Please first read DNSUpdate Help (Help menu of the DNSUpdate application)
Does the DNSUpdate application have to be launched?
No. The most important part of DNSUpdate is the daemon which is launched at boot time and works in background. The DNSUpdate application is just for configuration and monitoring purpose.
How often DNSUpdate test/update the IP?
DNSUpdate tests the IP every minute (every 15 minutes for External/External (bypassing Proxy) interfaces) and update the DynDNS.org database only when needed.
Why is my IP not registered? or How to configure the Interface?
You have to configure the Host interface depending on how you are connected to the Internet:
Basically, the Default Interface will select the active interface defined in the Network Preferences (if this interface changes, the DNSUpdate daemon will note it and change accordingly).
With your internal modem (with your nomal phone line): use Internal Modem
With a cable modem via your built-in ethernet card or you're directly connected to the Internet: use Built-in Ethernet
Via DSL/ADSL with PPPoE: user ADSL PPPoE Interface
If you're behind a router: use External
If you're behind a router and a proxy: use External (bypassing Proxy)
Normally, External (bypassing Proxy) will always work. That's your last chance. If nothing works, then your connection is not supported, contact the author.
The User (or Host) automatically deactivates itself?
There was an error while updating your host. The user/host status shows you the problem.
I will provide later a simple way in the application to know what to do for those errors.
The main errors are:
Bad Auth (your login or password is wrong) ;
No such host ; Not yours ;
Abuse (your host is blocked. Contact DynDNS support) ;
Bad domain name (you have to provide the full host name (e.g.: "test.dyndns.org" and not "test")
The other ones are mainly critical errors (either for DynDNS or DNSUpdate):
DynDNS critical errors (Contact support or wait some time): DynDNS down, DNS Error.
DynDNS non critical error: No DynDNS Answer (Time out... maybe the host is temporary unreachable)
The other ones are DNSUpdate critical errors. Contact the author.
Why is my Interface Inactive?
There was a problem with your Interface. Maybe you've choosen the wrong (internal) one or, if the interface is external, the daemon had some problems contacting the external server to get your IP.
The daemon will retry automatically and reactivate the Interface when the problems are gone.
I will provide a way to better check Interface status with DNSUpdate.
New in 2.8
Universal application and daemon
Use of Tiger's launchd. This makes rebooting after install useless
New in 2.7
Fix a bug in DNSUpdate revealed by a change in DynDNS.org checkip service
Should fix an issue with Panther's fast user switching
New in 2.6
This version was only tested for MacOS 10.2 Jaguar
Sorry for this late update. Too much "real" work to do
Hope the installation problems are fixed
Added EasyDNS support (not much tested)
Some fix in update code so DNSUpdate correctly detects when the network is not available
New in 2.5
Italian localization (thanks to Marco Iacopino)
Fixed a bug when the IP changed during the daemon update
Added a "pseudo" offline interface
Some interface tweaks and minor bug fixes
New in 2.4
DNSUpdate is now ready for multi-services
Support for ZoneEdit.com service
You can now edit users and hosts by double-clicking the item in the Users window
Spanish localization (thanks to Eric R. Kelly-Lòpez)
German help file
DNSUpdate now tests the BSD package installation (which is required)
Start to move the HTTP GET code to CFNetwork
New in 2.3
Some interface changes to the Users and Monitor window
Some changes in the menu organisation
Light change in the DNSUpdate icon (Thanks to Pascal Filion)
DNSUpdate now supports the DynDNS.org wait command correctly
If slow answers of DynDNS.org occur, the daemon now waits 10 min. before retrying
New in 2.2.1
Raised Timeout to prevent some abuse problems (still working on a better way to manage slow answers of DynDNS.org)
Some internal changes to better track problems with some users
New in 2.2
Added the "Default Interface". The Default Interface will select the active interface defined in the Network Preferences (if this interface changes, the DNSUpdate daemon will note it and change accordingly). This will simplify the configuration for almost all system (just use this Interface).
