How to set ServerName on home network

Are you asking a Multicast DNS (aka mdns) question?

FreeBSD link here: https://wiki.freebsd.org/MulticastDNS

If you mean in a "Windows" context - SAMBA usually sends out the appropriate stuff and pretends to be a "Windows Active Directory". Here is a link that is for FreeBSD: Samba 4 AD on ZFS

The way you have written "ServerName" makes me think you mean Apache Web Server -- and you can add a DNS entry your local DNS server zone file or to a local /etc/hosts file. Though on local LANs a lot of people are (also?) using Zero Conf solutions these days like mdns.

Sorry -- "Apache" -- can mean a lot of different things these days :cool:
 
Many, many years ago I set up an "authoritative" domain with a bogus TLD .home. For multiple reasons, the first was that I wanted to learn about DNS and how it worked. The second reason was to have something I could use for my homelab to register all sorts of services, hostnames and whatnot, without actually having to properly register a domain. And the third reason was that FreeBSD had BIND named in the base at that time. So I had all the tools I needed already available to me.

Should still be fine to use as a TLD. Then set up something like balanga.home. And you can create A (and/or AAAA) records for myserver.balanga.home for example. Not suggesting setting up BIND but there are other (probably easier to use) alternatives.

Or, you could go with a hosts file option of course, but the downside of it is that you have to distribute that hosts file to every computer on your network.
 
Not sure.. (by my read?) was the OP wanted (other hosts) on his LAN or network to locate his web sever. 127.0.0.1 will work find if you are just running a local web server you only plan to use with your FreeBSD host.

Change: 127.0.0.1 to the IP Address to the desired Ethernet/Wifi/etc card if you want to allow other hosts to be able to access it. Also remember to punch a firewall hole using PF (or similar) if you are using a firewall.
 
SirDice said:
Many, many years ago I set up an "authoritative" domain with a bogus TLD .home. For multiple reasons, the first was that I wanted to learn about DNS and how it worked. The second reason was to have something I could use for my homelab to register all sorts of services, hostnames and whatnot, without actually having to properly register a domain. And the third reason was that FreeBSD had BIND named in the base at that time. So I had all the tools I needed already available to me.

Should still be fine to use as a TLD. Then set up something like balanga.home. And you can create A (and/or AAAA) records for myserver.balanga.home for example. Not suggesting setting up BIND but there are other (probably easier to use) alternatives.

Or, you could go with a hosts file option of course, but the downside of it is that you have to distribute that hosts file to every computer on
Click to expand...
Local unbound allows to set your specific records , for your PC.
For being public on internet ,i don't know , how it goes, as far as I know , it depends ...
 
CShell said:
The way you have written "ServerName" makes me think you mean Apache Web Server -- and you can add a DNS entry your local DNS server zone file or to a local /etc/hosts file. Though on local LANs a lot of people are (also?) using Zero Conf solutions these days like mdns.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I'm looking for. I want a simple solution. I'm running in a jail so would like to access the server from anywhere on my network.

I do have a dhcp server and I would try assigning an IP address and hostname via MAC address, but don't know if I can do that in a jail.

Zero Conf solutions are something I know nothing about.
 
CShell said:
Not sure.. (by my read?) was the OP wanted (other hosts) on his LAN or network to locate his web sever. 127.0.0.1 will work find if you are just running a local web server you only plan to use with your FreeBSD host.

Change: 127.0.0.1 to the IP Address to the desired Ethernet/Wifi/etc card if you want to allow other hosts to be able to access it. Also remember to punch a firewall hole using PF (or similar) if you are using a firewall.
Click to expand...
Using IP address works, but I'd like to use a hostname. Getting assigned by the network would be my preferable solution
 
balanga said:
I do have a dhcp server and I would try assigning an IP address and hostname via MAC address, but don't know if I can do that in a jail.
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While that would give the host a proper hostname and IP address, that relationship (hostname to IP address) isn't known to any other computer on your network. That's what DNS is for. Didn't you recently set up dnsmasq? You can set up an 'authoritative' DNS with that too.
 
Alain De Vos said:
SirDice said:
While that would give the host a proper hostname and IP address, that relationship (hostname to IP address) isn't known to any other computer on your network. That's what DNS is for. Didn't you recently set up dnsmasq? You can set up an 'authoritative' DNS with that too.
Click to expand...
Yes I have dnsmasq running, but have only set it up for assigning IP addreses for known MAC addresses. I don't know if I can do that with jails.
Click to expand...
 
I have a simple split, DHCP is used for workstations, laptops, phones, that sort of thing. Servers (and their services) have static IPs.

I also have my home network split up into different VLANs. But that's really not necessary, I didn't have them when I first set up my "homelab". Just a single /24, used addresses .10 to .150 for DHCP (workstations, desktops, laptops) and .200 and up for my "servers" (only had 2 at the time, my firewall and a doing-everything server).
 
