DNS Management within WHMCS for cPanel customers

[nitro]

We use cPanel / WHM to manage our Linux servers and have a cPanel / WHM DNS cluster set up with our live servers and using some DNSonly boxes. As we bring on extra cPanel managed servers the intention is to replace the DNSOnly servers with these.

 

I have been looking for a solution where we can allow certain of our clients to manage their DNS records within WHMCS.

 

I realise that I could set them up as a reseller in WHM on their own account to give them access to DNS management via WHM. I would like to limit the amount of control interfaces that they have to deal with though. Ideally they should only have to access WHMCS and cPanel to manage their entire hosting experience.

 

Wondering if anyone has covered this topic in the past - searches of the forums did not reveal anything specific. Would anyone else be interested in such a feature set? If this would require custom coding or development of an official WHMCS addon would anyone else be interested in paying a fee for this?

[urevised]

Personally i think this is a bad idea. People generally screw up DNS anyway and i prefer them to submit a ticket to me and have a record of it if they require DNS Changes.

 

Also there is the fact that people could transfer a domain away from you when they have unpaid bills etc.

 

WHMCS is not a control panel - it's a billing system.

[ganesh.rao]

I just love your idea. Superb!

 

We get so many requests for modification. People want to have MX records pointed to some other mail server and so on. Its a plain pain doing all this. It would be so damn awesome if this was implemented.

 

Good one nitro!

[WHMCS Andrew]

I just love your idea. Superb!

 

We get so many requests for modification. People want to have MX records pointed to some other mail server and so on. Its a plain pain doing all this. It would be so damn awesome if this was implemented.

 

Good one nitro!

but mx records can be changed in cPanel can they not?

[JasonO]

but mx records can be changed in cPanel can they not?

 

Your right, you can manage MX Entries in cPanel.

 

MX Entry Maintenance

 

You can use the MX Entry Maintenance function to change where a domain's email is delivered to. This allows you to have the email from one domain delivered to another domain. Changing your MX entry will change your sites DNS record for MX.

[urevised]

I still stick by my opinion that all DNS management should be restricted and it's more of a server administration task than a billing task.

 

If this implemented i would like to see the functionality to enable or disable

[lanquest]

This is the second post I have found on this subject today, here is the other thread http://forum.whmcs.com/showthread.php?t=13629

 

We would welcome this solution as an add-on/option to our products during the signup process. Then perhaps charge an extra small fee for the privilege. We agree this would not suite most users, but by inserting a warning message should put most users off. Especially if there is a small fee for fixing incurred.

 

If anyone has created or found a cPanel module for WHMCS or indeed found a module for cPanel please post here.

[Shaun]

Would this not be better implemented as a cpanel addon rather than a WHMCS add on.

 

I had a quick look and if this was going to be developed someone would have to create a DNS API as there is not one there for cpanel (they don't expose one like they do for billing) then once you have you cpanel DNS api you would have to write a WHMCS module that interfaces with the API.

 

Also is WHMCS currently a Billing/Support package that has the ability to create cPanel/Plesk/Etal packages in response to billing actions. It does not do other things like allow them to edit msql dbs.

 

I think the better solution would be to create a cPanel module that displays in the users panel along side all the other "things" that they can do to their hosting account such as MySql Sub Domains etc.

 

Also if you create it on the cpanel server you also have access to the cPaneL::DnsUtils Perl Module.

 

Im not saying this isnt' a good idea i just think is being implemented in the wrong program.

[Shaun]

OK here is a solution to this:

 

In cpanel move the user to be a reseller.

Only allow then to have one domain.

Then only allow them Edit A dns zone using reseller perms and then they can do this.

 

They get access to a cut down WHM thats only allows them to mod the DNS.

[sparky]

OK here is a solution to this:

 

In cpanel move the user to be a reseller.

Only allow then to have one domain.

Then only allow them Edit A dns zone using reseller perms and then they can do this.

 

They get access to a cut down WHM thats only allows them to mod the DNS.

Not that I would want my users to edit there DNS zone but for us who have root access that will work fine.

 

What about the ones who only have reseller accounts, they cannot enable that option for there customers.

[sparky]

I had a quick look and if this was going to be developed someone would have to create a DNS API as there is not one there for cpanel (they don't expose one like they do for billing) then once you have you cpanel DNS api you would have to write a WHMCS module that interfaces with the API.

 

Yes you can access the DNS zones through the API

[Shaun]

Yes you can access the DNS zones through the API

 

Would be interested to see how.

After a more indepth look you may be able to post stuff to the /scripts/. The cpanel documentation is sparse at the best ;-)

 

Would love some more info on this

 

What about the ones who only have reseller accounts, they cannot enable that option for there customers.

True, that would be phail.

If you can show my some documented doco or point me in the right direction i might have a crack at it. There seams to be be alot of demand for it.

[sparky]

If you can show my some documented doco or point me in the right direction i might have a crack at it. There seams to be be alot of demand for it.

 

Already doing it.... its in the process