Domain delegation, name servers and host records for a home server ?

[MrSerious]

Hello. I’ve searched for days, but can’t find info or contact in personal or business.

I’ve had a static IP for a year or so.

I can access my network storage and IP camera servers via the IP address.

I’ve got a domain name via Telstra Registrar Melbourne IT <xxx.id.au>

My dedicated home server is called <server.local>.

It has a static LAN IP <192.168.1.xxx>.

I’m just trying to set up my domain name to point to my home network server <server>.

Getting direction from Registrar is a bit like pulling teeth.

Getting instruction from Telstra is like paying to pull teeth.

My question please, if some kind soul could find it in their heart to help me is ;

Do I change the default melbourneit name servers to the Telstra NSW DNS Servers

<61.9.194.49, 61.9.195.193> ?

Do I then change the host records to point to my static IP or my home server, like <xxx.id.au> or <server.xxx.id.au>, or both or something different ?

What else do I do to use my domain name to reach my IP or server ?

Thanks very much to anyone for any help.

[Yastiandrie]

Did you get the domain from Telstra directly or Melbourne IT?

If it was from Telstra try 1800 878 483 for assistance. If Melbourne IT, they have contact numbers listed on their site: https://www.melbourneit.com.au/contact-us/

[MrSerious]

Thanks Yastiandrie.

The path to obtaining a personal static IP from Telstra was littered with mystery and accidental uncoveries of perversely hidden links and the bodies of previous explorers in this arcane realm.

After at last stumbling upon an unidentified link and travelling the last few steps down their uncertain path of ordering spells, I somehow got myself a static IP.

After several months recuperating from my terrifying adventurEENorigine instructed us all in loud and colourful manner that I was not to speak to him ever again.e into the black depths of Telstra’s personal static IP hell, I girded my loins for the next step, and forayed into a search for some clues to obtaining a personal domain name from Tesltra.

Alas, despite exhaustive and heart wrenching quests for traces of the elusive personal domain name, Telstra has no discernible way of ordering a domain name for a personal service.

No one at Telstra knew what I was talking about, and so I bought it from Melbourneit as I understood that was where Telstra got them from.

So now that I at least had a static IP and a domain name, I embarked upon the next intrepid trek to collect the third ring in the ancient and forgotten brotherhood of Home server setup.

Took me 8 emails to obtain a vague instruction to alter melbourneit’s default DNSs to my Telstra ones.

What I need to know now is,  what if anything do I do to the name servers. 

Not sure if I have the courage and strength to uncover the next gruelling step, which is why I’ve asked all you kind people for guidance.

I would therefore be eternally grateful to any kind soul who might reveal to me the next piece of the puzzle in the path of setting up a website accessible now.

[Yastiandrie]

I'm not a word connoisseur like yourself so i'll more or less just get to the point
What type of internet connection do you have?

I'll try and give the quick and ugly version:
The name servers should be whatever MelbourneIT have provided:
http://support.melbourneit.com.au/articles/help/Melbourne-IT-Nameservers/?c=MelbourneIT%3ADomain_Nam...

Then you would want your records to point to you home IP:
http://support.melbourneit.com.au/articles/help/How-do-I-manage-my-DNS-on-cPanel?c=MelbourneIT%3ADom...

the links on this page may help as well: http://support.melbourneit.com.au/articles/help/How-do-I-manage-my-Domains/

Then you'd want to portforward port 80 (http and possibly 443 if it is https) in your modem to whichever device you have your server on (The static 192.168.1.xx). Also if you have any firewalls in place you may need to create rules to allow incoming port 80/443 through\

Anyone else: Feel free to add to this if i missed something

[MrSerious]

Sorry mate, I try to lighten it up a bit as I know the Tech and Ops staff care about their work and customers, and that they do their best despite the curse of the bean counters. And the offshore guys are just trying to earn a quid like the rest of us.

