Installation ERROR - Please fix your /etc/hosts file...

[Labsy]

Hi,

I have searched forums and Google, but I cannot find solution for my issue. Every time I try to run ZCS installation on brand new fresh CentOS computer, I get the same error:

ERROR: Installation can not proceeed.  Please fix your /etc/hosts file
to contain:

    

Where  is the ip address of the host,
 is the FULLY QUALIFIED host name, and
 is the (optional) hostname-only portion

Now, I have tried /etc/hosts file with LAN IPs:

127.0.0.1   localhost.localdomain   localhost
10.1.1.126   zimbra.mydomain.com   zimbra

OR with piblic IPs:

127.0.0.1   localhost.localdomain   localhost
81.29.58.126   zimbra.mydomain.com   zimbra

But nothing works

If I PING either "zimbra" either "zimbra.mydomain.com" I get this:

ping zimbra
PING localhost.localdomain (127.0.0.1) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from localhost.localdomain (127.0.0.1): icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.025 ms
64 bytes from localhost.localdomain (127.0.0.1): icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.056 ms
64 bytes from localhost.localdomain (127.0.0.1): icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=0.039 ms

my resolv.conf is:

search mydomain.com
nameserver 10.1.1.1
nameserver 81.29.56.100

Any other idea?

[phoenix]

I assume you have a Split DNS set-up? During your search of the forums you probably cam across several posts of mine that requested information to diagnose the problem. In case you missed it, here it is again: please post the output of the following commands (run on the Zimbra server):

cat /etc/hosts
cat /etc/resolv.conf
dig yourdomain.com mx
dig yourdomain.com any
host `hostname`  <-- use that exact command with backticks not single quotes

[Labsy]

Nope, I don't have Split DNS configured.

I was trying to install BIND on my CentOS, but it seems to be pain in the ass for a Linux newbie like me.
So I rather configured my Cisco firewall to serve as local DNS and forced it to resolve "zimbra.mydomain.com" locally to local IP 10.1.1.126

Now dig zimbra.mydomain.com returns:

;;ANSWER SECTION
zimbra.mydomain.com.  0  IN  A  10.1.1.126

And dig zimbra.mydomain.com mx returns:

;;ANSWER SECTION
mydomain.com.  3600  IN  SOA  dnsServer.mydomain.com. soacontact.mydomain.com. 1107239823  14400 7200 950400 3600

Command host zimbra (without backquotes, since I cannot type any character with ALT-key via remote)

zimbra.mydomain.com has address 10.1.1.126

resolv.conf

search mydomain.com
nameserver 10.1.1.1
nameserver 81.29.56.200

hosts file

127.0.0.1   localhost.localdomain   localhost
10.1.1.126   zimbra.mydomain.com   zimbra

But still the same error running .\install.sh

BTW...thanx for your reply and also please understand, that I type manually all copy-paste texts, since copy-paste is not working remotelly neither via VNC viewer

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by Labsy

Nope, I don't have Split DNS configured.

I was trying to install BIND on my CentOS, but it seems to be pain in the ass for a Linux newbie like me.
So I rather configured my Cisco firewall to serve as local DNS and forced it to resolve "zimbra.mydomain.com" locally to local IP 10.1.1.126

You really should install BIND on your LAN, if you have problems setting it up then use webmin to administer your server (it has a DNS config module).

Originally Posted by Labsy

Now dig zimbra.mydomain.com returns:

This is incorrect, you need to use the domain name not the FQDN of your server - it should be 'dig mydomain.com'.

Originally Posted by Labsy

Command host zimbra (without backquotes, since I cannot type any character with ALT-key via remote)

zimbra.mydomain.com has address 10.1.1.126

I need to see that command with the backquotes for confirmation that it's working correctly.

You really do need to install BIND on this LAN for this to work correctly. Are you using VNC to access the desktop on this machine? If you are I'd suggest that NX is a better solution, check the CentOS wiki for details. Cant' you ssh into this server?

[Labsy]

Originally Posted by phoenix

This is incorrect, you need to use the domain name not the FQDN of your server - it should be 'dig mydomain.com'.

dig mydomain.com returns, as expected:

;;ANSWER SECTION
mydomain.com.  3600  IN  A  xx.yy.zz.qq

...which is the public IP of "mydomain.com" web server on 1000 km distant location. Neither this server nor this IP has anything to do with Zimbra server. They are 1000 km apart, each on its own LAN, not connected in anyway.
Only sub-domain A-record "zimbra.mydomain.com" is pointing to location2 in public DNS, while root domain "mydomain.com" is in location1.
Might that be a catch?

host `hostname` (with backquotes) returns the same as without backquotes:

zimbra.mydomain.com has address 10.1.1.126

Regarding DNS inside this LAN:
Did you mean that I need to setup BIND on exactly Zimbra server, or would it be sufficient just to have DNS server inside Location1 LAN network?
There are 4 other servers in Location1, beside Zimbra server, including Cisco firewall, which is curently used as DNS forwarder with static DNS mapping for "zimbra.mydomain.com".

