Validate DNS is Working Properly

This post is a procedure for testing the DNS services at quantumleaps.com.

The same process should work for your system, just change the domain name as needed.

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ISPConfig3 — Add SPF Record

SPF, Sender Policy Framework are DNS entries that are used to list the mail server which should be considered valid for a given domain. When an email is received, a DNS lookup of the TXT record containing the SPF data is queried and the data is analyzed to determine if the server is allowed. If it is then it passed that spam filter check.

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ISPConfig — Setup Email Domain

Most sites offer email as a service, and with ISPConfig, setting up email for a domain is an easy process.

In this post we will setup email for the quantumleaps.com domain.

1. Logon to your ISPConfig3 admin interface.
2. Select the Email tab.
3. Select the Add new Domain button.
4. Select the Client from the dropdown.
5. Enter quantumleaps.com in the Domain field.
6. Select the Save button.

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ISPConfig — Setup DNS Zone

Here is an example of setting up a DNS zone using the ISPConfig3 interface.

We will have a single zone named of course, quantumleaps.com. This zone will have the following A records.

• mail
• ns1
• ns2
• quantumleaps.com. (a domain entry for default purposes)
• www (Not strictly needed, but i like to have them just cause.

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VMWare — Install VMWare tools on CentOS

I always like to qualify that I am sure there are better methods of doing this. If you have a betterway, leave a comment and let me know.

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CentOS — Add IP Address

Given that you have an ip address of 192.168.0.129 assigned to your system and want to add 192.168.0.130 to the same server, this procedure will show you how.

Manual Setup

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ISPConfig3 — Add Site

Here we are going to add a site for the quantumleaps domain.

1. Logon to the ISPconfig3 interface.
2. Select the Sites tab.
3. Select the Add new website button.
4. On the page presented, select the Domain tab.
5. Select the Client from the dropdown. If you are logged in as the client, this will not be available.
6. In the Domain text area, enter the name of the domain for which the site is being created. Eg: mysite.com.
7. Enable CGI.
8. Enable SSI.
9. Enable Perl.
10. Enable Ruby.
11. Enable Python.
12. Enable SSL.
13. Do not enable Let’s Encrypt SSL, well discuss that later.
14. Select Fast-CGI from the PHP dropdown.
15. Ensure the Active checkbox is selected.
16. Select the Save button.

Note that you can select the options you want as far as 7-11, for my site, I wanted them all.

ISPConfig — Add Client

When adding a client, there is a lot of information which can be defined. Not all, or even most of this information is required, much of it is for billing and payment services. If you are actively using ISPConfig3 for reselling services it is a good idea to input as much of the data as possible, it will likely prove useful down the road.

1. Logon to your ISPConfig3 interface.
2. Select the Client tab.
3. Select Add Client from the menu on the left.
4. Enter the Contact Name, I generally enter the full name of the client, such as “Joe Smith”
5. Although you can change the Customer No. field, I suggest you leave it as is if you followed the ISPConfig — Main Config — Prefix’s post.
6. Enter the Username. This is the name client will use when logging into the ISPConfig3 interface.
7. Enter the Password for the client. This is the password used in conjunction with the user name created above. (You can use the Generate Password button to create a new password if preferred.)
8. Repeat the Password, if entered manually.
9. Select the Email used to communicate with the client.
10. Select the Save button at the bottom of the page.

Again, I suggest you enter as much non-required data as possible.

ISPConfig — Add Reseller

When adding a reseller, there is a lot of information which can be defined. Not all, or even most of this information is required, much of it is for billing and payment services. If you are actively using ISPConfig3 for reselling services it is a good idea to input as much of the data as possible, it will likely prove useful down the road.

1. Logon to your ISPConfig3 interface.
2. Select the Client tab.
3. Select Add Reseller from the menu on the left.
4. Enter the Contact Name, I generally enter the full name of the reseller, such as “Joe Smith”
5. Although you can change the Customer No. field, I suggest you leave it as is if you followed the ISPConfig — Main Config — Prefix’s post.
6. Enter the Username. This is the name reseller will use when logging into the ISPConfig3 interface.
7. Enter the Password for the reseller. This is the password used in conjunction with the user name created above. (You can use the Generate Password button to create a new password if preferred.)
8. Repeat the Password, if entered manually.
9. Select the Email used to communicate with the reseller.
10. Select the Save button at the bottom of the page.

Again, I suggest you enter as much non-required data as possible.

ISPConfig — Main Config — Prefix’s

ISPConfig is based on a reseller environment, where you have zero or more resellers who can add clients and manage domains. This is not required, for example, as administrator, you can create clients directly bypassing re-sellers completely. And in fact, you don’t need either, the admin has full capabilities.

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