DirectAdmin DNS Helper

Owned by HostBill
Last updated: Feb 24, 2021 by HostBill Support
3 min read

Overview

DirectAdmin DNS Helper is an extension shipped with DirectAdmin module to help you connect your DirectAdmin installations with one of the HostBill-supported DNS services:

  • Power DNS
  • Power DNS Slave Zones
  • OnApp DNS
  • cPanel DNS
  • ...or any other DNS HostBill supports


How it works?

  • In your DirectAdmin installations you setup DNS templates to use your actual master nameserver (i.e. DirectAdmin, Power DNS, cPanel DNS)
  • You install our DirectAdmin plugin and point it to your HostBill install
  • Any time new zone is created / updated / deleted in DirectAdmin, our extension notifies HostBill about it
  • HostBill then "decides" what to do next. It can:
    • Push this zone to real master nameserver
    • Notify secondary nameserver to create/update slave zone
    • After exporting such zone, HostBill can assign it to the related customer 

So you can have:

  • Slave DNS (any supported by HostBill) notified automatically about new zones in DirectAdmin, or:
  • DirectAdmin DNS will not be used to handle DNS queries, but as a source of data for actual DNS server that handles requests.
    With this approach you can benefit from flexible & automated DNS templates built into DirectAdmin on any central DNS server you wish to use with it.


Configuring HostBill DNS Helper in DirectAdmin

To begin, you need to install DirectAdmin Plugin that is shipped with DirectAdmin module for HostBill.

  1. Copy plugin .tar.gz file from includes/modules/Hosting/directadmin2/plugin/dist directory of your HostBill installation

  2. Login to your DirectAdmin panel, and install plugin 

    1. Add a plugin: Extra Features → Plugin Manager → Add

    2. Select File in Upload Method
    3. Select the hostbill_dns.tar.gz file and check the Install after upload option
    4. Install
  3. Once plugin is installed, click Extra Features → HostBill DNS Helper:
  4. Configure connection to HostBill
    1. Enter URL to HostBill API endpoint (described in section below)
    2. Enter Secret to HostBill App Connection (secret should be unique for each DirectAdmin server)
    3. Submit with Save Changes button

You can now verify connection to your HostBill by clicking Test Connection button. If connection succeeds, you should see following message:


Configuring DirectAdmin module in HostBill

Make sure that any DirectAdmin you will be synchronizing data from have configured connection in HostBill → Connect with app (read more about configuration in: DirectAdmin).

Especially ensure that following fields: 

  • IP address 
  • Secret for DNS tool - In this field you should set the Secret from the HostBill DNS Helper plugin

are configured in your DirectAdmin connection in HostBill.


Configuring DirectAdmin DNS Tool in HostBill


  1. Find and activate DirectAdmin DNS Tool plugin in your HostBill → Extras → Plugins
  2. Once activated proceed to Extras → Plugins → DirectAdmin DNS Tool to configure the module
    1. Copy HostBill API endpoint URL to be used on DirectAdmin plugin configuration
    2. Select Target DNS server you wish zones coming from your DirectAdmin installations should be hosted on

    3. The module has additional options that are checked during zone synchronization

      • Try to assign imported zone to existing HostBill DNS management account 

      • Sync DNS only if HostBill domain exist

      • Check if zone exist in target DNS before attempting to creating it

      • Transfer A/CNAME only for free subdomains

      • Do not synch/import zones that already exists in target DNS server

      • Replace/set NS records for zone using target DNS App settings

Warning

This option should be used with caution, possibly only for PowerDNS Slave module. If you enable this option, client will "see" imported zone in DNS management section.

If customer would then update anything directly on DNS server, his changes may later be overwritten by another synchronization made with DirectAdmin DNS tool.

It's best to have clients manage their DNS directly on DirectAdmin or via HostBill client portal, using DirectAdmin DNS management function