DNS Groups

The DNS tab Groups List allows you to create, view, and manage groups of DNS Servers and Zones. Using groups, you can configure and push selected combinations of zones at one time.

DNS Groups List Interface

1) Add Group Button: Opens a dialog for creating a DNS Group

2) Group Container: The Group container header shows the group name. Expand or close the group container by clicking on the expansion arrow ( > ) on the far right of the header. Clicking on the X will delete the Group and all zones included in the group. Rename the group by clicking on the name, then typing the desired changes and clicking outside of the name.

Group Zone Actions:

3) Add Zone Button: Opens a dialog for creating a DNS zone under that group.

4) Push Group Button: Pushes all zones in the group.

5) Schedule Push Button: Schedules a push of all zones in the group to the selected day and time. Requires the scheduler tab / cron tasks to be enabled.

6) Export Zones: Exports all zones in the group into a .zip file.

7) Zone List: Forward and reverse zones included in the Group.

8) Forward / Reverse Zones Tabs: Shows zone list containing only forward or reverse zones, respectively.

9) Zone Name (Sortable): The name of the zone. Clicking on the zone name will open the zone details window, showing individual records. Clicking on the "Zone Name" header will sort the zone list by ascending or descending by name.

10) Last Pushed: The date and time the zone was last pushed.

11) Last Modified (Sortable). The date and time the zone was last modified. Clicking on the "Last Modified" header will sort the zone list by most / least recent modification date.

12) Records: How many records are in the zone.

13) Zone Status: Will notify if the zone or server connection contains errors, after a check has been performed (by clicking on the "Check" button). Clicking on the "Contains Errors" message will provide additional details on the error.

14) Actions: The actions that may be performed on each zone:

15) Delete: Deletes the zone from ProVision and removes the entry in ProVision conf file on the remote server(s) (the user will also receive a prompt to confirm they wish to complete the action)

16) Push: Pushes the zone to the associated server.

17) Move: Moves the zone to a different Group.

18) Check: Performs a check on the zone, notifying the user if errors or warnings are present for the zone.

19) Attached Servers: Click on the header title or > to expand or collapse. View, attach, or detach a server from the group.

20) Group Default Parameters: Click on the header title or > to expand or collapse. Edit default group settings including nameservers, SOA values, and Push Policy.

21) Applied ACLs: Click on the header title or > to expand or collapse. Add or detach ACLs to the group.

22) Scheduled Tasks: If a scheduled push has been set up for the group, the task information will show in a "Scheduled Tasks" module. Click on the header title or > to expand or collapse. Review or delete scheduled group pushes.

Working with DNS Groups

DNS Groups allow for organizing multiple zones together and linking those zones with one or more servers. Default nameservers, SOA values, and ACL's are set at the Group level, so different Groups may have their own default values. Zones may be pushed individually, as a Group, or at the server level.

ProVision automatically designates a Default Group for zones to be imported or added to, as well as a "templates" group for holding pre-DNSv3 templates or to hold new zones created as templates. Creating additional Groups is completely optional.

Add a Group

DNSv3 automatically contains two Groups - one Default Group to contain existing or imported zones, and a Templates Group, containing zones mimicking DNS Templates. Additional Groups may be added or removed at any time, and zones may be freely moved or duplicated between different groups as needed.

To create a new Group, from the DNS Tab, select the DNS Groups sub menu. Then, click the "Add Group" button next to "DNS Groups List".

This will open the "Create New Group" dialog.

Enter the desired Group Name, select a parent resource, enter the default SOA values, and add a default Nameserver (type the NS, then click "Add").

Click the "Save Changes" button when complete.

The new group will be added to the DNS Groups List.

Open the Group container for the new Group by clicking on the expansion arrow at the top right corner of the header.

Information for Attached Servers, Group Default Parameters, and Applied ACLs may also be viewed and edited by clicking on the expansion arrows for each section.

Edit a Group

Edit a Group Name:

Edit the name for a Group by clicking inside the Group's Name. A highlight box will appear around the name, and a cursor inside the box.

Edit the text as desired using your mouse or arrow keys to navigate through the text. When complete, click anywhere outside of the name box, and a confirmation dialog will appear.

Click "Confirm" to save your changes, or "Close" to exit without saving.

Edit a Group's Default Parameter Values:

Under the desired Group, expand the "Group Default Parameters" module by clicking on the expansion arrow.

Edit Nameservers

Change a Nameserver by typing the new NS record into the Nameserver box, then click "Add".

Delete the previous Nameserver by clicking on the red "X" to the right of the NS Record.

Change the order of multiple Nameservers by left-clicking (holding the mouse button down) over the NS Record to move, dragging to its desired placement, then releasing the mouse button.

The NS record will drop into its new location, with the order updated.

Edit Push Policy

Edit the push policy by selecting the radio next to the desired push behavior ("Group Centric", "Zone Centric", or "Server Centric") and click "Save Push Policy".

Edit SOA Values

To edit the Default SOA values, simply click inside the value to be changed and type or select your new value. Be sure to also verify the desired Parent Resource for the Group, as the resource selected determines the Group's permissions.

Save Changes

Save all Nameserver and SOA changes by clicking on the "Save Group Defaults" button at the bottom of the section. Closing without saving will cause all changes to be lost.

Add Zones to a Group

To add a new zone to a Group, click the "Add Zone" button inside the desired Group.

Fill in the zone name, select a parent resource (by default, the Group is selected), select a populate type, and fill in any optional fields.

For more detail on each of these options, see Working with DNS Zones - Add a Zone.

When complete, hit the "Save Changes" button.

Pushing a Group

Before pushing a group, expand the "Attached Servers" section and verify that the correct server is attached to the DNS Group.

Manual Group Push

After verifying the attached server, manually push the Group by clicking the "Push Group" button under the desired Group.

A DNS Push Status window appears, showing each zone in the Group as it is pushed to the attached server. If successful, a green "Finished DNS Pushing Request" will appear as the final message. If errors occur, an error message will show with details on the issue. When complete, hit the "Close" button.

Scheduled Group Push

Scheduled pushes may be set up through the "Schedule Push" button for the Group.

Click "Schedule Push" for the Group, then select a date, time (12 hour, with AM / PM toggle), add a notification email address, and click "Save changes".

The Scheduled task will be shown in both the Group details (under "Scheduled Tasks") and the Admin Scheduler task list.

The task may be deleted prior to running by clicking the "delete" button, but will automatically be removed once completed.

Delete a Group

Delete a non-Default Group by clicking on the "X" to the left of the Group's name in the DNS Groups List.

A confirmation message will appear, click "Confirm" to save your changes, or "Close" to exit without saving.

The Default Group may not be deleted.

Export a Group

All zones under a DNS Group may be exported to a .zip file by clicking the "Export Zones" button at the top of the Group module.

The exported .zip file may be used with ProVision's BIND DNS Zone Upload / Import tool.

Using the Templates Group / Cloning Zones to a Group

By default, a "templates" group is included in DNSv3. Any pre-DNSv3 DNS Templates will be included in this group, as well as any newly created zones to be used as template zones.

The template group functions the same as any other DNS Group, but gives a holding place for zones designed as templates separate from other zones.

Create your template zone

Add a template zone by clicking the "Add Zone" button, giving the zone a descriptive name to clearly identify as a template, select the populate type, and fill in any optional data. ( see Working with DNS Zones - Add a Zone.)