DDClient [DDCLIENT-Source]

Note

These directions are way out of date. Do not use these! I have since switched to a different process or tool since writing this particular article, but keeping it up for posterities sake, until I can properly replace it.

What have I changed to you ask? Anything building I’ve tried switching over to Ansible to handle in a much more programatic way. Others might be tools that I just don’t use at all anymore, due to changing DNS hosts.

Preface

This guide is a bit more hands on, but is not only a good lesson to get through and learn, but ends up building a nice, very useful and light weight program!

DDClient, specifically, is a Dynamic DNS program. Through its config files, it listens for public IP address changes on the machine its running on - IPv4 specifically - and then relays that information back to your Domain Name Host - Google Domains for example - so that, if you are self-hosting stuff attached to your url name, and its hosting from an IP address that likes to change - which consumer-based internet access will change that IP address - this handles that issue.

Plus, Google Domains also has a specific, easier-to-use config setup for DDClient, so it makes your life just that much easier.

Software Requirements

Most of what is needed usually comes with Ubuntu, like Perl and CPAN.

But, one program that is needed is libio-socket-ssl-perl, specifically to assist with SSL encryptions of the ddclient traffic.

sudo apt-get install libio-socket-ssl-perl

Clone the Github Repo

Lets start off by cloning the github repo, so you have the most up-to-date code to build with.

Note

I keep all of my cloned git repos inside of one, singular directory:

~/git

This way, I don’t have to hunt all over my system for where my repos are located and it makes it easier to keep them updated. Then, I symlink the library to wherever the developer wants or requires it or where its easiest to run.

The other way of handing this is to clone your PROGRAMS into the /opt directory - so /opt/couchpotato, /opt/NzbDrone, /opt/plexpy and so on. Then clone your working repos for projects seperately into ~/git/[repo]

git clone https://github.com/ddclient/ddclient.git ~/git/ddclient

Or, like with couchpotato, you are welcome to save the git directory where ever works best for you.

Copying Files and Creating Directories

Next, its a matter of sticking the ddclient program into the right place, creating its directories, backing up the existing configs and all that jazz.

cd ~/git/ddclient/
sudo cp ddclient /usr/sbin/
sudo mkdir /etc/ddclient/
sudo mkdir /var/cache/ddclient

1. So the first cp is the actual program itself, thus why its going inside of /usr/sbin/.

2. Then, creating /etc/ddclient because thats where it expects its config file.

3. Then, /var/cache/ddclient in order to save the programs caching files.

The ddclient.conf File

If you already have a ddclient.conf file made - like Google Domains, since their support files explain exactly how to make a config file just for their service - copy that over to::

/etc/ddclient/ddclient.conf

But, if you don’t have a starting point yet, if you look in the DDClient repo files, there are several sample files of all creeds and uses. This is a good chance for you to poke around a bit and see what each one is meant for and look through your specific config file, since it will have a billion and one explanations for everything. If, you’re interested.

Otherwise, most likely the service you have your URL hosted with will have a how-to specific for their service on configuring DDClient.

Then, once you have a good config file you like, save it into a github repo of your own so you have it saved, sourced, and backed up to a cloud server if anything goes awry.

Autostart

Since we’re on Ubuntu, copy the init.d file over and set it up to always autostart:

sudo cp sample-etc_rc.d_init.d_ddclient.ubuntu /etc/init.d/ddclient
sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/ddclient
sudo update-rc.d ddclient defaults

So, we’re copying a sample file - specifically the init.d_ddclient.ubuntu file. Obviously if you wanted to run DDClient in another fashion - like with the cron file or with the specific wrapper .sh script - you could if you were so inclined.

Then, the chmod +x makes the file executable by the sytem, and update-rc.d adds it to upstart for autostarting.

Perl/CPAN

Now, DDClient is dependent on some Perl Libraries to help it run. So, the specific Perl Library Management tool we’ll be using is CPAN.

And, I believe if I am correct, Perl is a tool that comes with Ubuntu Server, along with CPAN. But, if your system isn’t allowing the cpan command to run, you can do a apt-cache search cpan and it’ll show the various programs that might include it.

If Perl completely isn’t installed, then:

sudo apt-get install perl

Then, once thats done, you’ll want to install the library DDClient requires::

sudo cpan install Data::Validate::IP

Since I don’t know hardly anything about Perl other than I need it, I simply press enter through the various questions CPAN asks, since it will autofill with the defaults.

Running DDClient

Once you have all that taken care of, you can run sudo ddclient and it’ll run it once, it’ll talk to the server you have configured, and respond with output. For me, it usually tells me that my IP address is unchanged, and to run DDClient unneccessarily is considered abusive.

Which is why we use Upstart, systemctl or the wrapper script or cron job!

Now, since we added this to Upstart, type sudo service ddclient start and that script will take over the management!

[DDCLIENT-Source]

These directions are liberally copied from DDClient’s Github