[Resolved] dns/web server help

eriksmoen

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anybody have an easy step-through on how to run a dns server and a web server on the same machine? im running Trustix Secure Linux (well, it's installing now; so I WILL be...) which is a small (300mb iso) secure web server distro. It's got apache, php, mysql, postgresql, mail, telnet, openssh, ftp, news, etc, etc, etc...

anyhow, I'd like to be able to have both dns and web on the same machine because I figured it would be easier to write scripts that would update the dns often from the web... plus I can't afford another machine :p.

here's the plan:
when a user registers for email and web space, a dns entry will be added for the users account... meaning THEIRNAME.mycompany.com.

I think that having them on the same machine would be fastest...

anyhow, any ideas, opinions, or whatever would be greatly appreciated.

TIA.

dalecosp

Don't know why it wouldn't work, I've seen sites that apparently do this. However, in order to do it with PHP, you'd need your zone files and config files to be writable by the web-servant...security officer's nightmare.

As to DNS/web on one box, I do that all the time with *BSD. Your distro come with BIND?

RGBlackmore

You need to have the zone files with owner as the same user as apache runs (and php runs); also you need the sudo package, so php can start/stop/restart bind, and/or apache. Think that restart apache with php is kill the connections in that momment and a serious security risk.

Maybe you can say "your request will be done in a few hours", and save the requests in a spool, so you can decide when start/stop the services (manually, not with php -50000000% most secure-).. if the users want to change the dns zones when their have another dynamic ip, you can set the ttl of the zone to some like 15-30'...

If you want ftp access also, I recommend you proftpd with the mysql autentication module!! (more secure than add real users to the server).

Just a few ideas... think in security first... give all power to php is almost a joke! =)

PS: sorry for my poor english

Good Luck