Over the past few days, I’ve built this addon as an exercise, and because I am actually using this server. I’m making the addon freely available here, but without any warranty whatsoever – consider yourself warned. This first version is simply an installer/deinstaller for the most recent dualserver version with basic status display, start/stop through the front end, and some commodity features thrown in.

Download the addon here: dualserver_6.83-T1

Target platform: ReadyNAS x86 only.

Addon Features:

• Dualserver 6.81: DHCP Server DNS Server Open Source Freeware. Works as DHCP or DNS Server or both. Using both services adds DHCP allotted hosts automatically to DNS Server. Support Relay Agent, PXEBOOT, BOOTP, Zone Trasfer, DHCP Range Filters.
• Out of the box, server will work as caching DNS server. Configure more complex scenarios by editing /etc/dualserver.ini and restarting the addon
• If you use DHCP, connecting to http://your.nas.hostname:6789 will display the status of leases.
• Logging: Dualserver logs into /var/log/dualserver.log and /var/log/dualserver.. Log files are rotated by logrotate

Dualserver features (from the dualserver README file):
PURPOSE

DHCP Server allots the IP addresses to local computers, while DNS server resolves
them.

You need DHCP Server if you do not want to manually maintain IP Addresses or
you have less IP Addresses than number of machines you have, as dynamic DHCP Server will
recycle IP Addresses on machines.

DNS Server is needed for resolving hostnames to their IP addresses. Normally your
ISP will provide you with DNS Service. You may have your own DNS Server, which will
resolve hostnames by forwarding them to ISP’s DNS Server and cache the addresses also.

If you have home/small office network with some Unix/Linux machines, these machines will
not be resolved from each other, as Unix/Linux machines do not support NBNS protocol
and you need your own DNS Server.

Now how about resolving your local machines ?. Your ISP’s DNS Server will not have
this list and your own DNS Server wont have this either. Most DNS Servers cannot do this.
(unless you configure dynamic updates, or use static IP addresses and manually enter them).

THIS SERVER RESOLVES DHCP ALLOTED LOCAL MACHINES AUTOMATICALLY, IN ADDITION TO EXTERNAL
HOSTS, WITH THE ADDED ADVANTAGE BEING, BOTH DHCP AND DNS SERVER ARE ALLWAYS IN SYNC.

You may also like to use this DNS Server as caching proxy over your IPS’s server for fast
response. You can disable DHCP Server, if you use static addresses or there is another
DHCP Server being used. Even if you have only one machine you can try it. Enable only
DNS Service, specify remote DNS Servers in ini file and set DNS Server of your machine
to itself. If you only have dialup, create loopback adaptor for testing.

ENHANCEMENTS in 6.83

1) DHCP Logging improved
2) Interface status detection in Linux fixed.
3) Shell script in Linux improved

ENHANCEMENTS in 6.81

1) DHCP Replication bug on address release fixed.
2) Program has been renamed as dualserverd, to resolve service command issues.

ENHANCEMENTS in 6.80

1) Minor Bux Fixes in DHCP Options

ENHANCEMENTS in 6.75

1) DHCP Bug on 64 bit systems fixed.

ENHANCEMENTS in 6.70

1) ANY type of DNS Query support added.
2) Bug about DHCP replicated operation fixed.

ENHANCEMENTS in 6.60

1) Can also work in 64 bit and Big Endian Systems.
2) Code Cleanup.
3) Automatically Detects and Redetects Listening Interfaces, as these change.

ENHANCEMENTS in 6.5

1) Bug about loading the hosts in DNS section fixed.
2) Options can be specified as byte array too.
3) Changes in Option Loading
4) Now supports 125 listening interfaces, 125 DHCP ranges and 125 forwarding servers
5) General Bug fixing in Zone Replication.

ENHANCEMENTS in 6.4

1) Logging Mechanism changed. Now there can be a daily new log file, Do achive this,
please include %Y for full year or %y for 2 digit year, %m for month, %d for day
of month. Log file will never be overwritten. Log file for DHCP should be archived
for finding out the Mac Address against an IP in future. You can also include just
%m and %Y if you want monthly log file like …/dualserver%Y%m.log
2) Multiple filters of each type can be specified in a range. If any filter matches,
it would be match.

ENHANCEMENTS in 6.3

1) Minor Bug Fixes

ENHANCEMENTS in 6.2

1) Vendor Class Filter has been added to filter DHCP-RANGE sections.
2) User Class Filter has been added to filter DHCP-RANGE sections.
3) Mac Range has been added to filter DHCP-RANGE sections.
4) DHCP Replication minor bug fixes.

ENHANCEMENTS in 6.0

1) Http Interface for lease status has been introduced.
2) DHCP Lease time can be different for any client or for entire DHCP Range.
3) Minor Bug Fixes in DHCP area.

ENHANCEMENTS in 5.2

1) DHCP Options can be specified on DHCP Range Basis also.
2) ClientID, if sent by Client, is returned with DHCP messages.

Bugs Fixed in 5.1

1) Zone Replication Bugs.

ENHANCEMENTS in 5.0

1) This release supports Zone Transfer and Replication.

BUGS Fixed in 4.1

1) BootP Support fixed.

ENHANCEMENTS in version 4.0

1) Multiple Ranges can be specified.
2) Different physical network can be served by this server using DCHP Relay Agent.
3) Single host can have multiple IPs and single IP can have multiple hosts.
4) Zone based DNS Query routing [DNS-PROXY] is introduced.
5) Logging added.
6) Multiple listening interfaces can be specified for multihome servers.

Other features

1) Requires little configuration and no need to create zone files.
2) Provides both DHCP and DNS Service, can also use one of them only.
3) Automatic built-in dynamic updates. DNS Server includes DHCP allotted names.
4) Unlimited no. of hosts and aliases can be specified.
5) No limit to cached external hosts.
6) Both global and client specific DHCP Options.
7) Network PXE Boot and BOOTP support.
Zone based DNS Query routing (DNS Proxing) to different DNS Servers.

Interesting, isn’t it? By grouping the most prevalent words from the presentation, we get “Interesting people like scrum”. But you knew that already, I’m almost certain.

Recycling packaging, used computer and rack fans has never been more attractive…

PS: I am not sure their office is much cooler than ours. But for sure, it is louder now.

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