Creating Zones

Learn how to create DNS zones in Bindy using the RNDC protocol.

Zone Architecture

Zones in Bindy follow a three-tier model:

1. Bind9Cluster - Cluster-level configuration (version, shared config, TSIG keys)
2. Bind9Instance - Individual BIND9 server deployment (references a cluster)
3. DNSZone - DNS zone (references an instance via clusterRef)

Prerequisites

Before creating a zone, ensure you have:

1. A Bind9Cluster resource deployed
2. A Bind9Instance resource deployed (referencing the cluster)
3. The instance is ready and running

Creating a Primary Zone

First, ensure you have a cluster and instance:

# Step 1: Create a Bind9Cluster (if not already created)
apiVersion: bindy.firestoned.io/v1alpha1
kind: Bind9Cluster
metadata:
  name: production-dns
  namespace: dns-system
spec:
  version: "9.18"
  global:
    recursion: false
    allowQuery:
      - "0.0.0.0/0"
    allowTransfer:
      - "10.0.0.0/8"

---
# Step 2: Create a Bind9Instance (if not already created)
apiVersion: bindy.firestoned.io/v1alpha1
kind: Bind9Instance
metadata:
  name: primary-dns
  namespace: dns-system
spec:
  clusterRef: production-dns  # References the Bind9Cluster above
  role: primary
  replicas: 1

---
# Step 3: Create the DNSZone
apiVersion: bindy.firestoned.io/v1alpha1
kind: DNSZone
metadata:
  name: example-com
  namespace: dns-system
spec:
  zoneName: example.com
  clusterRef: primary-dns  # References the Bind9Instance above
  soaRecord:
    primaryNs: ns1.example.com.
    adminEmail: admin.example.com.  # Note: @ replaced with .
    serial: 2024010101
    refresh: 3600
    retry: 600
    expire: 604800
    negativeTtl: 86400
  ttl: 3600

How It Works

When you create a DNSZone:

1. Controller discovers pods - Finds BIND9 pods with label instance=primary-dns
2. Loads RNDC key - Retrieves Secret named primary-dns-rndc-key
3. Connects via RNDC - Establishes connection to primary-dns.dns-system.svc.cluster.local:953
4. Executes addzone - Runs rndc addzone example.com command
5. BIND9 creates zone - BIND9 creates the zone and starts serving it
6. Updates status - Controller updates DNSZone status to Ready

Verifying Zone Creation

Check the zone status:

kubectl get dnszones -n dns-system
kubectl describe dnszone example-com -n dns-system

Expected output:

Name:         example-com
Namespace:    dns-system
Labels:       <none>
Annotations:  <none>
API Version:  bindy.firestoned.io/v1alpha1
Kind:         DNSZone
Spec:
  Cluster Ref:  primary-dns
  Zone Name:    example.com
Status:
  Conditions:
    Type:    Ready
    Status:  True
    Reason:  Synchronized
    Message: Zone created for cluster: primary-dns

Next Steps

• Add DNS Records to your zone
• Configure Zone Transfers for secondaries
• Learn about the RNDC Protocol