Setting up Host Name
Clients which do not have business grade internet connections often have dynamic IP's and we need to install a dynamic dns (DDNS) client on their servers to update the host name (eg. clientname.redirectme.net) with the latest IP every time it changes.
No-IP.com
No-IP.com service should be installed at all clients who have a dynamic ip address as this solution is known to work in restrictive firewall environments. Procedure to setup No-IP.com service is as follows:
- Login to www.no-ip.com with username noip@neosys.com and the password.
- Create a host with the client name (eg. for client MEDIAONE create a hostname mediaone.redirectme.net) with the option DNS Host (A) and the existing public ip. Do not assign to any group at this stage.
- Create a group with the client name (eg for client MEDIAONE create a group MEDIAONE) and select the host you created earlier.
- Assign a password for the group (give a random complicated password eg - ahsfi492840asfoapfo2qikoas%2 - make sure you paste this password on your notepad as you will need it later on)
- On the client server, go to www.no-ip.com and download the older Windows DUC 2.2.1 client (Do not use the latest one as it has an issue in starting up after a reboot and No-IP is working on a fix)
- Run the No-IP client and put in the username as groupname:noip@neosys.com (eg mediaone:noip@neosys.com) and paste the password from your notepad.
- After you login you will see it shows you the host name with an orange smiley and a tick box - click on this tick box and the smiley turns to a blushing happy yellow one which means the IP has been updated. Make sure to read the comments in the log box below.
- Click on Options and in the Standard Tab tick Run as system service. Then in the Connection > Standard tab make sure the tick is on 5 minutes update rather than 30 minutes.
www.zoneedit.com
A static DNS service like zoneedit must be used for clients who have static ips. Hosts are to be created as <clientname>.support.neosys.com for clients hosted on client server and <clientname>.hosts.neosys.com for clients hosted on NEOSYS server.
The <clientname> used here is the normal client name. Generic words like "Al", "Ltd.", "FZ", "LLC", "International", "EST.", etc. are to be omitted. E.g. for client "Tonic International", <clientname> is "tonic" and URL is "tonic.hosts.neosys.com".
For clients with more than one word in the name, combine the main parts of the company name into a single word, e.g. for client "Brand Code Comm. Est.", <clientname> is "brandcode" and the URL is "brandcode.hosts.neosys.com".
If the client is commonly known by an abbreviation of the full name, then use the abbreviation as the <clientname>, e.g. client "Media Global Group" is commonly known by its abbreviation "MGG", so <clientname> is "mgg" and URL is "mgg.hosts.neosys.com".
Due to database name length limit of 8 letters, the database name (and folder name on the server) may be shortened, e.g. "brandcod". Client names shortened like this MUST NOT be used in the URL (e.g. "brandcod.hosts.neosys.com"), as this URL will be given to the clients.
After you add/edit/remove any host on Zoneedit, you need to make sure that the changes are published under "Current Zones" list.
