Using hosts.conf file instead of DNS...

[BlackF1re]

Hi all.

I have an Xsan with the following settings:

Metadata controllers: Mac Os X Server 10.5.6, xsan 2.11
Apple Clients: 2x Powermac G5 10.4.11, xsan 1.4.2, 1x Mac Pro 10.5.6, xsan 2.11
Stornext Clients: 1x windows xp 32, 1x windows vista business 64, 1x linux red hat

I have serious problems with settings DNS in a place where there are already two of them. Setting my DNS on the public network caused me a lot of troubles like:
- Xsan Admin opened after 2 min i clicked on the icon, random failed authentication, random failed mount of the xsan volumes, and so on.

So, to do a workaround, can i use the hosts.conf file inside the /etc dir on clients and metadata controllers.

i've read to put the hosts.conf priority over DNS i have to edit the resolv.conf file putting this string:

order hosts, bind

is this a bad idea?

[ACSA]

No, I've done it a couple of times when getting a DNS for the private network was more or less a political suicide...

But keep in mind that hosts are more maintenance intensive....

Greetings

Arnold

[aaron]

Personally, I'd rather get DNS correct than use /etc/hosts. It is too easy to forget about those obscure files.

Besides, if you fix DNS on your network, who knows what else will begin to work?
_________________
Aaron Freimark
http://www.tekserve.com/vcard/af.vcf

[JesusAli]

I don't have time to index them right now, but there are a couple VERY useful threads on this forum, and articles with screen shots detailing how DNS should be set up.

An important note, you only need to setup DNS for the Metadata Controllers. They need forward and reverse lookup entries. That's all.

That's all we did in my place, and it's been working perfectly.

Each client needs to know where the MDC is. That's all. That's why you have the entries.

The clients don't need to know where other clients are. So you don't need those entries.

[BlackF1re]

[JesusAli]

[aaron]

[BlackF1re]

Really nice worksheet.

I'll try to explain in details.
At first, we decided to keep separate the Xsan network from the pre-existing network.

Previous cfg:

DNS Server A IP address: 192.168.40.10
DNS Server B IP address: 192.168.40.11
MDC-A Public IP address: 192.168.0.56
MDC-A Private IP address: 10.0.10.56
MDC-B Public IP address: 192.168.0.57
MDC-B Private IP address: 10.0.10.57

DNS on public ethernet of both mdc were 0.56 and 0.57 after started a DNS service with their own master zone and had the problems i've reported it (the networks were physically separated from the 40.x and their own dns)

Then i've recreated the San using the existing DNS:

New cfg after re-cabled

DNS Server A IP address: 192.168.40.10
DNS Server B IP address: 192.168.40.11
MDC-A Public IP address: 192.168.40.56
MDC-A Private IP address: 10.0.10.56
MDC-B Public IP address: 192.168.40.57
MDC-B Private IP address: 10.0.10.57

DNS on public ethernet of both mdc are 40.10 and 40.11

Added the ip addresses of the mdc 1 and 2 on the DNS Computer with the properly name to resolve. For now it's working but it's a lot slow mounting xsan volumes on the clients (about a minute), but i don't know if in this case, the problem is on the DNS of the customer.

Next week, on thursday, i'll be on this xsan again, and i'll test the "dig +short" and post the results

Sry for my english (i'm italian)

Thx a lot to all of you.
I'll keep you up to date.

[JesusAli]

Sounds good!

Some ideas about locking this down completely:

• Did you also add REVERSE Zones in the Leopard Server DNS service pane?
Sometimes they are added automatically when you make an entry, sometimes they are not.

• Review this thread and the threads it links to:
http://www.xsanity.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2923

But also review this thread, but especially this comment:
http://www.xsanity.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3331#3331

Here, MattG (who literally wrote the book on Xsan) points out the importance of adding reverse zones for the MDC's.



Good luck, let us know if you can get rid of the Volume Mounting lag.

[JesusAli]

Oh yeah, and this one, too:

http://www.xsanity.com/article.php/20060920201633799

[BlackF1re]

For the first question: i've checked and yes, the reverse zone was added automatically.

Thx a lot for the links. I'll read a lot this weekend.

[JesusAli]

Hello Aaron, Great Worksheet!
Things have been working well for our Xsan, but I am a nerd and wanted to test out your Worksheet anyway.

And now I have a question.
Why do would a network usually have TWO addresses for DNS?

Here at my school, we used to have 1 DNS address, but now we have 2 DNS addresses.
The 1st is the internal Apple Xserve DNS server (172.x.x.x), the 2nd belongs to our backbone Internet provider (210.x.x.x on the outside internet). When you setup a station with DHCP, both addresses automatically populate the DNS field (in gray), separated by a comma.


When I run your worksheet, I get NO RESPONSES from anything sent to the 2nd DNS address (outside internet). The Terminal Prompt just automatically reloads, waiting for another command. Nothing times out or processes at all. I tried ping on the address and it DOES produce a response, so my MDC's can see it.

So I was just wondering if my location was rare, in that it has an outside internet address as the 2nd DNS address. Since your worksheet tells me to expect a response to that address.

At other locations, what else would/could that 2nd address be (for)?

[BlackF1re]

Tested Xsan using hosts.conf

IT WORKS !!!

Of course is more intensive as maintenance, but it works.

Just remember two important things:

Into the file hosts.conf insert both name and primary DNS name of yours MDC

example of an hosts.conf file:

192.168.40.56 md1
192.168.40.56 md1.xsan.com
192.168.40.57 md2
192.168.40.57 md2.xsan.com
10.0.10.56 md1
10.0.10.56 md1.xsan.com
10.0.10.57 md2
10.0.10.57 md2.xsan.com

192.168.40.58 client1
10.0.10.58 client1
192.168.40.59 client2
10.0.10.59 client2

This is important to set into the hosts.conf files of yours MDC, but if you want to make things complete, put all data into the clients too.

Second thing: write "order hosts,bind" above all, into the resolv.conf file to make hosts.conf file priority over DNS service

both files are into /etc folder

Xsan is now working perfectly without delay mounting volume..... and without any DNS service activated on MDCs

[aaron]

[uroshnor]

That is nature's way of telling you that you did not configure your DNS server correctly ....