Enter a name that is unique within your VDC.
Availability Zone: Leave on "Auto".
Size in GB: Enter "30" which is sufficient for this tutorial.
Performance: Select "Standard".
Image: You can select one of IONOS images or snapshots, or use your own. For this tutorial, we will use an Ubuntu server image from IONOS. To make the same choice, select ubuntu-22.04-server-cloudimg-amd64 under IONOS Images.
Password: Create a password for the "root" user of the server. You will need this password to SSH and make changes.
SSH Keys: Select an SSH key stored in the SSH Key Manager.
Ad-hoc SSH Key: If you have not created an SSH key, copy and paste the public part of your SSH key into this field.
Cloud-Init user data: Leave on "No configuration".
Boot from Device: Select this checkbox to make the SSD drive bootable.
3. Click Create SSD Storage to create the SSD storage.
Result: The Storage settings for a Dedicated Core server are configured.
Provision changes and start the Dedicated Core Server
1. Select the newly created Dedicated Core server.
2. From the Settings tab in the Inspector pane, select Power > Start.
3. Click Provision Changes in the lower right corner and further click Provision Now.
Result: The Dedicated Core server is provisioned and started.
Next steps: After your changes are provisioned and the server is started, select your Dedicated Core server, click the Network tab in the Inspector pane and copy the IPv4 address.
Configure a Dedicated Core Server as a primary nameserver
Prerequisite: A Dedicated Core server in IONOS Cloud needs to be set up and you must have the IPv4 address of the server.
To configure a Dedicated Core server and enable it to act as the primary nameserver, follow these steps:
1. SSH into the newly created Dedicated Core server.
Result: The Dedicated Core server is configured as the primary nameserver in IONOS Cloud running a bind9 server on an Ubuntu operating system.
Create a secondary zone in IONOS Cloud DNS
Prerequisite: A Dedicated Core server in IONOS Cloud is set up as a primary nameserver.
To create a secondary zone in the IONOS Cloud DNS by using the REST API, follow this step:
Send a POST request to the /secondaryzones endpoint.
curl--location'https://dns.de-fra.ionos.com/secondaryzones' \--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \--header 'Authorization: Bearer eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJraWQiO' \--data '{ "properties": { "zoneName": "primary-zone.de", "description": "This is a secondary zone for primary-zone.de in IONOS Cloud DNS", "primaryIps": [ "<IP-ADDRESS>" ] }}'
Response
{"id":"bdae7da0-0363-49d7-929d-92992786efe1","type":"secondaryzone","href":"/secondaryzones/bdae7da0-0363-49d7-929d-92992786efe1","metadata":{"createdDate":"2023-08-06T19:36:58+00:00","lastModifiedDate":"2023-08-06T19:36:59+00:00","nameservers": ["nscs.ui-dns.com","nscs.ui-dns.de","nscs.ui-dns.org","nscs.ui-dns.biz" ],"state":"AVAILABLE" },"properties":{"description":"This is a secondary zone for test-dns-public.info in IONOS Cloud DNS","primaryIps": ["<IP-ADDRESS>" ],"zoneName":"test-dns-public.info" }}
Result: A secondary zone in IONOS Cloud DNS is successfully created By using a POST request.
Verify zone transfer
On the primary nameserver, you can verify the zone transfer in the logs by executing the following command:
root@ubuntu:~#journalctl--unitnamed--followAug0714:43:39ubuntunamed[2666]:client@0x7f467825b958212.227.123.26#33308 (primary-zone.de): transfer of 'primary-zone.de/IN': AXFR started (serial2017060104)Aug0714:43:39ubuntunamed[2666]:client@0x7f467825b958212.227.123.26#33308 (primary-zone.de): transfer of 'primary-zone.de/IN': AXFR ended: 1 messages, 8 records, 299 bytes, 0.001 secs (299000bytes/sec) (serial2017060104)
You can also verify zone transfer status using IONOS Cloud DNS API:
Result: The zone transfer between primary and secondary zones is successfully verified.
Add a record
To add a record, follow these steps:
1. On the primary nameserver, update the zone with a new record setting—A record to a TEST-NET-3 IP address:
root@ubuntu:~#dig+shortwww.primary-zone.de@ns.ui-global-dns.com217.160.0.148root@ubuntu:~#nsupdate> server 127.0.0.1> zone primary-zone.de> update add www2.primary-zone.de. 600 IN A 203.0.113.1> send> quit
