[Pdns-users] built in recursor: what ip to set recursor=?

[Derrik Pates]

Jeff wrote:
> i'm running the pdns-static-2.9.15-1 rpm on a redhat 9 box. i see that the
> recursor was originally a separate binary, but it is now built in. however
> after reading the docs and mailing list archives i'm still unclear what i
> should set recursor= to?

The recursor is not built into PowerDNS, it's still an external 
executable (pdns_recursor) - or you can use any recursing nameserver 
(dnscache from djbdns, BIND in cache-only mode, etc.) that you wish.

> i want pdns to use its internal recursor, talking to the root servers if it
> doesn't have a cached answer. however it seems that if i set recursor=<my ISP's
> nameserver> (can i specify more than one?), all recursive queries will go to
> this host instead of directly to the root servers. while i'm all for decreasing
> the load on the root servers, this configuration seems to create a dependancy
> on my isp's nameserver which i don't want - what happens if the host specified
> in 'recursor=' is unreachable? recursor=localhost didn't do what i wanted
> either.

You should start pdns_recursor on another port (I typically use port 
5353 on localhost), and the line in pdns.conf should read 
'recursor=127.0.0.1:5353' (or change :5353 to the appropriate port). My 
/etc/powerdns/recursor.conf looks like this:

daemon=on
local-address=127.0.0.1
local-port=5353
aaaa-additional-processing=off
quiet=on

--
Derrik Pates
dpates at dsdk12.net