Ubuntu Wiki

This document is intended to be a guide for LoCo DNS administrators and LoCo contacts who have access to their domain's DNS key. This system uses TSIG for DNS changes.

Edit conflict - other version:

The documentation here only applies to LoCo sites which have their domain names registered on Canonical's nameservers.

Edit conflict - your version:

The documentation here only applies to LoCo sites which have their domain names registered on Canonical's nameservers.

End of edit conflict

If you are a LoCo contact and...

• would like to have the DNS of your domain or subdomain updated,
• don't have the key for your domain and wish to have it,
• would like to have both of the above done,

...please email a GnuPG-signed message to rt@ubuntu.com with the request. In the case of an update please specify which IP address the new domain should have.

In order to make changes to a DNS entry, you must have the nsset script and the Perl bindings for DNS installed (package: libnet-dns-perl).

Steps to take

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• Check that the domain is hosted on Canonical's nameservers:

Edit conflict - your version:

• Check that the domain is hosted on Canonical's nameservers:

End of edit conflict

$ whois ubuntu-se.org | grep Server 

• This should display something like:

---- /!\ '''Edit conflict - other version:''' ----
Name Server:NS1.CANONICAL.COM
Name Server:NS2.CANONICAL.COM
Name Server:NS3.CANONICAL.COM

• ..if not, then the domain isn't on Canonical's nameservers and these steps don't apply to your domain.

Edit conflict - your version:

Name Server:NS1.CANONICAL.COM Name Server:NS2.CANONICAL.COM Name Server:NS3.CANONICAL.COM }}}

• ..if not, then the domain isn't on Canonical's nameservers and these steps don't apply to your domain.

End of edit conflict

• Write down which IP the domain is currently pointing at - this is just in case something wrong happens and we want to revert back as soon as possible. This can be done with:

---- /!\ '''Edit conflict - other version:''' ----
$ dig @ns1.canonical.com www.site.org

---- /!\ '''Edit conflict - your version:''' ----
$ dig @ns1.canonical.com www.site.org

---- /!\ '''End of edit conflict''' ----

• For example, with www.ubuntu-se.org:

---- /!\ '''Edit conflict - other version:''' ----
$ dig @ns1.canonical.com www.ubuntu-se.org

---- /!\ '''Edit conflict - your version:''' ----
$ dig @ns1.canonical.com www.ubuntu-se.org

---- /!\ '''End of edit conflict''' ----

• And look for the answer section (where ADD.RIS.INH.ERE is the IPv4 address of the domain):

;; ANSWER SECTION:
www.ubuntu-se.org.      3600    IN      A       ADD.RIS.INH.ERE

• Open up the file which contains the key for your domain, it should be something like this:

key ubuntu-se.org. {
    algorithm hmac-md5;
    secret "blahfoobarblahbarfooblah";
};

• Where the text after secret is the secret key for the domain name.

• Use nsset to do the required change; the basic syntax of this command is:

---- /!\ '''Edit conflict - other version:''' ----
$ ./nsset -s macquarie.canonical.com -k secret -K main-domain-name -z main-domain-name [operation] [domain-to-change]

---- /!\ '''Edit conflict - your version:''' ----
$ ./nsset -s macquarie.canonical.com -k secret -K main-domain-name -z main-domain-name [operation] [domain-to-change]

---- /!\ '''End of edit conflict''' ----

• Where:

  • -s is followed by the update-host for the domain. (macquarie.canonical.com)

Edit conflict - other version:

• -s is followed by the update-host for the domain. (macquarie.canonical.com)

Edit conflict - your version:

End of edit conflict

• -k is followed by the secret key of the domain.

• -K is the domain that the key belongs to. The trailing dot may be necessary but doesn't hurt.

• -z is the DNS zone the domain belongs to (usually the same as the domain, can be left out).

• -D is needed on newer Ubuntu systems, because of an obscure bug in the Perl DNS libraries. You'll get a bunch of debug info which you may ignore.

• [operation] may be one of:

  • -a - add a new DNS entry for a subdomain.

  • -u - update a DNS entry for a subdomain.

  • -d - delete a DNS entry for a subdomain.

• And finally [domain-to-change] is the subdomain to apply the change to.

For example:

---- /!\ '''Edit conflict - other version:''' ----
$ ./nsset -s macquarie.canonical.com -k blahfoobarblahbarfooblah -K ubuntu-se.org. -z ubuntu-se.org -u www.ubuntu-se.org

---- /!\ '''Edit conflict - your version:''' ----
$ ./nsset -s macquarie.canonical.com -k blahfoobarblahbarfooblah -K ubuntu-se.org. -z ubuntu-se.org -u www.ubuntu-se.org

---- /!\ '''End of edit conflict''' ----

• By running this command, we are updating the DNS entry for www.ubuntu-se.org.

• Specify which IP to point the domain at; say we want to point www.ubuntu-se.org at 74.125.45.100 - this is done by typing:

A 74.125.45.100

• Additional records (such as MX ones) can be added by pressing enter and adding them on new lines.

  When you're finish with the changes you've made, press Ctrl-D. If all the changes were correct NOERROR will be displayed by the script, if not, an error will be be shown.

  If you have made a mistake with a number and wish to stop the change, just press Ctrl-C and rerun the script.

• Check that the change was applied to the DNS server. This can be done by running this command once more:

---- /!\ '''Edit conflict - other version:''' ----
$ dig @ns1.canonical.com www.ubuntu-se.org

• And look for the changes you made in the Answer section. Do note that the change can take up to 48 hours to spread through all the DNS servers on the Internet. If you run multiple changes in a short time, the servers at canonica.com may also reply with old data for a while.

Edit conflict - your version:

$ dig @ns1.canonical.com www.ubuntu-se.org }}}

• And look for the changes you made in the Answer section. Do note that the change can take up to 48 hours to spread through all the DNS servers on the Internet. If you run multiple changes in a short time, the servers at canonica.com may also reply with old data for a while.

End of edit conflict

And that's all there is to it!

I need help with something

If you need any more help, please send an email to rt@ubuntu.com explaining what you are trying to do and the details of the problem you are having.

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