[arm-allstar] DNS server for HamVoip

Sat Dec 30 13:12:44 EST 2017

Don,

 I am sure Dave will give some more clarification on your questions but
here are my comments.

The DNS server in the hamvoip code is "named" running and accessing the
Internet root DNS servers. This has ALWAYS been the case in the hamvoip
code. This has always worked well for DNS lookups when they are needed in
the Allstar environment.

The upcoming (now in beta) Node DNS lookup uses servers we have established
in LA, Secaucus, NJ , and Wilmington, NC to lookup node information (IP
address, port, etc.) in place of the current file lookup method. This
greatly reduces lookup time from startup from tens of minutes to tens of
seconds or less. It has been in beta testing fro quite some time and works
extremely well. This also greatly reduces downloads of lots of unnecessary
data. Here is a paragraph from the upcoming howto -

How much data will not need to be transferred if everyone used DNS lookups?

Another benefit is bandwidth savings which is important for a mobile
hotspot node. No file is downloaded every 10 minutes when using the DNS
method and after disabling the rc.updatenodelist file. Only the
information you need to make a connection is brought into your system and
only at the time it is needed. To put it in perspective there are as many
as 216,000 node database downloads daily in the Allstar system. If the
old method was totally eliminated on all Allstar nodes there would be
32,400,000,000 bytes or 32.4 terabytes not transferred through the
Internet on a daily basis. This 
example is based on each node updating 144 times a day, file size 150K,
number of active nodes 1500.

The DNS lookup has many other advantages. One being the elimination of
needing to set am iax port at allstarlink.org to match the bindport in
iax.conf. Simply changing the port in iax.conf will be all you have to do
when using DNS. It will also offer a secure private node DNS which is
sorely needed. It is a real pain to setup IP addresses in a larger private
system and this will alleviate that. Talking about security there will be a
much higher level of that then the nil amount in the current system.

In order for the node lookup DNS to work in an efficient way BOTH ends of
the circuit need to be using it. Once we make the switch over all hamvoip
V1.5 nodes that perform the update will be using the DNS node lookup method.

And your last question is the big one. How to get people to read docs and
instructions, and do updates. I don't have an answer to that. Fortunately I
think it is a smaller percentage and most people get it. It is aggravating
at times to repeat things over and over but also a reality of life. I like
to help people but yes there are some that are trying at times.

*73 Doug*

*WA3DSP*

*http://www.crompton.com/hamradio <http://www.crompton.com/hamradio>*

On Sat, Dec 30, 2017 at 12:14 PM, "Don Backstrom AA7AU via arm-allstar" <
arm-allstar at hamvoip.org> wrote:

> On Fri 29-Dec-17 23:10, "Doug Crompton via arm-allstar" wrote:
>
>> We have out own DNS server as
>> part of hamvoip that accesses the root servers directly.
>>
>
>         Thanks for posting that, Doug. May I ask a couple of questions for
> clarification please?
>
> 1) Are you referring to a remote separate DNS server, or a built-in DNS
> server running locally?
>
> 2) Which "root servers" are you referring to?
>
> 3) Has your DNS-lookup approach for node IP# now fully replaced the
> regular repetitive node-list download cycle using the AllStarLink server
> (which increases bandwidth use and server load over time)?
>
> 4) If so, is there now that savings in initial start-up time as a result
> compared to the old registration cycle lag?
>
> 5) Is this bit using the <node#>.asnode.org structure? If not, where is
> that from? If so, how often is that DDNS updated?
>
> 6) Can we rely upon the asnode.org setup to remain in place, and usable,
> from now forward, and therefore not need the use of our own ddclient/DDNS
> setups for these AllStar node PIs?
>
> 7) Is your new DNS sever logic cache-based or does it lookup every time a
> remote node# is referenced (like connect, monitor, etc)? If so, could you
> explain a bit about that?
>
> 8) <rhetorical> Is there a way to force new users to read the
> documentation first, or is this, like all system-related stuff, always a
> repeat of Ground Hog Day? </rhetorical>
>
>         TIA!
>
>         Best Wishes for a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year ...
> and a big *THANK YOU* to you and David for all that you've done.
>
>         - Don - AA7AU
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