Windows DNS Server – Register Non-DHCP Client in 2008R2

dns-serverdomain-name-systemstatic-ipwindows-server-2008-r2

We have Linux boxes with static IP, some using Centos and other Debian, using IP ranges reserved for development and testing.

We need this boxes to 'publish' their DNS into DNS Server 2008R2, without administrator nor manual intervention.

These hosts has their hostname properly configured, but they don't register themselves to the DNS, so I cannot access them with their hostname.

On a windows box, this process is automatic and you can force re-registration with ipconfig /registerdns. Do we have equivalent for the Linux family?

The idea is to make these hosts to automatically add an entry for themselves on the DNS server so I can access them using their hostname.

RFC 2136 `Dynamic Updates in the Domain Name System (DNS UPDATE)' defines the protocol.

Best Answer

Actually, there is a utility named nsupdate that follows the protocol and provide what I was looking for. On Debian and Ubuntu, nsupdate defined as 'nsupdate is the little-known brother of nslookup'

You can add and delete 'a', 'aaaa', 'cname' and perhaps other records.

It's important to remind that your DNS server need to be 'open' and to accept dynamic updates. Due the fact that you can add any arbitrary IP address and delete legal entries, dynamic updates makes your DNS server a very insecure source of information! _{however, cool!}

sample

nsupdate
update add xxx.yyy.com. 600 a 10.11.12.13
update delete www.example.com cname
update delete www1.example.com a
update add xxx.yyy.com 600 a 10.11.12.13
update add aaa.yyy.com  600 cname xxx.yyy.com.
send

Related Solutions

Linux DNS – How to Register Linux Server with Windows DNS Server

Sorry, I forgot to put in the question that these are static IP's. I realize I could add the DNS entries on the Windows side manually as well, but I'm not actually in charge of that Windows DNS server.

If you don’t have control of the DNS server, and if the DNS isn’t set up to allow non-secure updates, and it isn't set up to update based on DHCP assignments, and you have a static address, then you are probably out of luck.

Since this system has a static address, is there some reason you can’t just contact the person who runs the DNS server and ask them to add a record for your system?

GPO – Setting ‘Register This Connection’s Addresses in DNS’

There isn't a group policy setting to do what you're trying to do-- you're going to have to use a script.

First, I'd recommend reviewing the "Explain" tab for the settings you described above. You'll see that none of the settings actually turn on the registration behaviour you're looking for.

Assuming your machines get DNS settings from DHCP, and assuming that you don't mind this setting set back to the stock setting on all their network interfaces, assign the following in a Startup Script to the affected computers:

for /f "usebackq tokens=3* delims= " %%i in (`netsh interface ip show dns ^| find "Configuration for interface"`) do netsh interface ip set dns name=%%j source=dhcp primary

That will set the DNS client to get its address from DHCP, and reset the stock registration setting on all network interfaces on a Windows XP machine.

(An aside: You ought to figure out how your users changed that setting in the first place and stop them. It sounds like you have people who have 'Administrator' rights who shouldn't.)

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Linux DNS – How to Register Linux Server with Windows DNS Server

GPO – Setting ‘Register This Connection’s Addresses in DNS’

Related Topic