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by Labsy

dig mydomain.com returns, as expected:

;;ANSWER SECTION
mydomain.com.  3600  IN  A  xx.yy.zz.qq

...which is the public IP of "mydomain.com" web server on 1000 km distant location. Neither this server nor this IP has anything to do with Zimbra server. They are 1000 km apart, each on its own LAN, not connected in anyway.

That's fine (and has nothing to do with your mail server) but you need to create valid DNS A & MX records for you mail server inside the LAN using the instructions in the SPlit DNS article.

Originally Posted by Labsy

[B]Only sub-domain A-record "zimbra.mydomain.com" is pointing to location2 in public DNS, while root domain "mydomain.com" is in location1.
Might that be a catch?

Yes but you don't need a sub-domain, you need valid DNS A & MX records (for domain.com) on an external DNS server to point to the public IP of your firewall at your location - or are you telling me there's already a mail server running elsewhere?

Originally Posted by Labsy

[B]host `hostname` (with backquotes) returns the same as without backquotes:

zimbra.mydomain.com has address 10.1.1.126

OK, that's correct.

Originally Posted by Labsy

[B]Regarding DNS inside this LAN:
Did you mean that I need to setup BIND on exactly Zimbra server, or would it be sufficient just to have DNS server inside Location1 LAN network?

You can use any DNS server on your LAN, the Split DNS is only one example of how to set it up.

Originally Posted by Labsy

[B]There are 4 other servers in Location1, beside Zimbra server, including Cisco firewall, which is curently used as DNS forwarder with static DNS mapping for "zimbra.mydomain.com".

All you need is for your firewall (NAT router or whatever) to forward the correct ports to your LAN IP address, the DNS resolution is performed by a DNS server for 'domain.com'.

[Labsy]

Hmmm...

Thank you again for in-deep explanations. Regarding to all this new knowledge it seems better to distinguish between my existing "mydomain" setup on location2 and Zimbra installation on Location1.

Location2 is my own quite complex web hosting solution with even more complex AntiSpam and mail solution, consisting of:
- 2 web servers, 2 *SQL servers
- 1 local DNS and 3 geographically spread DNS servers
- 1 local MAIL server and 6 redundant MAIL proxy filters with antispam and antivirus

Location 1 with ZIMBRA was meant to be new MAIL server, which would RECEIVE mail only from those 6 redundant MAIL PROXY servers.

All mail servers, existing and new ZIMBRA, are to host many different domains! So I gave ZIMBRA server host name by sub-domain of my primary domain.

So I assume it should work, if ZIMBRA locally would resolve ITSELF by A and MX record:

zimbra.mydomain.com.  3600  IN  A  10.1.1.126
zimbra.mydomain.com.  3600  IN  MX  10 zimbra.mydomain.com.

But this would be only for installation issue, since REAL mail for "mydomain.com" will not be configured to travel to ZIMBRA server...at least not at the beginning (maybe later, when things prove to be stable)

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by Labsy

So I assume it should work, if ZIMBRA locally would resolve ITSELF by A and MX record:

zimbra.mydomain.com.  3600  IN  A  10.1.1.126
zimbra.mydomain.com.  3600  IN  MX  10 zimbra.mydomain.com.

But this would be only for installation issue, since REAL mail for "mydomain.com" will not be configured to travel to ZIMBRA server...at least not at the beginning (maybe later, when things prove to be stable)

Yes, it will work but what you're using as the sub-domain is actually the FQDN of your Zimbra server.

I'd suggest you leave your DBS files to use the current sub-domain and change the hosts file (and the DNS records) to point to a new FQDN for your server with something like this:

mail.zimbra.mydomain.com

Uninstall Zimbra with './install.sh -u' (that will remove all of Zimbra including the /opt/zimbra directory) and I'm assuming you have nothing in there you wish to keep. When you've done that reinstall Zimbra and when you get to the question about 'Do you want to change the domain name' you answer yes, at this point you chnage the domain name to 'zimbra.mydomain.com' and continue with the install. That should give you a working Zimbra with a default domain of 'zimbra.mydomain.com', if you wish to send email from some other domain name then you can change the domain name via the command line or add another domain and set it as the default.

If that explanation is a clear as mud let me know what I've not explained clearly.

[Labsy]

Phoenix,
you have been quite clear, but seems CentOS is still pain in the ass for me. Actually, BIND has been pain in the ass, which I finally managed to install and to resolve names just inside ZIMBRA server...but still no luck

Which is why I switched to Ubuntu 9.10 server edition...
...and had some digestion problems here, too, since I overlooked Zimbra editions - for Ubuntu 8.04 only.
Ok, reinstalled with Ubuntu Server 8.04, with default settings, just 2 libraries to add...and Voila! Zimbra is up'n'running in no time

thank you for help anyways...hope it helps somebody else.

[Labsy]

...and YES, it is very inmportant to have properly setup all A and MX records!

For those who do not want to setup SplitDNS in Zimbra server with BIND:
you need really good DNS host, or have your own DNS servers, which will enable you to properly setup back and forth resolving:

zimbra.yourdomain.com --> must resolve inside LAN to --> zimbra's LAN IP
zimbra.yourdomain.com --> must have also MX record

So both A and MX records are important.
Without MX record you get LDAP error.

Thanx Phoenix again!