Raspberry Pi DNS Server

[HomerJayK]

I have the need to put a local DNS server on my network and I was wondering what the options are. It will most likely go on a Pi, but I might also have a Ubuntu box I can use.

 

In the past I have used DNSmarq to handle DHCP, and DHCP reservations, on my NDI network. That was a couple of years ago, and I don't know what options people are actually using now.

 

So, what are you using, and what environment are you using it in? Thanks.

[LapsedMemory]

I think the easiest and most useful thing you can do is put PiHole on it and use that for your DNS.  

[Falcon1986]

2 hours ago, HomerJayK said:

I have the need to put a local DNS server on my network and I was wondering what the options are. It will most likely go on a Pi, but I might also have a Ubuntu box I can use.

 

In the past I have used DNSmarq to handle DHCP, and DHCP reservations, on my NDI network. That was a couple of years ago, and I don't know what options people are actually using now.

 

So, what are you using, and what environment are you using it in? Thanks.

I used PiHole on RPi for DNS ad blocking, but getting the right set of rules became tedious. I actually found AdGuard Home to be better at ad blocking with it's built-in blacklists. And it runs on RPi.

 

You can use either PiHole or AdGuard to handle DHCP as well, but if your router is already doing this, I don't see the need to add another function to the RPi.

 

When the RPi works, it works well. However, in my experience, where there's no UPS or prolonged power outages (common during summer), the RPi takes down the entire network due to its inability to reboot properly. Worse yet if the SD card becomes corrupted. You can imagine what would happen if you also ran the DHCP server on the RPi. Currently testing using CloudFlare as secondary DNS and migrating the AdGuard to a local appliance that I already have, which does graceful shutdown during power loss.

[LIGISTX]

Pihole

[E-waste]

Pi-hole is wonderful!  I "only" have around 130,000 blocked domains, but at one point, plan to build it back again, had about 800 manually added entries, now down to under 700.

 

I love that I can boot windows and block absolutely every single default connection until I am ready to update or when I want to upload telemetry data, not just whenever.

 

I can block web trackers before NoScript can return the CNAME requests for each script on a webpage, further reducing outbound network traffic.

 

I can make my network footprint locally, and externally, quite small, saving network electricity use and blocking needless junk on websites that take too long to load, in the days of fast Internet connection, being wasted on tracking.  Advertisments are currently an essential part of the web to fund websites, but advertisments have become so terrible, that the United States FBI and others now recommend adblockers to prevent some malware!

[HomerJayK]

5 hours ago, E-waste said:

Pi-hole is wonderful!  I "only" have around 130,000 blocked domains, but at one point, plan to build it back again, had about 800 manually added entries, now down to under 700.

 

I love that I can boot windows and block absolutely every single default connection until I am ready to update or when I want to upload telemetry data, not just whenever.

 

I can block web trackers before NoScript can return the CNAME requests for each script on a webpage, further reducing outbound network traffic.

 

I can make my network footprint locally, and externally, quite small, saving network electricity use and blocking needless junk on websites that take too long to load, in the days of fast Internet connection, being wasted on tracking.  Advertisments are currently an essential part of the web to fund websites, but advertisments have become so terrible, that the United States FBI and others now recommend adblockers to prevent some malware!

I'm not so much after external DNS blocking, just a name server on my local networks. Is pihole still a good choice for that?

[ToboRobot]

12 hours ago, HomerJayK said:

I'm not so much after external DNS blocking, just a name server on my local networks. Is pihole still a good choice for that?

Yes. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKsHo6r4_rc