Redundant Name Servers

[alexs]

We're currently reselling with another provider, but are actually looking to set up a redundant system with a totally seperate provider, you for example. We're thinking that with the reseller plan (New WHM) we could create NS3.domain.com and NS4.domain.com, so if our main provider went down (dns1 and dns2) the 2nd and 3rd dns's would pick up and forward to your servers. Is this doable? We don't have problems going down, but once in a blue moon it happens to the best of us and we want to avoid those random events.


Thanks Alex

 

[Brad]

It is doable! However the server that has authority over your domain contains the DNS info so if it went down, potentially even having ns3,4 will not solve the issue.

The solution to to use an external DNS service. There are even some free ones around like www.everydns.net and paid services like www.no-ip.com

We do not provide supoprt for extenal DNS providers, of course, but you should be able to work things out.

 

[Chris]

Just to add to what Brad already said...

I think what you are wanting to do is have a copy of the websites hosted by your existing provider (ns1 and ns2) and a copy of the websites hosted with us (ns3 and ns4), so that if your current provider goes down your sites would still be online. Correct?

I hate to tell you, but unfortunately this isn't how the DNS system operates. When ns1, ns2, ns3 and ns4 are all online it would route to whatever name server was closest to the client requesting the web page and not simply ns1 and ns2 and then only divert to ns3 and ns4 when ns1 and ns2 are unavailable. As a result, this can cause problems if you have dynamic content being served from things such as MySQL databases, as it can become out of sync between the two providers.

To achieve this kind of redundancy you would require either a load balanced / clustered solution or a round-robin DNS setup. It's not quite as simple as adding a couple of more name servers to achieve redundancy.

If it is simply backup DNS you are looking for and ns1, ns2, ns3 and ns4 are all going to be pointing towards one provider's web servers, then it can be done quite easily through one of the providers Brad listed above.

I hope that made some sense...

If we can be of any further assistance, please get in touch

 

[alexs]

Backup DNS

I should have read Chris' response more clearly, before responding. So in essense, if our facility say on the East Coast got hit from an earthquake and our duplicate mirrored site on say your Facility was still running on DNS3 and DNS4 we'd still be out of luck. Correct? We don't want to point all of our sites (eggs) to just one facility. Or, have all the the DNS pointing to just one facility.

I like having our own personal name servers and don't wish to change our name servers at this time either. So, in essense even the providers Brad mentioned still point all of our DNS info to one facility and thus won't work either correct?

Thanks Alex.

 

[Chris]

Brad's solution would cause NS1, NS2, NS3 and NS4 all to point to towards the same web-servers at the same facility.

What I posted above, but wouldn't recommend doing, would point NS1 and NS2 towards one facility and NS3 and NS4 towards another. The flaw with this setup though is that you can't determine what facility your visitors are going to hit when both of them are online and as such it can cause your data across the two facilities to become out of sync with each other.

The only real way to achieve true redundancy is with a clustered server solution or a round-robin DNS configuration.

 

[alexs]

Clustered Server

Thanks,

Looks like we've got research to do with a "clustered server solution or a round-robin DNS configuration"

Take Care, Alex

 

[Chris]

No problem. Glad we could be of some help

 

[electron33]

'The Planet' Internet Data Center is used as Rochen's secondary service point to ensure maximum uptime

Hi,

So, are you saying that you use your second data center as backup nameservers?

Thanks

 

[Chris]

So, are you saying that you use your second data center as backup nameservers?

The actual hostnames of all our servers have backup DNS spread across multiple facilities, so that if the DNS on one particular server were to fail all our primary hostnames will remain operational. This does not provide redundant DNS for any domains we host or any kind of clustering though.

 

[stevi19]

redundancy

Just to add to what Brad already said...

I think what you are wanting to do is have a copy of the websites hosted by your existing provider (ns1 and ns2) and a copy of the websites hosted with us (ns3 and ns4), so that if your current provider goes down your sites would still be online. Correct?

I hate to tell you, but unfortunately this isn't how the DNS system operates. When ns1, ns2, ns3 and ns4 are all online it would route to whatever name server was closest to the client requesting the web page and not simply ns1 and ns2 and then only divert to ns3 and ns4 when ns1 and ns2 are unavailable. As a result, this can cause problems if you have dynamic content being served from things such as MySQL databases, as it can become out of sync between the two providers.

To achieve this kind of redundancy you would require either a load balanced / clustered solution or a round-robin DNS setup. It's not quite as simple as adding a couple of more name servers to achieve redundancy.

If it is simply backup DNS you are looking for and ns1, ns2, ns3 and ns4 are all going to be pointing towards one provider's web servers, then it can be done quite easily through one of the providers Brad listed above.

I hope that made some sense...

If we can be of any further assistance, please get in touch

-Very important informations about functioning of ns1 and ns2. Please can I get ansmwer for following sitiation. Let consider that registered web page have ns1 located on one phisical mashine. Other ns2 is located on totaly separated machine on other location. Considering above explanation from Chris , that ns1 and ns2 function simultaneosly , taking closest users... I question is it possible solution that on second machine with ns2 to have whole web site with some backup and that we only insert redirect link to machine with ns2. Uff this shoul create confusion.

 

[Brad]

stevi19, I'm sorry but I don't understand your question. Perhaps you can create a new thread with a question, rather than reopening this 8 year old ticket.

Thanks.