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I've been using Linode for about a year, and am still confused by 'Master' Domain Zone and 'Slave' Domain Zone terminology on their DNS Manager. The term 'Zone' in conjunction with 'Master' AND 'Slave' do not seem to be used anywhere else online except for DNS server names.

I understand a 'DNS zone' can refer to just a single domain.

What I don't understand is, in the CONTEXT of virtual hosts, when would you add a 'Slave Zone' record to the Zone File?

Also, in the case of virtual hosts residing at a single IP, would there be one Zone File, or multiple Zone Files on the associated DNS server?

Stephen
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I'm going to stick to the first paragraph. It comprises the core of your question, and the rest is muddied by a (technical) language barrier. Virtual hosts (the webserver concept) have no bearing on which zone type you use.

Within the context of Linode's DNS hosting, you can set up a zone as a master or slave:

  • Master Zone: Linode is effectively providing the "master" server for you. The master server is where you add, remove, or modify records. This is what most users will want, as it allows them to use Linode's web interface to manage their DNS records. It is important to note that Linode is also providing slave servers in this configuration. (or to put it more simply, "master zone" means "Linode provides both the master server and the slave servers")

  • Slave Zone: Setting up a slave zone indicates that you are using a service other than Linode to manage the record updates. In other words, you don't need their web interface. This is an advanced configuration that is useful to people who manage an existing DNS infrastructure, but are only interested in having Linode provide slave servers. As noted in their documentation, your master server should be configured to send DNS NOTIFY packets to the list of IP addresses they provide, and those same IPs should be allowed to execute DNS AXFR and DNS IXFR requests (zone transfers) against your master server.

Long story short: Unless you're an experienced DNS admin, stick with Linode's master zones. Slave zones are intended for power users who are only interested in having additional DNS slave servers available for their domains (i.e. they already have other slave servers), or are trying to set up a master server with complex functionality that Linode's web interface cannot provide.

Andrew B
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  • I think the statement "This is an advanced configuration that is useful to people who manage an existing DNS infrastructure, but are only interested in having Linode provide slave servers." is pointing me in the right direction for further research and also directly answers my primary question. – Stephen Jan 04 '17 at 15:32