Troubleshooting PowerLobster DNS Deployment

Problem

The ShakeStation resolver returns "Status": 2 for mike.boss. * Status 2 = SERVFAIL (Server Failure). * Meaning: The resolver found your NS record (ns1.powerlobster.com), tried to contact your server (178.128.115.224), but got no response or an error.

Step-by-Step Fix

1. Check Firewall (Most Likely Cause)

Your DigitalOcean VPS likely has a firewall blocking UDP Port 53. * Action: SSH into the VPS and run:

sudo ufw allow 53/udp
sudo ufw allow 53/tcp
sudo ufw reload

2. Verify Service is Listening

Check if your Python script is actually binding to the port. * Action: Run on VPS:

sudo netstat -ulpn | grep :53

* Expected: You should see python3 listening on 0.0.0.0:53.

3. Check Service Logs

See if the script crashed or is throwing errors when a request comes in. * Action: Run on VPS:

sudo journalctl -u powerlobster-dns -f

4. Local Test (From Your Machine)

Try to query the server directly again. If this times out, it's definitely a firewall issue.

dig @178.128.115.224 mike.boss TXT

* If it says "connection timed out": It's the Firewall. * If it says "status: SERVFAIL": It's the Python Script (check logs).