Server & Linux Question

[laughingbuddha]

I did have a Plesk instance running on EC2 for a short while, but found it slow and buggy. It might work as a stop gap, but I wouldn't use it long term. Besides the sluggishness of it, the cost is way about what I pay to co-locate my 2U server.

Cloudns, sounds interesting. Is it possible to use Cloudns as a secondary nameserver, so it takes the changes I make on the primary automatically?

I'm not too hot on secondary nameservers functionality.

[biggles]

Yes, that's exactly how secondary dns works!

[prupert]

Depending on the setup of the secondary (slave) nameserver you might or might not need to add each zone name initially.

[biggles]

When I use Cloudns i manually add the zone, example.com, when I set it up and point it to the master, my server. Then all the updates happen automatically. Cloudns do have an API for the higher tiers, which probably could be made to automate it from within Plesk. But I don't add more then a few customers a month, and then it's not a problem to add them manually.

[prupert]

But, even if you would be using the API you still need to have a (scripted) manual mechanism in place that initially sets up the zones. That's why we love PowerDNS's Supermaster feature (http://doc.powerdns.com/slave.html#supermaster), it fully automates the provisioning and configuration of slave domains, and works regardless of the setup you have at your primary nameserver - be it BIND on Plesk or any other nameserver.

[biggles]

Sure, PowerDNS is much better in this, but magnitudes more expensive. Setting up a new Secondary DNS manually takes seconds, not minutes. For 100 domains PowerDNS charges 800 USD/year. For ClouDNS I only pay 22USD/Year. Sure, it takes me about five minutes extra per month to setup ClouDNS, but I don't have any customers I can charge 778USD for 60 minutes of work

[faris]

There's another option: don't bother with extrernal namservers and point both ns records to the Plesk box.

For one box I really don't see the need for external DNS of any kind.

We use 4PSA's DNS manager in two VZ Containers on different hardware nodes. Cost is insignificant once the owned licence is purchased, and all domain/dns updates are automatically synched to our various Plesk boxes.

They also offer a hosted option if you don't want to host it on your own systems, but it costs 79 euros per month for 2000 domains. This is much more than you are paying now, and I'm not 100% sure it is worth the extra just for the automation. HOWEVER, you would have the ability to offer secondary DNS services to third parties using the 4PSA solution if you wanted. They have scripts that automate synchronisation for all sorts of control panels and for "naked" bind as well.

[prupert]

There's another option: don't bother with extrernal namservers and point both ns records to the Plesk box.

For one box I really don't see the need for external DNS of any kind.

What if that one box is down? You will run the risk of losing e-mail and many other problems. In any case, I would never recommend not having one or more separate secondary name servers.

[biggles]

What if that one box is down? You will run the risk of loosing e-mail and many other problems. In any case, I would never recommend not having one or more separate secondary name servers.

That's why I started using Secondary DNS...

[scott]

This is why I miss EveryDNS. That was a great service.

[breun]

Sure, PowerDNS is much better in this, but magnitudes more expensive. Setting up a new Secondary DNS manually takes seconds, not minutes. For 100 domains PowerDNS charges 800 USD/year.

You can also just install and run PowerDNS yourself for 0 USD/year (excluding cost of server and your time of course).

[biggles]

Sure, PowerDNS is much better in this, but magnitudes more expensive. Setting up a new Secondary DNS manually takes seconds, not minutes. For 100 domains PowerDNS charges 800 USD/year.

You can also just install and run PowerDNS yourself for 0 USD/year (excluding cost of server and your time of course).

Oh, that's interesting. Thanks a lot for the tip!

[laughingbuddha]

Interesting thoughts.

I'm considering setting up a second server. I have ns1 and ns2 name servers on the current box, so I'm thinking ns3 and ns4 on the second server. Or would moving ns2 to the second server be better?

To be honest I'm a novice with nameservers, how the hell I set it up in the first place I have no idea. Might have to dig out my notes. But as to how I can move the ns2 to a second box is totally over my noggin.

Server wise I've found a few HP SE1102 on ebay. Don't know a great deal about them, but from what I've read they seem solid enough, and value for money at £174 a pop. The key is the 64bit side of things. My current old HP Proliant is a 32bit box, and lacks the memory that the PHP apps I'm developing need. Also the SE1102 has low power requirements which is perfect as I get charged extra currently as my HP Proliant is a little power hungry.

I also plan to take out another ASL subscription for the new box, and use the latest install of Plesk. I'm still on 8.6 on the other server. Then I would move the domains to the new box, and either decommission the old server and replace it, or re-install it with the latest CentOS and Plesk and set it up as ns1 again.

Am I on the right track?