Hey all,

Just signed up for a 360 plan a few days ago. I'm slowly making the transition over from my dedicated server. (no longer need the dedi)

Currently, I have a block of 8 IP's assigned to my dedicated machine. With 8 GB of RAM, I had no issues running a number of services, including Apache, BIND, Postfix, etc. I ran BIND, and registered my own two nameservers for my primary domain with GoDaddy. Basically, I was hosting my own DNS for my 5-6 domains. This worked out fine, and I administered everything from Webmin.

With my 360 plan, I'm given 1 IP address to start. I wanted to get an idea of how many people use Linode's DNS service vs. run their own nameservers/DNS.

One of my reasons for doing this is to have ns1.mydomain.com and ns2.mydomain.com. Sure, I don't really "need" this, but it makes it easier for me to host my friend's sites if need be.

An extra IP is only $1 per month. I'm not worried about cost, but do you think it's worth it to continue to run my own DNS, or should I make the switch to Linode's DNS? As of right now, my DNS and files are still on my old dedicated. (moving things over slowly)

Being able to have full control over my records is also nice, and no, I don't require any special records. My only real reason to do something like this is to "do it myself". (I enjoy the administration aspect, learning, etc)

Also, how much RAM/memory do you think BIND would take up with 5 zones? I'm running on a 360 plan...

Thanks,
Ace

The second IP requirement on nameservers is really to provide redundancy with servers on two networks. If you point both nameservers to he same VPS, that's risky, especially if they're resolving services on another (friends') server. Be forewarned.

I run about 15 zones on my 360 and it uses under 5MB ram. Don't worry about Bind's ram usage unless you also use it as a resolver. A resolver's cache can get big.

If you want to do-it-yourself, you can always host a master server on your VPS and setup the Linode servers to be slaves. This way, you can still do what you like with the zones, and also have the redundancy of four geographically balanced servers. This is what I do.

I have my primary (ns1) in Ålesund, Norway (dedicated server) and my secondary (ns2) as a Linode for myself, as well as running primary on the same Linode and secondary in Ålesund for a business partner of mine (the same company that hosts my server in Ålesund, btw). My Linode is slave for 92 domains and primary for 308 domains, and it usually hovers around 3.4% mem usage (shown in ps). It still doesn't do much impact on performance on my Linode 720.

The point of using two IPs for nameservers is, as BarkerJr pointed out, to provide redundancy if one server or network is down for a certain time period. It's even preferred to have them geographically spread as well, just to make sure at least one is available at all times.

Considering the low domain count, I don't think running your own DNS would be worth it, really. In your case, I would rather go for using Linode's DNS.

How does having vanity NS records make it easier to host your friend's sites?

mwalling@youtoo:~$ dig +short theonion.com NS
ns1.linode.com.
ns4.linode.com.
ns2.linode.com.
ns3.linode.com.

They don't need vanity NS records...

I setup my DNS last night on Linode's servers. So far so good!

I run bind on a linode, and I use the linode DNS servers as slaves. My linode isn't listed in "whois" for my domain -- only linode's server.

It's the best of both worlds for me. I can administer DNS via the zone files, which is easier for me than a web interface. Published changes tend to go out really quickly -- just a second or two. And the linode DNS servers are reliable, and scattered around the country.

+1. This is the missing option in the poll, and the one I chose as well.

_________________
Disclaimer: I am no longer employed by Linode; opinions are my own alone.

I host some sites for folks who manage their own domain names. I don't want to bother them to reconfigure their domains if I choose to drop a particular hosting company. "Vanity" nameservers have a purpose. That said, what is the best way to do it?

Up until now I've been running an instance of bind but recently I've began experimenting with A records that point to the ip addresses of ns{1..4}.linode.com. Unfortunately CNAME's are not allowed for a nameserver and the A record makes me depend on the IP's of the linode ns{1..4} servers. How stable are these IPs? Is this a good idea or is it better to just run bind on an IP I control?

I would just run two VPSes in two data centres and set them up as the name servers. After all, you can't be sure that your future provider will have four name servers for you.

That said, the name server IPs shouldn't change much. People who use Linode name servers as slaves will usually add those IPs to an ACL to allow transfers. It has happened in the past, though, which you can search the forum for evidence of.

Make A records in your "vanity" zone for ns1-nsx.yourname.com.
Then for each zone you administer (yourname.com included), set explicitly NS entries to ns1-nsx.yourname.com. Then point the domains, at their registrar, to ns1-nsx.yourname.com.

Just an update to this thread:

I've been using Linode's DNS service for just over a month now, and so far it's been great!

The Poll is missing an option - USE EXTERNAL DNS HOST.

I've used DNS Made Easy for years. Easy, cheap, never any name server downtime, and it separates a basic (but necessary) service from my domain registrar and my hosting services (plus I don't have to worry about managing or monitoring it - it's all built into their service).

My main domain uses zoneedit. I use Linode NS as a slave for another org domain. With my recent foray into IPv6, I had to set up BIND on my linode to do reverse since the DNS Manager doesn't let you add PTR records. Of course Linode NS is slave for that as well.

I personally use http://www.dnsmadeeasy.com/

I used to run a BIND service on an extremely small VPS, but I found the cost was more than if I used their service, never had a problem with it ever since I used it and I get all the options I would normally get if I ran BIND on my own.

I have never used Linodes DNS service, so I can't comment on how it works, but I have to say DNS Made Easy are really good.