You can now uninstall the daemon with the application
Change in the daemon's code to test internal interfaces
The Startup Item is localized
Now, DNSUpdate user files type is localized in the Finder (look at /Library/Preferences/DNSUpdate/Users)
German localization (The Help file is still not translated)
Added an "abuse" protection. If the daemon can't contact DynDNS.org for more than 3 times, the host will be deactivated.
New in 2.1
The daemon state is now kept across reboot. You can change this behavior with the DNSUpdate preferences: Keep state across reboot, Activated/Desactivated on boot or auto-start (the daemon is activated only if the application is launched)
New in 2.0
You can open the log file from the application
Fixed memory leaks
Corrected French localization
Some very minor interface enhancements
New in beta 5
You can now remove the Users!
French localization
DNSUpdate now follows Apple's guidelines for extension and the Users files hide their extension
Fixed a problem preventing the use of DNSUpdate when the path to the application contained special characters
Some more memory leaks fixes
New in beta 4
Beware: this version is for MacOS X 10.1 and above
Added a Dock Menu to pause/wake up the daemon (Yes!)
DNSUpdate application now needs less CPU (much less... it only tests the daemon when there's something new)
Installation and Launch process is now faster (in fact, DNSUpdate was awaiting 5 sec. to be sure the daemon is launched. Now the daemon informs DNSUpdate)
Added Help (Yes!)
PPPoE modified for 10.1. It seems that the internal representation of the PPPoE interface is not "pppoe0" any more but "ppp0" which is the same as normal PPP.
Added some links in the About Box
New in beta 3
Added secondary ethernet (en1) interface
Fixed some daemon crashing problem
Beginning of the memory leaks tracking
Source release
New in beta 2
Moved DNSUpdate_Key from /tmp to /var/run preventing the MacOSX cleaning process to erase the key
Daemon now will not (normally) crash any more if the connection to DynDNS.org is interrupted
The two above modifications normally will fix the "daemon crashing after a few days" bug... I hope
Fixed the creation of an host (the properties were not correctly saved the first time)
Some very minor bug fixes
New in beta 1
Implemented DyDNS.org options (statdns/dyndns/custom and mail-exchanger/wildcard)
DNSUpdate daemon now don't inactivate User when DynDNS.org is not responding
Corrected some minor bugs
New in alpha 6
Fixed a privilege flags problem with the StartupItem
Fixed a problem in the installation when the path to DNSUpdate contained spaces.
New in alpha 5
Fixed some privileges problems. Not very important but annoying if the application tries to launch the daemon after a reboot. After installing the daemon, you'll have to reboot (it's necessary to be sure all is clean).
New in alpha 4
The Users Window now shows the user status. For the first time, the user will be marked as "Not tested". The normal status is "Ok" but you'll have to wait for the next update for the user to be checked (you can force it by creating a fake host for this user in DNSUpdate which will try to update with DynDNS and then remove this host).
Added the External (bypassing Proxy) interface (Using port 8245, bypassing proxies. See "TODO" list below about Interfaces)
New in alpha 3
The daemon now installs in the right place : /usr/local/sbin/dnsupdate (The application needs an administrator password)
The application now installs a StartupItem in /Library/StartupItems
The application now reacts when the daemon dies
Fixed some problems with the HTTP loader
Added the ADSL PPPoE Interface
New in alpha 2
Launch process now has visual feedback (no more "nothing happens")
Remembers opened windows
Installing
The package provides only one thing: the DNSUpdate application. The application automatically installs the daemon and the StartupItem if needed (asking for an admin password) and eventually launches the daemon. You can install the application whereever you want.
The future
Adding or editing interfaces (e.g. using other CGI scripts, etc.)
Will be fixed in v2.5 (or v3.0)
My English is bad
Will probably never be fixed
Stored files
The preferences of the daemon are stored in /Library/Preferences/DNSUpdate
You can found in /Library/Preferences/DNSUpdate/Users one file per user.