I run local DHCP and DNS with a made up home domain. For my static IPs I let the DHCP server set a fixed address (name) based on the mac address of the device connecting and then that name is being translated to an ip by the DNS server.

This is to have all devices on DHCP but still control what devices that get static IPs (or not).

/grandpa
 
I simply resolve all my internal names through the /etc/hosts file on my openWRT firewall, where I also resolve all external DNS inquires. If the hostname lookup is without a domain then it resolves to an internal host.

Apache virtual hosts will use the hostname supplied in the URL to choose the correct document area, as long as all necessary hostnames are aliased to the apache server.
 
You could install one central dns server , it will consolidate all /etc/hosts files , then redirect all dns request on all servers to it.
Central configuration.
 
grandpa said:
I run local DHCP and DNS with a made up home domain. For my static IPs I let the DHCP server set a fixed address (name) based on the mac address of the device connecting and then that name is being translated to an ip by the DNS server.

This is to have all devices on DHCP but still control what devices that get static IPs (or not).

/grandpa
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The problem I'm having is knowing how to set an IP address for a jail since it does not have a MAC address.
 
balanga said:
The problem I'm having is knowing how to set an IP address for a jail since it does not have a MAC address.
Click to expand...
I'm not a network and FreeBSD expert, but for mine homelab I used:
  • VNET for jails, because it creates a distinct network interface for each Jail, with a proper MAC address. The IP-Sharing method can create problems, because it uses tricks on the localhost-like IP. VNET is instead a standard network configuration, and it is all rock-solid.
  • I use Bastille and I assign the IP address statically. This probably is not optimal.
  • a DHCPD server.
  • the full dns/unbound service on ports (not the one on the base system, because it is limited) for associating to each IP something like "myservice.local.lan".
  • I use the dns/unbound service as DNS server of each jail and computer, so I have: local.lan name resolutions; fast DNS caching; etc..
  • I use quad9.net for DNS forwarding, because someone suggested me, and it seems good.
  • I configured some routing rule for WiFi devices connected through my WiFi modem.
This configuration is for sure overly complex. Probably it is better using some more modern zero-config solution. But I like it because it is stable, and it uses standard networking tools.

In case you are interested, I can prepare a blog post with the details of the configurations.
 
OpenFreeNet said:
I'm not a network and FreeBSD expert, but for mine homelab I used:
  • VNET for jails, because it creates a distinct network interface for each Jail, with a proper MAC address. The IP-Sharing method can create problems, because it uses tricks on the localhost-like IP. VNET is instead a standard network configuration, and it is all rock-solid.
This configuration is for sure overly complex. Probably it is better using some more modern zero-config solution. But I like it because it is stable, and it uses standard networking tools.

In case you are interested, I can prepare a blog post with the details of the configurations.
Click to expand...
I'm definitely interested in how to obtain a proper MAC address in a jail. I use IOCAGE if it makes any difference.
 
Completely unrelated to OPs original question (sorry) but when I was learning about DNS I wanted it redundant since it is kind of critical, so I had two identical running with freevrrpd as mechanism for active/passive.

I saw that freevrrpd is still in ports and I recall that some scripting to sync updates for the ip scopes was necessary. It was incredibly reliable.

/grandpa
 
SirDice said:
ü... Not suggesting setting up BIND but there are other (probably easier to use) alternatives.
Click to expand...
Could you please name them? I can get me a list from ports(7) myself, but there'll be good ones and less good ones...
NOTE: This is of low priority to me, you may answer in 2 months. But sooner or later I'd like to set up a "real" DNS for my home network, because the DNS server of my DSL router is very limited, it misses some entries I'd like to set like e.g. to boot via DHCP or to boot over network from the BIOS/UEFI. 25 years ago I had to administer a bind(8) for our customers, and I missed a GUI that really works. Hopefully, things have improved since.
 
Alain De Vos said:
Local unbound allows to set your specific records , for your PC.
For being public on internet ,i don't know , how it goes, as far as I know , it depends ...
Click to expand...
I reported a horrible bug in the default configuration of local-unbound(8) in FreeBSD more than 5 years ago. NOTE: This bug does not affect the upstream (genuine) unbound, instead just FreeBSD's configuration of it shipped as default in the base system. The upstream's genuine default configuration is clean!

This is a bug of that kind I'd never expected in the FreeBSD base system. And it's still OPEN! Thus I would strongly advise NOT to use local-unbound(8), unless you're VERY picky to set up a configuration that does respect your privacy needs.
 
Mjölnir said:
Could you please name them? I can get me a list from ports(7) myself, but there'll be good ones and less good ones...
NOTE: This is of low priority to me, you may answer in 2 months. But sooner or later I'd like to set up a "real" DNS for my home network, because the DNS server of my DSL router is very limited, it misses some entries I'd like to set like e.g. to boot via DHCP or to boot over network from the BIOS/UEFI. 25 years ago I had to administer a bind(8) for our customers, and I missed a GUI that really works. Hopefully, things have improved since.
Click to expand...
Have you looked at dns/dnsmasq ?
 
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