[volunteers] Upgrade success (now running 12.04.02 LTS Precise Pangolin)

[Rick Moen]

After a few anxiety-producing moments, I managed to get everything
upgraded.  (Once again, that was following these instructions from
Linode:
https://library.linode.com/upgrading/upgrade-to-ubuntu-12.04-precise )

  So, our Linode virthost running www.svlug.org AKA
ns1.svlug.org is now on the _current_ Ubuntu Server LTS release:

root at gruyere: # cat /etc/lsb-release 
DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=12.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=precise
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS"
root at gruyere: # uname -a
Linux gruyere 3.8.4-linode50 #1 SMP Mon Mar 25 15:50:29 EDT 2013 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
root at gruyere:~ # df -h 
Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/xvda       7.7G  1.3G  6.4G  17% /
/dev            122M  108K  121M   1% /dev
none            122M     0  122M   0% /dev/shm
none            122M   64K  122M   1% /var/run
none            122M     0  122M   0% /var/lock
none            122M     0  122M   0% /lib/init/rw
root at gruyere:~ # free
             total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
Mem:        248316     216148      32168          0      27356     118096
-/+ buffers/cache:      70696     177620
Swap:       262140        664     261476
root at gruyere:~ # 


The _biggest_ thing, of course, was Web pages.  Deep breath, load SVLUG
front page, success.


The real anxiety related to -- as I feared -- a sudden forced upgrade
from antique NSD 2.6.7-3 to 3.2.9-1.  The Ubuntu upgrade process ended,
and I checked DNS service using 'dig' (dig www.svlug.org @localhost):  
nothing.

I did /etc/init.d/nsd start .  Claimed success, but nothing's running.
Oh no.  Our authoritative DNS was broken and there was nothing
explaining how to fix it.

Looked in /usr/share/doc/nsd/ . Nothing new.  Oh wait:  There's also a
/usr/share/doc/nsd3/ .  Stuff in there, including file 'UPGRADING'.  

   The nsd.masters file is gone, replaced by nsd.conf.
        * Look at nsd.conf.5 manual page to see format.

Yeah, right.  'man 5 nsd.conf' gives very general format data, but nothing 
about how to get from where we are to where we need to be.

/etc/init.d/nsd3 start fails, complaining there's no /etc/nsd3/nsd.conf
file.  Ah, that's a big chunk of problem, maybe if I'm really lucky the
only one.

/usr/share/doc/NSD/README.gz includes:

        If you have a NSD 2 nsd.zones config file take a look at the
        python script contrib/nsd.zones2nsd.conf, it will convert 
        zone and TSIG key settings for you.

I look at the Python script,
/usr/share/doc/nsd3/contrib/nsd.zones2nsd.conf.  Seems intended to parse
/etc/nsd/nsd.zones and produce /etc/nsd3/nsd.conf .  I try to run it.
It gives mystifying errors.  I look for clues under /var/log.  Nada.
I fool around a bit more.  Oh, it expects me to be in /etc/nsd .  I go
there and try again.  It now outputs what looks like a reasonable
conffile to stdout.  OK, I do:

 python /usr/share/doc/nsd3/contrib/nsd.zones2nsd.conf > ../nsd3/nsd.conf

It writes a file.  Let's try again;

/etc/init.d/nsd3 start

Wow, big blowup.  Oh, oops, I need to copy over the zonefiles, which are
all under /etc/nsd/primary and /etc/nsd/secondary , to new trees under 
/etc/nsd3.  I do that.  I correct ownership from root:root to nsd:nsd.

/etc/init.d/nsd3 start

Mysterious problems and dig doesn't work.  Eventually I get nsd3
running, but it's issuing SERVFAIL when I query about www.svlug.org
using dig.  

Stop, regroup.  The thing about nsd is that it first needs to compile
zones to a binary db format and then load them.

  nsdc rebuild

This was the recompile.  It works.

  nsdc notify

No error.  Apparently secondaries got notified if appropriate.

  nsdc reload

Complains that this is not possible because NSD isn't running.

I do

  /etc/init.d/nsd restart

Reports failure.

ps auxw | grep nsd

There are nsd processes running!  Oh, wait, I got confused, because the
package has been renamed.  Try again:

  /etc/nit.d/nsd3 restart

Finally, that works.  (Package 'nsd' is still present but is vestigial
and is intended as a convenience for upgrading.)

And the proof's in the pudding!

# dig www.svlug.org @localhost +short
64.62.190.98
#


I have (barely) updated site-docs/nsd-instructions to reflect the
change, but it needs a rewrite.