How To: Configure DNS Clustering in cPanel

[eUKShane]

For example, we will have 8 machines, broken down to 3 DNS machines and 5 hosting machines. We will label them as:

DNS1 = DNS Machine
DNS2 = DNS Machine
DNS3 = DNS Machine

SERVER1 = Hosting Server
SERVER2 = Hosting Server
SERVER3 = Hosting Server
SERVER4 = Hosting Server
SERVER5 = Hosting Server

Firstly, the DNS Servers (DNS1-3) will be exclusively DNS servers. No hosting will happen on these servers.

Login to WebHostingManager on each Hosting Server (SERVER1-5), navigate to the Cluster Managerment area and ADD DNS1 to each (You may need to go to DNS1 and mutually add a remote key for SERVER1-5).

Now set DNS1 as synchronizing in each of the hosting servers (SERVER1-5).

Next, You will now go to DNS1's WHM and enter the cluster management area, you should see SERVER 1-5 listed as standalone servers. Now add DNS2 and DNS3 to the cluster (You may need to login to DNS2 and DNS3 and mutually add DNS1 to the respective cluster)

After Added, You will set DNS2 and DNS3 to Synchronize Changes.

Followoing this, load DNS2 and DNS3's WHM and go into the cluster management area and set each to synchronize with DNS1

You should now see the following on each servers:

DNS1: All servers in cluster listed, SERVER1-5 (standalone) and DNS2-3 (synchronize)
DNS2: DNS1 listed to Synchronize
DNS3: DNS1 listed to Synchronize

SERVER1: SERVER1 listed to Synchronize
SERVER2: SERVER1 listed to Synchronize
SERVER3: SERVER1 listed to Synchronize
SERVER4: SERVER1 listed to Synchronize
SERVER5: SERVER1 listed to Synchronize

That's it !

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Best Regards,
UKShane
http://www.eukhost.com

[Fidget]

It would be great if we could turn this into a comprehensive tutorial for clustering and running a failover service at varying levels of cost. 8 machines is pretty costly, could this be done with just 2 machines running both DNS and hosting?

Can you explain how the synchornisation takes place in the set up you describe? I mean would your set up mean that DNS2 & 3 would read the DNS records from DNS 1, etc, etc.

How can you create a failover solution using the clustering method, presumably you'd also need some sort of data synchronisation software (Xen, VMWare)??

[swexpert]

I could not understand the object of this post To setup DNS's in Cpanel so that new userss' domains get added to the DNSes in whm/cpanel?

Good question, Fidget! But it needs a multi-step tutorial. You can setup two identical machines as a cluster, yes. But consider load-balancing too. As a small cost-effective fail-over solution, as an ISP use a combination of Squid and Piranha could serve the purpose. Other Clustering software are many these days, openmosix.sourceforge.net is a popular one. I'm talking Linux BTW.


Read this http://freshmeat.net/articles/view/458/ when you have the time.

Wait for server 2008 which will have a lot of option for "virtual machines" on Windows Side.

In todays world of RAIDs and SANs, data synchronization is not much of an issue.

Hope that helps a bit.

Regds
IJ

[Fidget]

Thanks! I've added that to my read list for this weekend. Wont be touching windows servers though

I'm really interested in running a low cost failover solution using two VPS Hostings and a DNS server running on another failover setup. Whether the two VPS Hostings could handle the data synchronisation is another issue and that'll take some experimentation I guess.

Perhaps this should be a separate thread?

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by Fidget

Thanks! I've added that to my read list for this weekend. Wont be touching windows servers though

I'm really interested in running a low cost failover solution using two VPS Hostings and a DNS server running on another failover setup. Whether the two VPS Hostings could handle the data synchronisation is another issue and that'll take some experimentation I guess.

Perhaps this should be a separate thread?

Possibly if the discussion is going to go off the topic of the thread but if not it will be fine here.

[swexpert]

Hi, David!
It seems you were an interpreter at some time. A friendly suggestion, please refrain from repeating the essence of earlier posts. It is not necessary that we all have to replay to all posts. Just to see the reply, one comes all the way down to this thread and there is your post stating what is obvious to everyone.

Hop you got my point CoOl

Regds
IJ

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by swexpert

Hi, David!
It seems you were an interpreter at some time. A friendly suggestion, please refrain from repeating the essence of earlier posts. It is not necessary that we all have to replay to all posts. Just to see the reply, one comes all the way down to this thread and there is your post stating what is obvious to everyone.

Hop you got my point CoOl

Regds
IJ

A specific question was asked - so I answered it. Had no one said "Should this belong in another thread" I wouldn't have answered it.

Of course I am going to answer a question if its asked directly - I don't go around every thread saying "if this goes off topic start a new thread".

Hope you get my point and understand if a question is asked I usually try and answer it if I can .

[eUKhost.com]

haha. You both need to cool down

maybe you can PM each other as thats a better option to communicate when you wish to say something which may hurt if posted infront of others.

[Fidget]

Originally Posted by DPS Computing

"Should this belong in another thread"

To be fair, I didn't actually ask that and the question was hopefully going to continue the discussion relevant to the OP. There's nothing wrong with replying to every thread though, and we don't have to respond to that if we don't like it.

Anyway, not to drift off topic, this could make a very informative thread for those of us who want to experience or achieve near zero downtime. The invaluable expert advice of EUKHost would also be most useful

[DPS Computing]

lol, I am cool .

OK then, the exact wording was "Perhaps this should be in a seperate thread?" - thats the question I answered. Just seems it may have caused a bit of contention as he doesn't seem to want to read new posts or doesnt have enough time for them. Anyway enough said - lets just get on with it .