DNS Operations

Complete guide to managing DNS records and zones with BindCaptain.

DNS Management Overview

BindCaptain provides comprehensive DNS management through the bindcaptain_manager.sh script, offering both interactive and command-line interfaces.

Loading Management Functions

Source the Script

# Load all DNS management functions
source ./tools/bindcaptain_manager.sh

Available Functions

After sourcing, you get access to:

bind.create_record - Create DNS records
bind.delete_record - Delete DNS records
bind.list_records - List DNS records
bind.list_zones - List all zones
bind.refresh - Reload BIND configuration
bind.validate - Validate DNS configuration

Creating DNS Records

A Records (IPv4 Addresses)

# Create A record
bind.create_record webserver example.com 192.168.1.100

# Create A record with TTL
bind.create_record mail example.com 192.168.1.101 3600

# Create multiple A records
bind.create_record web1 example.com 192.168.1.100
bind.create_record web2 example.com 192.168.1.101

CNAME Records (Aliases)

# Create CNAME record
bind.create_cname www example.com webserver.example.com

# Create CNAME with TTL
bind.create_cname ftp example.com fileserver.example.com 7200

TXT Records (Text Records)

# Create TXT record
bind.create_txt _dmarc example.com "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com"

# Create SPF record
bind.create_txt example.com example.com "v=spf1 mx a ip4:192.168.1.0/24 ~all"

PTR Records (Reverse DNS)

# Create PTR record
bind.create_ptr 100 1.168.192.in-addr.arpa webserver.example.com

# Create PTR with TTL
bind.create_ptr 101 1.168.192.in-addr.arpa mail.example.com 3600

Managing DNS Records

Listing Records

# List all records in a zone
bind.list_records example.com

# List specific record type
bind.list_records example.com A
bind.list_records example.com CNAME
bind.list_records example.com TXT

Deleting Records

# Delete A record
bind.delete_record webserver example.com

# Delete CNAME record
bind.delete_record www example.com

# Delete TXT record
bind.delete_record _dmarc example.com

Updating Records

# Update A record (delete and recreate)
bind.delete_record webserver example.com
bind.create_record webserver example.com 192.168.1.200

# Update with new TTL
bind.delete_record mail example.com
bind.create_record mail example.com 192.168.1.201 7200

Zone Management

Listing Zones

# List all configured zones
bind.list_zones

# List zones with details
bind.list_zones --verbose

Creating New Zones

# Create forward zone
bind.create_zone example.com

# Create reverse zone
bind.create_zone 1.168.192.in-addr.arpa

# Create zone with specific settings
bind.create_zone test.com --primary-ns ns1.test.com --admin-email admin@test.com

Zone Validation

# Validate specific zone
bind.validate_zone example.com

# Validate all zones
bind.validate_all_zones

# Check zone syntax
bind.check_zone example.com

BIND Configuration Management

Reloading Configuration

# Reload BIND configuration
bind.refresh

# Reload specific zone
bind.reload_zone example.com

# Check configuration before reload
bind.validate_config

Configuration Validation

# Validate main configuration
bind.validate_config

# Validate specific zone
bind.validate_zone example.com

# Check all zones
bind.check_all_zones

Interactive Management

Launch Interactive Mode

# Start interactive DNS management
./tools/bindcaptain_manager.sh

Interactive menu options:

Create A Record
Create CNAME Record
Create TXT Record
Create PTR Record
List Records
Delete Record
List Zones
Refresh DNS
Validate Configuration
Exit

Command Line Interface

# Direct command execution
./tools/bindcaptain_manager.sh create-record webserver example.com 192.168.1.100
./tools/bindcaptain_manager.sh list-records example.com
./tools/bindcaptain_manager.sh refresh

Advanced Operations

Bulk Operations

Create Multiple Records

# Create multiple A records from file
while read -r hostname ip; do
    bind.create_record "$hostname" example.com "$ip"
done < hosts.txt

Backup and Restore

# Backup zone files
bind.backup_zones

# Restore from backup
bind.restore_zones backup-2024-01-15

Zone File Management

Direct Zone File Editing

# Edit zone file directly
sudo nano /opt/bindcaptain/zones/example.com.db

# Reload after editing
bind.reload_zone example.com

Zone File Validation

# Check zone file syntax
sudo named-checkzone example.com /opt/bindcaptain/zones/example.com.db

# Check all zone files
bind.check_all_zones

Monitoring and Logging

DNS Query Logging

# Enable query logging
bind.enable_query_logging

# Disable query logging
bind.disable_query_logging

# View query logs
bind.view_query_logs

Performance Monitoring

# Check DNS response times
bind.test_response_time example.com

# Monitor query statistics
bind.show_statistics

# Check zone transfer status
bind.check_zone_transfers

Troubleshooting DNS Issues

Common Problems

DNS Not Resolving

# Check BIND status
sudo ./bindcaptain.sh status

# Check zone configuration
bind.validate_zone example.com

# Test DNS resolution
dig @localhost example.com

Zone Transfer Issues

# Check zone transfer permissions
bind.check_zone_transfers

# Validate zone file
bind.validate_zone example.com

# Check BIND logs
sudo tail -f /opt/bindcaptain/logs/named.log

Configuration Errors

# Validate configuration
bind.validate_config

# Check syntax
sudo named-checkconf /opt/bindcaptain/config/named.conf

# Reload configuration
bind.refresh

Debug Commands

# Enable debug logging
bind.enable_debug_logging 3

# Check BIND processes
sudo podman exec bindcaptain ps aux | grep named

# Monitor DNS queries
sudo podman exec bindcaptain tcpdump -i any port 53

Best Practices

Record Management

✅ Use descriptive hostnames
✅ Set appropriate TTL values
✅ Keep records organized
✅ Regular validation and testing

Security

✅ Limit zone transfers
✅ Use TSIG for secure transfers
✅ Regular security updates
✅ Monitor for suspicious activity

Performance

✅ Optimize TTL values
✅ Use CNAME records efficiently
✅ Monitor query patterns
✅ Regular maintenance

Examples

Complete Domain Setup

# Load management functions
source ./tools/bindcaptain_manager.sh

# Create main A records
bind.create_record ns1 example.com 192.168.1.10
bind.create_record ns2 example.com 192.168.1.11
bind.create_record mail example.com 192.168.1.20
bind.create_record web example.com 192.168.1.30

# Create CNAME records
bind.create_cname www example.com web.example.com
bind.create_cname ftp example.com web.example.com

# Create TXT records
bind.create_txt example.com example.com "v=spf1 mx a ip4:192.168.1.0/24 ~all"
bind.create_txt _dmarc example.com "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@example.com"

# Create PTR records
bind.create_ptr 10 1.168.192.in-addr.arpa ns1.example.com
bind.create_ptr 11 1.168.192.in-addr.arpa ns2.example.com
bind.create_ptr 20 1.168.192.in-addr.arpa mail.example.com
bind.create_ptr 30 1.168.192.in-addr.arpa web.example.com

# Refresh configuration
bind.refresh

Need help? Check the Troubleshooting Guide or Configuration Reference.