Forum Discussion
Ajene
Altocumulus
AltocumulusBig-IP DNS - Zone Transfers
I have a customer with 192 zones on an older Big-IP GTM device. I've implemented a newer version of Big-IP DNS (vCMP). The customer is using the Big-IP DNS as the master for all the zone files, therefore local BIND on the F5 appliances are being used. Not DNS Express.
The question I have is, is there a way to transfer over the zones in bulk? According to the documentation, it seems like this can only be done one at a time. In other words, is it possible to transfer more than one zone at a time? If so, is there a maximum limit? If not, that is OK, I just want to know what is theoretically possible and so far, I can't find any documentation that references this capability.
--------------------
**The below steps are not supported by F5 Support, due to local files are being modified. :) . If for any reason the below steps do not work, the UCS backups can be used to recover the vCMP Guests and old GTM.
*The below I am typing from memory. :-)
--------------------
**Assumed
--vCMP Guests are configured with all WIPs and DataCenter configurations.
--iquery is allowed and is working between vCMP guests.
-DataCenter shows both BIG-IP DNS servers online.
---iquery can be tested via the command iqdump
>iqdump x.x.x.x . (x.x.x.x = IP of the alternative vCMP guest BIGIP-DNS servers) . If iqdump returns an error, then you have certificate / trust issues.
-Understand the log files, to view error that may populate, based on the below steps.
--------------------
-Create a default UCS backup on the two new vCMP guests and save it to your workstation, to have a local copy.
-Create a UCS backup on the old GTM via the GUI and save it to your workstation, to have a local copy.
--------------------
-Backup the zone files on the old GTM
>cd /var/tmp
>tar -cvf zonebackup.tar.gz /var/named/config/
--------------------
-Transfer the zonebackup file to the "Master" vCMP BigIP-DNS(GTM) ( /var/tmp directory) via SCP
--You can use WinSCP or scp via putty on the old GTM
*Old GTM -- from the /var/tmp directory
>scp zonebackup.tar.gz root@x.x.x.x:/var/tmp (x.x.x.x is the IP of the Master BIGIP-DNS; replace 'root' with whichever user that you normally use to administrate)
--------------------
-On BOTH vCMP Guests, stop the bind and ZoneRunner service(s)
>bigstart stop named
>bigstart stop zrd
-From the vCMP Master, extract the zonebackup.tar.gz file into the bind service directory
>cd /var/tmp
>tar -xvf zonebackup.tar.gz /var/named/config/
*replace all files if questioned with yes "Y"
-Verify if the zone files transferred
>cd /var/named/config/namedb
>ls *
*Are the zone files listed? If so, proceed.
-Restart the Named and ZoneRunner services
>bigstart start named
>bigstart start zrd
--Verify in the GUI if you can see the Zones via ZoneRunner.
--------------------
At this point, the Secondary vCMP BIGIP-DNS guest's ZoneRunner and Bind service are stopped.
-The sync has to be fixed and to do so, we will "start from scratch by deleting the bind files and re-sync to the Master.
*Log into the Secondary BIGIP-DNS vCMP guest
>rm -rf /var/named/config/ *Removes the original files.
>mkdir /var/named/config . *Re-creates the 'config' directory
--------------------
-The next step will recopy the Bind config and zone file to the Secondary vCMP BIGIP-DNS Guest.
>gtm_add <existing_GTM_IP_address> --answer the prompts. The gtm_add script will copy the remote BIG-IP GTM configuration to the local BIG-IP GTM system.
Link: https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K8195
-Restart the Bind and ZoneRunner service (secondary vCMP Guest BIGIP-DNS)
--At this point, you should see both BIGIP-DNS servers online via the GUI
-Test create a DNS record to verify if the sync is working correctly via ZoneRunner.
AjeneThanks for the reply. Your instructions worked perfectly, for me, in my lab. Thanks again for your help!
Shaun_SimmonsEmployee
--------------------
**The below steps are not supported by F5 Support, due to local files are being modified. :) . If for any reason the below steps do not work, the UCS backups can be used to recover the vCMP Guests and old GTM.
*The below I am typing from memory. :-)
--------------------
**Assumed
--vCMP Guests are configured with all WIPs and DataCenter configurations.
--iquery is allowed and is working between vCMP guests.
-DataCenter shows both BIG-IP DNS servers online.
---iquery can be tested via the command iqdump
>iqdump x.x.x.x . (x.x.x.x = IP of the alternative vCMP guest BIGIP-DNS servers) . If iqdump returns an error, then you have certificate / trust issues.
-Understand the log files, to view error that may populate, based on the below steps.
--------------------
-Create a default UCS backup on the two new vCMP guests and save it to your workstation, to have a local copy.
-Create a UCS backup on the old GTM via the GUI and save it to your workstation, to have a local copy.
--------------------
-Backup the zone files on the old GTM
>cd /var/tmp
>tar -cvf zonebackup.tar.gz /var/named/config/
--------------------
-Transfer the zonebackup file to the "Master" vCMP BigIP-DNS(GTM) ( /var/tmp directory) via SCP
--You can use WinSCP or scp via putty on the old GTM
*Old GTM -- from the /var/tmp directory
>scp zonebackup.tar.gz root@x.x.x.x:/var/tmp (x.x.x.x is the IP of the Master BIGIP-DNS; replace 'root' with whichever user that you normally use to administrate)
--------------------
-On BOTH vCMP Guests, stop the bind and ZoneRunner service(s)
>bigstart stop named
>bigstart stop zrd
-From the vCMP Master, extract the zonebackup.tar.gz file into the bind service directory
>cd /var/tmp
>tar -xvf zonebackup.tar.gz /var/named/config/
*replace all files if questioned with yes "Y"
-Verify if the zone files transferred
>cd /var/named/config/namedb
>ls *
*Are the zone files listed? If so, proceed.
-Restart the Named and ZoneRunner services
>bigstart start named
>bigstart start zrd
--Verify in the GUI if you can see the Zones via ZoneRunner.
--------------------
At this point, the Secondary vCMP BIGIP-DNS guest's ZoneRunner and Bind service are stopped.
-The sync has to be fixed and to do so, we will "start from scratch by deleting the bind files and re-sync to the Master.
*Log into the Secondary BIGIP-DNS vCMP guest
>rm -rf /var/named/config/ *Removes the original files.
>mkdir /var/named/config . *Re-creates the 'config' directory
--------------------
-The next step will recopy the Bind config and zone file to the Secondary vCMP BIGIP-DNS Guest.
>gtm_add <existing_GTM_IP_address> --answer the prompts. The gtm_add script will copy the remote BIG-IP GTM configuration to the local BIG-IP GTM system.
Link: https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K8195
-Restart the Bind and ZoneRunner service (secondary vCMP Guest BIGIP-DNS)
--At this point, you should see both BIGIP-DNS servers online via the GUI
-Test create a DNS record to verify if the sync is working correctly via ZoneRunner.
- Ajene
Thanks for the reply. 14.1.0.3 build 0.0.6 and only 2 are configured within a DNS synchronization group.
- Shaun_Simmons
Yes, it can be done.
Before I answer :) What version of TMOS is the GTM? And, how many GTM sync with each other (Data Center)?