Updating MaraDNS

# Table of contents

- Updating from 1.0 to 1.2
- Updating from 1.2.03 to a later 1.2 release
- Updating from 1.2.12 to a 1.3 release

This document is divided in to two parts; anyone upgrading from a 1.0 release to a recent 1.2 release will need to look over both sections of this document.

# Updating from 1.0 to 1.2

MaraDNS 1.2 has a number of advantages over 1.0, including Y2038 compliance, full support for DNS over TCP, and a new zone file format. While including a number of new features, MaraDNS 1.2 is almost completely compatible with all MaraDNS 1.0 data files. An update from 1.0 to 1.2 will, with very few exceptions, not need any data files to be changed. All MaraDNS 1.0 zone files will work with MaraDNS 1.2, and almost all 1.0 `mararc` configuration files will work with MaraDNS 1.2.

To update a MaraDNS install from 1.0 to 1.2, download the MaraDNS 1.2 tarball, and type in the following command:

    	./configure ; make

This is followed by:

    	make install

No configuration files will be overwritten by the installation of the new MaraDNS 1.2 binaries (making backups of all data files, naturally, is always a good idea).

The only time a 1.0 `mararc` file will not work is when there is a misspelled mararc variable in the mararc file. For example, let us suppose we have a `mararc` file that looks like this:

    bind_address = "127.0.0.1"
    chroot_dir = "/etc/maradns"
    maradns_uid = 99
    maxprocs = 96
    default_rrany_set = 3
    verbose_levul = 1

This will run fine in MaraDNS 1.0. However, when we try to run this file in MaraDNS 1.2, we will get this error message:

    FATAL ERROR: Unknown mararc variable verbose_levul
    Please look for the uncommented string "verbose_levul"
    in your mararc file and remove this line.

    The line this error is on looks like this:
    verbose_levul = 1

This misspelled `mararc` variable needs to either be completely removed from the `mararc` file, or disabled by commenting out. The following `mararc` snippet will work identially in MaraDNS 1.0 as the above snippet, and will parse in MaraDNS 1.2 without a fatal error:

    bind_address = "127.0.0.1"
    chroot_dir = "/etc/maradns"
    maradns_uid = 99
    maxprocs = 96
    default_rrany_set = 3
    # Comment out the misspelled mararc variable
    #verbose_levul = 1

Since MaraDNS 1.2 is usually started with the new `duende` daemonizing program, timestamps are, by default, no longer shown (since otherwise the system logs would have a redundant timestamp in them). If the older behavior of showing a UNIX time stamp is desired, add the following to a MaraDNS 1.2 `mararc` file:

    timestamp_type = 0

# Updating from 1.2.03 to a later 1.2 release

There are a few minor changes between the 1.2.03 branch and later 1.2 releases of MaraDNS:

### The special remote queries have been changed

The special remote queries, which can obtain information about MaraDNS' internal state, have been changed:

- The `admin_acl` variable needs to be set for these variables to work. E.g. `admin_acl = "127.0.0.1, 192.168.116.0/24"`, which only allows 127.0.0.1 (the same machine) or any machine with an IP that starts with 192.168.116 to access this information.
- The TXT query `erre-con-erre-cigarro.maradns.org` is now done with `version.maradns`
- The TXT query `numthreads` (this and all other special queries except `version.maradns` are only enabled when `debug_msg_level` is set) is now `numthreads.maradns`
- The TXT query `cache-elements` is now `cache-elements.maradns`
- The TXT query `memusage` is now `memusage.maradns`
- The TXT query `timestamp` is now `timestamp.maradns`
- The TXT query number`.verbose_level.maradns` has been added, but is only enabled if the `remote_admin` mararc variable is set.

Further information about these queries can be obtained by looking at the mararc man page; in particular, look for `admin_acl`, `debug_msg_level`, and `remote_admin`.

### Zone names are now case-insensitive

Zone names are now case-insensitive. In other words, a line like this in the mararc file:

    csv2["EXAMPLE.COM."] = "DB.EXAMPLE.COM"

Is converted as if the line were:

    csv2["example.com."] = "DB.EXAMPLE.COM"

This affects both csv1 and csv2 zone names. Since hostnames in both csv1 and csv2 host names are converted to lower-case, the impact of this change should be minimal.