Now:
Me; electronics nerd, systems electrician, data cabling tickets.
Setup; Telstra ISP, FTTN 50mbps, static IP.
MelbourneIT (Mit) personal domain name <xxx.id.au>
Telstra 5355 (yuk), Mac OSX Server, Ethernet LAN, unmanaged switches, NAS, W7Pro running IP cams.
Current; Can log onto NAS and IP cams via IP address.
Goal; to point domain name to website served from own dedicated server at static IP.
Outcome: to reach server, manage LAN devices, from website hosted by my server.
Rationale; learning, fun, personal cloud.
Conditions: nil to minimal external serving/hosting/cloud etc.

The story so far:
Changed MelbIT DNSs (nsX.melbourneit.net) to Telstra’s NSW DNSs (<61.9.194.49, 61.9.195.193>) as instructed by Mit.
(seemed sensible, but I don’t actually have any idea).

Next steps:
Have no idea what to do next, no basic instructions on Telstra or Mit sites.
Do I leave Telstra DNSs ?
Do I simply change ‘host names’ / ‘glue records’ on Mit console to my static IP & sub domains ? (eg. <servername.xxx.id.au> ?)
What is a C-name and/or A-record and where do I find them ?
Do I need to buy other resources to make the magic work ?

Please accept my sincerest thanks for any info or pointers in the right direction.

Cheers everyone.

[Yastiandrie]

Heh I seem to have lost my ability for word play over the years of dealing with technical issues so tend to tell it how it is. Always brings a smile though when I see an eloquent post such as yours.

I'm not completely certain as to why the change to Telstra's DNS is required or whether it's actually necessary.

The A record is your basic DNS record and is what's used to link your domain name to an IP address. Also contains your TTL and the likes. This would be the most important record to update

A CNAME is like an alias/subdomain that you would point back to your domain. E.g your domain is servername.xxx.id.au. A CNAME could be www.servername.xxx.id.au. Not completely necessary to start with

These should be able to be done via whichever control panel mIT have provided

Plus as it is a home server, portforwarding on the modem would be needed as above

Also remember that once you have updated the records, it can still take some time for you to be able to then access the site. (DNS propagation)

I'll see if I can find a decent guide online I can link through that runs through the basics, then it would just be a matter of navigating your control panel and making the adjustments where needed

[Yastiandrie]

Here's a basic guide which pretty much covers what i've been posting

http://www.inopinion.org/howto/point-domain-name-home-web-server/

You're pretty much halfway there knowing your servers local IP address (Also make sure this is set as a static IP in the modems config), and knowing your public static IP address so it's just really a matter of editing or creating your A record in mIT's control panel, and portforwarding to the local server in your modems config

[Wizard2]

If you're just wanting to use the IP (for security reasons?), thankfully, you won't have to go through the pain of getting the A record updated. This is from personal experience. Using the Windows Home Server 2011 OS, I was able to have a website and RDP active in about 5 minutes.

Process I used:
1 Find out ports to use and configure modem with port forwarding
2 Setup Microsofts IIS to accept HTTP requests
3 Enjoy.

Maybe starting with the basics first instead of jumping into the deep end of the internet.

[MrSerious]

Ye gods !!!! Blessings be upon you Sir/Madam, for I scent the elusive quarry at last ! It seems my quest to baptise and cry my dear, lonely, patient little home server to the world is ere upon me !!!

Thank you so much for your time and efforts Mr/Ms Yastiandrie, to assist so well this one small entity among the swarming, needy proletariat masses.

Begging your pardon, if I may leave this thread unresolved for a while until I can process and implement your clear, simple directions and marvellous information links.

Again, I thankee kind Sir/Madam ....

[Yastiandrie]

Good Luck

[MrSerious]

My thanks and salutations also Mr Wizard2. Your time and information is much appreciated, and your information also begs exploration.
My PC/Windows abilities are unfortunately somewhat unsure and erratic (and that naughty Microsoft IIS jumps out at me at the most unexpected moments, but refuses to let me do anything with it, or indeed to find it when I specifically search for it), so I will perhaps persevere with my MacOS for the time being, and keep your thoughts well saved in case of need.

