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In this guide, we will demonstrate how to configure a multi-node DNS setup consisting of two nameservers and one webserver that also acts as a client. The configuration details are as follows: • node-01: Primary nameserver
• node-02: Secondary nameserver
• node-03: Webserver running an application (and acting as a client) Below is an illustration of the multi-node DNS setup:
The image illustrates a multi-node DNS setup with three nodes: a primary nameserver, a secondary nameserver, and a web nameserver, along with a client icon.

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Primary Nameserver Setup (node-01)

Begin by installing and configuring BIND9 on node-01, which will serve as the primary nameserver.

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1. Install and Start BIND9

Start the BIND9 service: 
sudo systemctl start bind9

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2. Configure the Zone File

Edit the zone configuration file (typically named.conf.local) to specify the zone information. In this example, our domain is multinode.kodekloud.lab and its zone file is stored in /etc/bind. The configuration should indicate that node-01 is the primary (master) server for the zone: 
zone "multinode.kodekloud.lab" {
    type master;
    file "/etc/bind/db.multinode.kodekloud.lab";
};
Gather the IP addresses for node-01 and node-02 before updating the zone file. These IP addresses will be used within the zone file.

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3. Verify IP Addresses

Run the following commands to check the IP addresses of node-01 and node-02: 
# Starting the named service if not already running
sudo systemctl start named

# Editing configuration and zone file
sudo vi /etc/bind/named.conf.local
sudo vi /etc/bind/db.multinode.kodekloud.lab

# Checking IP addresses:
ping node01
ping node02
Example output for node01: 
PING node01 (192.5.84.8) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from node01 (192.5.84.8): icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.029 ms
And for node02: 
PING node02 (192.5.84.10) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from node02 (192.5.84.10): icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.035 ms

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4. Create the Zone File

Create the file /etc/bind/db.multinode.kodekloud.lab with the following content. This file sets the Start of Authority (SOA) record, NS records, and A records for node01, node02, and node03: 
$TTL 604800
@       IN      SOA     node01.multinode.kodekloud.lab. admin.multinode.kodekloud.lab. (
                              1         ; Serial
                        604800         ; Refresh
                         86400         ; Retry
                        2419200        ; Expire
                         604800 )      ; Negative Cache TTL

@       IN      NS      node01.multinode.kodekloud.lab.
@       IN      NS      node02.multinode.kodekloud.lab.

node01  IN      A       192.5.84.8
node02  IN      A       192.5.84.10
node03  IN      A       192.5.84.12

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5. Restart and Verify

After saving the zone file, restart the BIND9 service: 
sudo systemctl reload bind9
You can test the DNS resolution by querying the domain using the local nameserver: 
# Test resolution using ping
ping node02
ping node03

# Querying with dig
dig @localhost multinode.kodekloud.lab
This should return the SOA along with the NS records, confirming that node-01 is correctly serving as the primary nameserver.

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Secondary Nameserver Configuration (node-02)

Next, configure node-02 as the secondary (slave) nameserver.

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1. Install BIND9 on node-02

SSH into node-02 and start the BIND9 service: 
ssh node02
sudo systemctl start bind9

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2. Confirm the Primary Server’s IP

From node-02, verify the IP address of node-01: 
ping node01

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3. Configure the Secondary Zone

Edit the named.conf.local file on node-02 to declare it as a secondary nameserver. Use node-01’s IP (192.5.84.8) as the master: 
zone "multinode.kodekloud.lab" {
    type slave;
    file "/var/cache/bind/db.multinode.kodekloud.lab";
    masters { 192.5.84.8; };
};
Save the file and reload BIND9: 
sudo systemctl reload bind9

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4. Configure Zone Transfer on the Primary (node-01)

Ensure that the named.conf.options file on node-01 allows transfers to node-02. An example configuration: 
options {
    directory "/var/cache/bind";
    allow-transfer { 192.5.84.10; };
    recursion yes;
    allow-recursion { any; };
    listen-on { any; };
};
Reload the service after making changes: 
sudo systemctl reload bind9

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5. Test the Secondary Setup

Verify node-02’s configuration by querying for zone data: 
# Query using dig on node-02 itself
dig @localhost multinode.kodekloud.lab

# Test full zone transfer using AXFR if permitted
dig @192.5.84.10 multinode.kodekloud.lab AXFR
If the zone transfer is successful, node-02 should return all the zone records.

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Webserver (node-03) Configuration

Now, configure node-03 as the webserver and set it up to work with DNS.

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1. Set Up Nginx on node-03

SSH into node-03, install Nginx, and start the service: 
ssh node03
sudo systemctl start nginx
curl localhost
A successful response should display the default Nginx welcome page.

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2. Add a CNAME Record for the Webserver

Update the zone file on the primary nameserver (node-01) by adding a CNAME record for the webserver. SSH into node-01 again and open the zone file /etc/bind/db.multinode.kodekloud.lab to include the following record: 
$TTL 604800
@       IN      SOA     node01.multinode.kodekloud.lab. admin.multinode.kodekloud.lab. (
                       1        ; Serial
                       604800   ; Refresh
                       86400    ; Retry
                       2419200  ; Expire
                       604800 ) ; Negative Cache TTL
@       IN      NS      node01.multinode.kodekloud.lab.
@       IN      NS      node02.multinode.kodekloud.lab.
node01  IN      A       192.5.84.8
node02  IN      A       192.5.84.10
node03  IN      A       192.5.84.12
www     IN      CNAME   node03.multinode.kodekloud.lab.
After saving the updated file, reload BIND9: 
sudo systemctl reload bind9

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3. Update DNS Settings on node-03

On node-03, update the /etc/resolv.conf file to use node-01’s IP as the primary nameserver. An example resolv.conf might look like: 
search us-central1-a.c.kk-lab-prod.internal c.kk-lab-prod.internal google.internal
nameserver 172.25.0.1
options ndots:0

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4. Verify DNS Resolution

Finally, validate the full setup on node-03 by running: 
curl www.multinode.kodekloud.lab
A successful output displaying the Nginx welcome page HTML confirms that the DNS resolution across both nameservers is working correctly.
Through these detailed steps, you have successfully set up a multi-node DNS configuration with a primary nameserver (node-01), a secondary nameserver (node-02), and a webserver (node-03) hosting an Nginx service with a CNAME record pointing to it. This setup ensures reliable DNS resolution across your multi-node environment.

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