### Dictionary variables now must be initialized before being used

MaraDNS 1.2.07 now mandates that dictionary variables must be initialized before being used. This line, by itself, used to parse in a mararc file:

    upstream_servers["."] = "10.1.2.3"

However, this line would do nothing unless the `upstream_servers` dictionary variable was first initialized, e.g:

    upstream_servers = {}
    upstream_servers["."] = "10.1.2.3"

MaraDNS 1.2.07 now mandates the initializion line or exits with a fatal error when parsing a mararc file. The reason for this is to make debugging mararc files easier.

# Updating from 1.2.12 to a 1.3 release

### Updates to the csv2 parser

In MaraDNS 1.3, some changes have been made to the csv2 parser. In particular:

- The first record in a csv2 zone file can no longer be a TXT, WKS, or LOC record.
- TXT (and SPF) records can no loner have tildes (the '~' character) in them.

If these changes to the csv2 parser are not desired, it is possible to have MaraDNS 1.3's csv2 parser act like MaraDNS' 1.2 csv2 parser by adding the following line to one's `mararc` file:

    csv2_tilde_handling = 0

The above line is also accepted by MaraDNS 1.2 releases starting with 1.2.12.04; this allows MaraDNS 1.2 and 1.3 use the same configuration file.

The reason for this change is because MaraDNS now can use tildes to separate records. A MaraDNS 1.2 csv2 zone file that looked like this:

    example.com. 10.1.2.4
    www.example.com. A 10.1.2.5
    example.com. MX mail.example.com.
    mail.example.com. 10.1.2.6
    example.com. TXT 'Hello, world!'

Now can look like this:

    example.com. 10.1.2.4 ~
    www.example.com. A 10.1.2.5 ~
    example.com. MX mail.example.com. ~
    mail.example.com. 10.1.2.6 ~
    example.com. TXT 'Hello, world!'

The way MaraDNS figures out whether to use tilde to separate records is by looking between the first and second record to see if a tilde is present. If so, MaraDNS requries tildes to be between all records. If not, MaraDNS' csv2 parsing is almost completely 1.2 compatible, the only difference being that tildes can not be in TXT records.

Note that, if tildes are used to separate records, the following restrictions are added to TXT records:

- The pipe (|) character is not allowed in TXT records. Use the '\x7c' escape sequence instead. For example, change a TXT record that looks like 'ls | more' to become 'ls '\x7c' more'
- The pipe (#) character is not allowed in TXT records. Use the '\x23' escape sequence instead. For example, change a TXT record that looks like 'press the # key' to become 'press the '\x23' key'
- Control characters, including the newline character, are not allowed. The escape sequence used depends on the desired control character. For example, use \x0a for a UNIX linefeed.

Another MaraDNS 1.3 change only affects the unusual case when one has delegation NS records. Let us suppose we have a zone file with the following records:

    example.com. A 10.1.2.3 ~
    www.example.com. A 10.1.2.4 ~
    joe.example.com. NS ns.joe.example.com. ~
    ns.joe.example.com. A 10.1.2.5

In MaraDNS 1.2, if we send a recursive request for `www.joe.example.com`, MaraDNS will convert the request in to a recursive request. In MaraDNS 1.3, we will get the following answer:

    joe.example.com. NS ns.joe.example.com. ~
    ns.joe.example.com. A 10.1.2.5

If the old MaraDNS 1.2 behavior is desired, such as for someone who is using the same nameserver to both give out delegation records and to recursively resolve records, add the following line to one's mararc file:

    recurse_delegation = 1

### bind_star_handling

`bind_star_handling` is a variable that determines whether MaraDNS should be strictly RFC compliant with regard to star records. In MaraDNS 1.2, the default value for this was 0. In MaraDNS 1.3, the default value is 1. If, for some reason, the older non-RFC compliant behavior is desired, add this line to your `mararc` file:

    bind_star_handling = 0

### max_mem

`max_mem` determined the maximum amount of memory MaraDNS is allowed to allocate. This is a numeric variable, and the value is in kilobytes. The default value of this is to allocate 1 megabyte for MaraDNS' general use, and in addition, to allocate 1536 bytes for each element we can have in the cache or DNS record that we are authoritatively serving.

If, for whatever reason, you wish to disable this feature, add the following lint to your `mararc` file:

    max_mem = 0