Thank you again kind sir.

[MrSerious]

Well, here we are three weeks later, and I still can’t get my domain pointed to my static IP. The melbourneit ‘console’ allows changes to ‘name servers’ and ‘host records’, but FAQs and knowledgebase don’t provide any explanations of their use of these terms. Eg, do I or can I use my private name server/s, and do their host records change panel refer to my WAN or  LAN IPs ? The mystery continues ...

The CPanel or CloudHosting programs are bought as extra products, whereas all I want to do is lease a domain name and point it to my home server to do the rest there, for learning and interest. I may have to risk another foray into the frustration fraught quest for simple instructions from Mit or Telstra again ... bother ...

[cf4]

In answer to your two questions

1. Use the Domain name supplied by
2. The IP address is the static IP address provided Telstra which will be the WAN address of your modem.

You should also check that local network is set up correctly as mentioned in @Yastiandrie second post

• The correct ports have been forwarded to your server normally. ports 80 and 447.
• The device's firewall hosting the server is not blocking those ports.

If you can access your server by typing the static IP address of your service then the the local configuration is correct. If you are using non standard ports for the server  then use  the static and the port number you have used separated by colon. (example http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx: port number)

If a non standard port number has been used for server when assessing server using domain name add the port number to domain name separated by a colon. (example Domain Name: Port Number)

[MrSerious]

Thank you also cf4. Just tried a call to Mit, after the dismal failure of email support. After much struggle trying to help them understand I haven’t a clue what to do with their ‘name servers’ and ‘host records’, I finally drilled down to a possible clue:
1) does anyone think I might be correct in thinking that I put my 2 home name servers (won’t accept just 1) in the ‘name server’/‘host name’ boxes, then
2) ask or beg Telstra to add my DNS records (A name, PTR, CNAME) to its NSW servers ? Or is that asking Telstra to host my Domain I wonder ?

MelbnIT seems to use non standard terms for its Host Names and Glue Records, which is confusing. It’s a shame that Telstra only seems to flog Domains to businesses, or hides individual domain purchasing so that no one can find it.

I shall update the progress of my quest to pin my Domain to my static IP as progress occurs ... or continues to fail to do so ...

[MrSerious]

In case you’re still there Mr/Ms Wizard2,
I didn’t really understand your post, but after thinking about it, are you saying that you simply use the IP address, instead of going to the bother of a domain name ? And does RDP enable the option in future of managing the server, and/or other computers, storage, IoT devices etc ? I’m not so familiar with Windows PCs. Many thanks for your help and any info.

[cf4]

You should be able to set up the DNS settings to pint to your fixed IP address on the WAN port of the gateway using the DNS cpanel of Melbourne IT's My account.

http://support.melbourneit.com.au/articles/help/How-do-I-manage-my-DNS-on-cPanel/?c=MelbourneIT%3ATh...

[MrSerious]

Aha, the quarry has been sighted cf4, albeit at some vast and unexpected distance and expense !!!

Alas, the Mit domain name lease only permits you the domain name and a single page where you can change their default <nsx.melbourneit.net> name servers and host records. I didn't know I needed to buy a host service for about another $150pa minimum when I bought the domain name, as I thought I was going to host it on my own server. Neither Mit nor Telstra have mentioned buying a hosting service, so I've gone blindly along expecting to host it on my own server. That's why I didn't understand you good people talking of changing their A, CNAME and PTR records or Cpanel and Cloud Hosting etc etc (I can create and change all those exact things in my own server, which seemed to suggest that I didn't need to pay lotsa extra money to do it somewhere else) ...

