Simple way to set up Split DNS

Tom Eastep

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover, and with no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled GNU Free Documentation License.

2020/02/16


What is Split DNS

Split DNS is simply a configuration in which the IP address to which a DNS name resolves is dependent on the location of the client. It is most often used in a NAT environment to insure that local clients resolve the DNS names of local servers to their RFC 1918 addresses while external clients resolve the same server names to their public counterparts.

Why would I want to use Split DNS?

See Shorewall FAQ 2.

Setting up Split DNS

Setting up Split DNS is extremely simple:

  1. Be sure that your firewall/router can resolve external DNS names.

  2. Install the dnsmasq package (http://www.thekelleys.org.uk/dnsmasq/doc.html) and arrange for it to start at boot time. There are many dnsmasq HOWTOs on the Internet.

  3. Add your local hosts to /etc/hosts on the firewall/router using their local RFC 1918 addresses. Here's an example:

    #
    # hosts         This file describes a number of hostname-to-address
    #               mappings for the TCP/IP subsystem.  It is mostly
    #               used at boot time, when no name servers are running.
    #               On small systems, this file can be used instead of a
    #               "named" name server.
    # Syntax:
    #    
    # IP-Address  Full-Qualified-Hostname  Short-Hostname
    #
    
    127.0.0.1       localhost
    
    172.20.0.1      openvpn.shorewall.net   openvpn
    172.20.0.2      vpn02.shorewall.net     vpn02
    172.20.0.3      vpn03.shorewall.net     vpn03
    172.20.0.4      vpn04.shorewall.net     vpn04
    172.20.0.5      vpn05.shorewall.net     vpn05
    172.20.0.6      vpn06.shorewall.net     vpn06
    172.20.0.7      vpn07.shorewall.net     vpn07
    172.20.0.8      vpn08.shorewall.net     vpn08
    172.20.0.9      vpn09.shorewall.net     vpn09
    172.20.0.10     vpn10.shorewall.net     vpn10
    172.20.0.11     vpn11.shorewall.net     vpn11
    172.20.0.12     vpn12.shorewall.net     vpn12
    172.20.0.13     vpn13.shorewall.net     vpn13
    172.20.0.14     vpn14.shorewall.net     vpn14
    172.20.0.15     vpn15.shorewall.net     vpn15
    172.20.0.16     vpn16.shorewall.net     vpn16
    
    172.20.1.1      linksys.shorewall.net   linksys
    172.20.1.100    hp8500.shorewall.net    hp8500
    172.20.1.102    ursa.shorewall.net      ursa
    172.20.1.105    tarry.shorewall.net     tarry
    172.20.1.107    teastep.shorewall.net   teastep
    172.20.1.109    hpmini.shorewall.net    hpmini
    
    172.20.1.130    lanursa.shorewall.net   lanursa
    172.20.1.131    wookie.shorewall.net    wookie
    172.20.1.132    tipper.shorewall.net    tipper
    172.20.1.133    nasty.shorewall.net     nasty
    172.20.1.134    ursadog.shorewall.net   ursadog
    172.20.1.135    opensuse.shorewall.net  opensuse
    172.20.1.136    centos.shorewall.net    centos
    172.20.1.137    fedora.shorewall.net    fedora
    172.20.1.138    debian.shorewall.net    debian
    172.20.1.139    archlinux.shorewall.net archlinux
    172.20.1.140    foobar.shorewall.net    foobar
    172.20.1.141    deblap.shorewall.net    deblap
    172.20.1.254    firewall.shorewall.net  firewall
    
    206.124.146.254 blarg.shorewall.net     blarg
    
    # special IPv6 addresses
    ::1             localhost ipv6-localhost ipv6-loopback
    
    fe00::0         ipv6-localnet
    
    ff00::0         ipv6-mcastprefix
    ff02::1         ipv6-allnodes
    ff02::2         ipv6-allrouters
    ff02::3         ipv6-allhosts
    
    2002:ce7c:92b4::1       gateway6.shorewall.net  gateway6
    2002:ce7c:92b4:1::2     mail6.shorewall.net     mail6
    2002:ce7c:92b4:1::2     lists6.shorewall.net    lists6
    2002:ce7c:92b4:2::2     server6.shorewall.net   server6
    
    
  4. If your local hosts are configured using DHCP, that is a simple one-line change to the DHCP configuration.

And that's it! Your local clients will resolve those names in the firewall/router's /etc/hosts file as defined in that file. All other names will be resolved using the firewall/router's Name Server as defined in /etc/resolv.conf.

Example:

From an Internet Host:

gateway:~ # host linksys.shorewall.net
linksys.shorewall.net has address 206.124.146.180
gateway:~ # 

From Tipper (192.168.1.132):

teastep@tipper:~$ host linksys
linksys.shorewall.net has address 172.20.1.1
teastep@tipper:~$ 

As a bonus, dnsmasq can also act as a DHCP server. Here are some excerpts from the corresponding /etc/dnsmasq.conf:

interface=eth1

dhcp-range=172.20.1.210,172.20.1.219,24h

dhcp-host=00:11:85:89:da:9b,172.20.1.220

dhcp-host=00:1A:73:DB:8C:35,172.20.1.102
dhcp-host=00:25:B3:9F:5B:FD,172.20.1.100
dhcp-host=00:1F:E1:07:53:CA,172.20.1.105
dhcp-host=00:1F:29:7B:04:04,172.20.1.107
dhcp-host=00:24:2b:59:96:e2,172.20.1.109

dhcp-host=00:1B:24:CB:2B:CC,172.20.1.130
dhcp-host=00:21:5a:22:ac:e0,172.20.1.131
dhcp-host=08:00:27:B1:46:a9,172.20.1.132
dhcp-host=08:00:27:31:45:83,172.20.1.133
dhcp-host=08:00:27:28:64:50,172.20.1.134
dhcp-host=08:00:27:4b:38:88,172.20.1.135
dhcp-host=08:00:27:f6:4d:65,172.20.1.136
dhcp-host=08:00:27:dc:cd:94,172.20.1.137
dhcp-host=08:00:27:0f:d3:8f,172.20.1.138
dhcp-host=08:00:27:42:9c:01,172.20.1.139
dhcp-host=08:00:27:5a:6c:d8,172.20.1.140
dhcp-host=08:00:27:da:96:78,172.20.1.141

dhcp-option=19,0           # option ip-forwarding off
dhcp-option=44,0.0.0.0     # set netbios-over-TCP/IP nameserver(s) aka WINS server(s)
dhcp-option=45,0.0.0.0     # netbios datagram distribution server
dhcp-option=46,8           # netbios node type
dhcp-option=47             # empty netbios scope.

dhcp-option=option:domain-search,shorewall.net

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