How to Reset DNS ( Completely Clear and Start Over )

Hi Terry

Is the Server configured as Advanced?

Tony

Hello Terry

Is a rebuild (format and reinstall etc) not an option?

Tony

Hello Terry

Are currently configured Services (running or not) set to use the domain you ultimately want?

If yes then you should be able to do this using the interface without any need to use the command line.

Before you try what follows (read it carefully first) I would make sure you have a fully working bootable clone of the server as it exists now. That way you could at least roll back to where you are now. Not perfect but you'll know that some things are at least working.

Remove the server entry in Server Admin and re-add it this time using its .local name (eg: server.local). If its already using this try its IP address instead or its loopback address. Once Server Admin has refreshed itself select the DNS Service and stop it. Delete whatever is there. Remove the Server's IP Address from the DNS Server's field in the Network Preferences Pane. Reinstate either the Router IP Address or your ISP DNS Server Addresses.

As an added precaution and only if the current domain (Kerberos Realm and Search Base) is as you want it to be Archive the LDAP Database. In addition export all your Users & Groups. If Users had Calendars prior to do any of this export their calendars from their iCal Clients. Save them locally for re-importing later on.

Quit out of Server Admin, launch and try to connect to it again. Hopefully you'll be able to do so. If its successful quit it again and now make sure the Server is fully up to date.

Once its fully up to date launch Server Admin and begin to build the DNS Service. You could use these instructions if you like:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1607034&start=0&tstart=0

For example you could use the relevant part that refers to DNS. It's your choice.

Once the DNS Service has been configured and started, remove whatever DNS Server IP addresses you placed in the Server's Network Preferences Pane and replace with the Server's own IP Address. You don't need anything else. Disable IPv6 whilst you're there.

Use the usual command line utilities to test and qualify the DNS Service. Once you're happy launch a web browser and see if you can connect to the internet. If that bit is working quit out of the browser and begin configuring your other services that rely on DNS. If you've clients that have been joined using the LDAPv3 plug-in remove the setting and re-do it. Make sure the edu.mit.Kerberos file is removed from /Library/Preferences.

Open Directory, SUS, iCal etc work best if the clients are using the Server to resolve their DNS. I would disable IPv6 on your clients as well. Ultimately you may still be looking at a rebuild anyway?

Hopefully this helps?

Tony

PS: I have tried the above successfully for 10.4 and 10.5 a few times and it has worked. The key is to be patient. Even when SA seems like its not responding stick with it.

Hi Terry

sudo serveradmin stop dns

will stop the service; man serveradmin for usage. Amongst other things DNS is required to build the Kerberos Realm and for LDAP itself its pretty extensive. More than anything it provides Server Stability. If DNS was poorly configured in the first place it could account for a whole host of problems you may or may not have been having with the server generally, other services and especially LDAP.

I don't like advising people to edit config files directly however you could look editing the zone(s) directly? Look at /var/named/zones, /etc/named.conf and /etc/dns. Try not to use the Finder. Use nano, pico or if you must use a text editor; TextWrangler.

Do so at your own risk. As already mentioned it might be best (and quicker) if you started again? I know its not what you want to hear but It's your decision. Apart from what I've offered you've had no other takers. Probably because they feel the best advice would be to start from scratch?

Sorry I could not help.

Tony

Hello Terry

Without being there I don't know what else I can offer? Sorry.

Tony

@ Terry:

What version of Server did you move from, 10.4 ?

10.5 Server does not use identical files/file hierarchy for DNS.

You can see this by reading /etc/named.conf (use

less

or nano or vi or emacs)
note the statement:

include "/etc/dns/options.conf.apple";

within the options section.

Don't change that. Instead, modify/update your migrated configs to match the layout and formatting of those generated by Server Admin.

Use Server Admin to delete your DNS setup **
Use Pacifist to extract the default file(s). Copy that to your server, ensure permissions & ownership are correct.
Start over with your DNS configuration.

* Please NOTE: If no other DNS servers are correctly answering queries for your server/services, then expect multiple problems to occur as a result of disabling DNS. I would recommend shutting off most or all other services first, but you cannot readily do so for Open Directory - nor should you attempt to do so without fully knowing what you're doing already.

You'll need to shut off DNS via

serveradmin

as Tony demonstrated above.

Then you need to restore the Apple-default files. Check & correct any incorrect permissions and ownership.

If you want to be more granular, you could try using fs_usage or any of the dtrace-related tools provided with 10.5, to try to track exactly what file is being parsed when the error occurs.

But a walk-through of that is beyond the scope of this forum. My sincere hope is, you'll persevere and pursue the info I've shared/pointers I've mentioned.

It's possible, just takes some drive.

Best of luck !

-- David

I think you're looking for a one-shoe-fits-all, or one answer to rule them all, kind of response.

The reality is that that's often quite specifically -not- the case.
Instead, I've tried to supply you with some tips to determine specifically where Server Admin is tripping up.

We don't know everything that's happened with your server or when and why, even if you feel certain that you've done nothing to cause the problem (and that could well be the case) - we don't know and can't know, from what you've conveyed.

Something as seemingly benign as running a mismatched SA (Server Admin) version from a client machine, to edit your server settings... or a stale lock file for SA.

Finally, try enabling the Debug menu for SA by (quitting out of it &) running in the Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.serveradmin UseDebugMenu YES

Then launch SA and from the Debug menu, select "Show Transactions Log Window"
and then try working with the DNS settings.

Cheers,

-- D