And just to confuse me, the default name servers found in the Console don't mean diddly squat.
According to which Mit person you get to speak to, you simply:
1) change Mit's name servers to Telstra's NSW DNS server IP addresses (61.9.194.49/61.9.195.193),
But IPs aren't accepted. Only a miracle could result in propagation.
2) change Mit's name servers to my own home server name (i.e. <servername.xxx.id.au>),
But they won't accept less than 2, so you have to make one up. Still no miracle of procreation.
3) ask Telstra to create DNS records for me (A, CNAME, PTR) on their NSW servers,
But they don't know what I'm talking about, so I have to buy Platinumb support @ $120pa, and now have no money left for any potential miracle of procreation.
4) Flatanumb don't do individual domains, so it has to be escalated to a Triple PhD out the back,
But she's busy with another 3022.3 calls, so I have to wait for a call back sometime in the next 2 days.
Oh procreate !!!!!

However, another hint inadvertently let itself almost be seen, like blood from a silicon wafer, whilst I was watching the merry chase of the scripted problem solving via my remotely controlled mouse: Putting 3.414' and Cos30* together, I'm getting the increasingly distinct impression that there are 2 parts to this devilish Rubik's Cube - vis: (1) I need to set up my home server with all the correct networking formulae, and (2) I have to buy a CPanel or other hosting plan from someone, and duplicate all the settings of my own server, just to point my increasingly annoying domain name at my increasingly annoying static IP address ...

I shall consider myself well and truly procreated if that's the case ...

[cf4]

You could try using http://freedns.afraid.org/ to look after the dns settings.

https://www.boutell.com/newfaq/creating/hostnameathome.html

Another site you could try is
https://www.noip.com/managed-dns
I use this site with a dynamic IP address.

Are you sure you have to pay Melbourne IT and extra $120. I thought you only had to pay that if you hosted the site on there web server.

According to there help section the DNS setting can be managed by logging into the domain management interface.

http://support.melbourneit.com.au/articles/help/Manage-Your-Domain/

[MrSerious]

Thanks so much for your continuing kindness and patience cf4.

Mit's help is woefully uninformational for a novice like I, and they don't point out anywhere that their DNS change menus refer to the menus in their Cplan and Cloud hosting products. There doesn't seem to be any information or explanations of the single page menu provided to naive non commercial ignorami* like I (*is that the plural ?). Even the support staff didn't know it was all I had !

Thank you very much for your link to the 'boutell.com' site - that brilliantly helpful reference has confirmed my tentative sighting of an explanation for this mystery and has taught me more and opened up masses more possibilities in half an hour than I've learnt in weeks.

The 'afraid.org' mob offers a very useful service also, but not quite my cup of smelly, fermented old leaves in hot water.

By jove cf4, many thanks indeed. I shall pass on your acts of kindness as well as I can, to the next kangaroo that needs rescuing or the next old lady I find crossing a busy road.

[Wizard2]

I'm still around but only answering when called now

Glad to see you've had some great success! This is great news.

I would like to expand on my original comment regarding the setup as you've stated this just for personal experimentation.

This is what i started with and it is a little long so i do apologise.

1. Configure modems port forwarding rules to direct port 80 (and 443 for HTTPS if you need it) to server. This can be done after testing locally.
2. Setup Microsoft's IIS on server to accept HTTP requests and have dummy page to be loaded (normally don't have to change any settings after the install of IIS)
3. Make sure it can be accessed locally (http://localhost) on the server hosting the site.
4. Test working from another device by going to http://publicipaddress. If working, Yay! If not, troubleshooting begins. Note: swap out "publicipaddress" with exactly that. Your public IP. Google can help with this if you haven't already memorized it. Just search for "What is my IP".

As CF4 has already stated, services like dyndns and NoIP (who I use) do everything for you regarding nameservers etc. They direct the url to your IP. It's not a requirement unless you want to be fancy

I hope this helps mate

[benhelps]

Tuning in...

I think somewhere in the epic of this thread, you mentioned that MIT let you change the name servers?

If so I'd suggest getting a free account on CloudFlare (CF) and setting up the DNS for your domain on there. Then you simply go back to MIT and change the name servers for your domain to whatever CF provides you ( likely to be something similar to gabe.ns.cloudflare.com and elsa.ns.cloudflare.com ).

Then go back to CF and make sure the A record for your domain is pointing to your home IP.