Simplest DNS server

Apps and Virtualization
1

I would like to put a very simple DNS server on TrueNAS Scale 25.04.2.3. I have a list of hostnames I would like to resolve to IP addresses.

In a perfect world, for lookup failures this server would delegate to whatever the local DHCP server recommends, but I could live without that.

I see an app for Pi-Hole is listed in the “stable” category. It seems like overkill but is reputed to have what I want. However, installation failed for me. I’m letting that failure be enough to listen to my instinct not to install overkill.

I see there is another ad-blocker app in a non-stable category which might let me do what I want. I’m letting its category be enough to listen to my instinct not to install overkill.

Anybody care to recommend a simple approach?

1 Like
2

Pi-hole most likely fails because port 53 is already used by incus. You can run the command below to free port 53 and retry to install pi-hole

sudo incus network set incusbr0 raw.dnsmasq="port=5354"

Edit: the other DNS app will most likely have the same problem as pi-hole as all DNS apps want to use port 53

3

Why does Incus listen on port 53? What’s a KVM/LXC manager got to do with DNS?

4

Reading up on this I found that even the official Incus docs recommend not using port 53, due to possible conflicts with an existing DNS service…

5

This has been fixed in one of the recent releases. You can launch pi-hole as an app without any problems.

6

I take it Incus is installed as part of TrueNAS. It also sounds as if TrueNAS or Incus includes an installation of dnsmasq.

I have a feeling the TrueNAS folks would like us to avoid messing with either of those things “behind the back” of TrueNAS.

Meanwhile, I am seeing elsewhere that bringing up a Docker container with dnsmasq is pretty easy, but wouldn’t that also conflict with the above?

I am glad I asked before bulling around in this china shop because the rabbit hole is already deeper than I expected.

7

incus was supposed to replace the libvirt backend to run vms and lxc container. But iX scapped the idea and incus will be removed (i believe in the next update in october) so if you do not run any incus based vms or lxc it doesnt matter if you mess around with it.

8

One of the releases more recent than 25.04.2.3? I gather you’re referring to a beta?

9

It works for me using TrueNAS Fangtooth 25.04.2

10

Do you have vms and a brige configured? Because as far as i can remember it’s not required if you’re using a bridge…

12

I have no VMs on this server.

I was trying to install the Pi-Hole app, which I am given to understand is ultimately a Docker container rather than a VM.

And forgive me but I don’t know what “bridge” means in this context.

13

Is 25.04.2.3 somehow earlier than 25.04.2? I’m not super-familiar with how TrueNAS structures version numbers, but for most systems 25.04.2.3 is later than 25.04.2, yeah?