Dynamic DNS & Namecheap

mgodinez

Thank you !!
It works! Just for future reference, you will need to add the premium DNS in NameCheap to be able to get the Dynamic DNS option.

Manny

jimp

You do not need their Premium DNS product for this. All of my domains using DynDNS are on "Namecheap Basic DNS" and it works fine.

CCNewb

if anyone else crosses by this thread from google search, here's additional steps to take on NameCheap's website.

Go to Domain List -> Domain -> Manage -> Advanced DNS
-Under "Host Records", click "Add New Record"
-Type = "A + Dynamic DNS Record"
-Host = create a hostname that you'll use here and in PfSense under "host" field. (e.g. "whatever")
-Set the value to "127.0.0.1"
-Click Save

Within PfSense,
Where it says "hostname" use the same name (e.g. "whatever") that you just setup on NameCheap's website. All of the other directions are in the posts above

And boom, works like a charm

Hossimo

Adding to this post since I thought I was having some issues and this post keeps coming up.

I had moved my namecheap dynamic DNS setup from another router and while I was confidant on the setup it looked like it was not working in pfSense.

Turns out it was working all along, it was just because it looks like namecheap is not sending a reply, so I guess the 200 isn't good enough for the UI. but switching the ip on namecheap to something else and forcing the update seems to work.

This is a redacted version of the logs I get back:

/services_dyndns_edit.php: Dynamic DNS: updatedns() starting
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Dynamic DNS namecheap (example.domain.com): 203.0.113.1 extracted from local system.
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Dynamic DNS (example.domain.com): running get_failover_interface for wan. found mvneta0
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Dynamic DNS namecheap (example.domain.com): _update() starting.
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header: HTTP/2 200
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header: date: Tue, 21 Dec 2021 02:52:05 GMT
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header: content-type: application/json
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header: vary: Accept-Encoding
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header: set-cookie: .s=c5ab2e3c28b947b69cfc12aa3b216984; domain=.www.namecheap.com; path=/; httponly
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header: strict-transport-security: max-age=16000000; includeSubDomains
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header: strict-transport-security: max-age=16000000; includeSubDomains
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header: cf-cache-status: DYNAMIC
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header: expect-ct: max-age=604800, report-uri="https://report-uri.cloudflare.com/cdn-cgi/beacon/expect-ct"
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header: server: cloudflare
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header: cf-ray: 6c0dcff68b98827b-IAD
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header: alt-svc: h3=":443"; ma=86400, h3-29=":443"; ma=86400, h3-28=":443"; ma=86400, h3-27=":443"; ma=86400
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header:
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Header:
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Response Data: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?>
<interface-response>
<Command>SETDNSHOST</Command>
<Language>eng</Language>
<IP>203.0.113.1</IP>
<ErrCount>0</ErrCount>
<errors />
<ResponseCount>0</ResponseCount>
<responses />
<Done>true</Done>
<debug><![CDATA[]]></debug>
</interface-response>
/services_dyndns_edit.php: Dynamic DNS namecheap (example.domain.com): _checkStatus() starting.
/services_dyndns_edit.php: phpDynDNS (example): PAYLOAD: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?>
<interface-response>
<Command>SETDNSHOST</Command>
<Language>eng</Language>
<IP>203.0.113.1</IP>
<ErrCount>0</ErrCount>
<errors />
<ResponseCount>0</ResponseCount>
<responses />
<Done>true</Done>
<debug><![CDATA[]]></debug>
</interface-response>
/services_dyndns_edit.php: phpDynDNS (example): (Unknown Response)

johnpoz

@mgodinez said in Dynamic DNS & Namecheap:

but since I have a dynamic ip address

Just a point of discussion - nothing wrong with having a ddns setup. But does your IP really change? I have had the same dynamic IP for going on 3 years now.. And with my previous ISP same IP for like 5 I believe without it changing. They had redone their IP space there once - if not would of been more like 10 years on the same IP.

Unless your turning off your router for extended periods, or change its mac normally you would just continue to renew your IP. Unless your isp is forcing a change to the IP for some crazy reason, or they redo their IP space for a region, etc.

If you have your router on 24/7 and it doesn't go offline for an extended amount of time you should just keep the same IP be it dynamic assigned or not.

psp

@johnpoz said in Dynamic DNS & Namecheap:

Just a point of discussion - nothing wrong with having a ddns setup. But does your IP really change?

Here almost all ISPs give you a different public IP on every modem reboot. So DDNS services are really required for all inbound traffic.
Just my .02...

johnpoz

@psp curious how they know your device rebooted? The dhcp client on even reboot of the device should at first still request is old IP before it sends out a discover.

Not saying it doesn't happen, just hasn't been my experience here in the US on any of the many ISPs have had over the years, nor any of isp have even dealt with for other users..

With many countries that require logging of IPs to users, etc. and traffic they go to - would seem odd that they would make their lives more difficult by changing the IP they give them at the drop of hat is all.

psp

@johnpoz said in Dynamic DNS & Namecheap:

With many countries that require logging of IPs to users, etc. and traffic they go to - would seem odd that they would make their lives more difficult by changing the IP they give them at the drop of hat is all.

You are absolutely right. Even here (IT) we are required to keep those logs but they simply choose the hard way (i.e. logs every UserAuth/MAC -- IP association event).

SteveITS

@hossimo said in Dynamic DNS & Namecheap:

/services_dyndns_edit.php: phpDynDNS (example): (Unknown Response)

There was a recent thread about this and Namecheap...seems they are returning UTF-16 encoded text which is not being parsed by PHP correctly and hence failing to read the response. In the linked Reddit thread they acknowledge it's their issue.

Hossimo

@johnpoz For the most part my IP at home does not change between reboots, however it does sometimes (randomly), and given a travel a fair amount I use the dynamic DNS entry to access my VPN when I'm traveling so I don't get locked out.

johnpoz

@hossimo said in Dynamic DNS & Namecheap:

however it does sometimes (randomly)

Agreed - never hurts to have a fallback if this happens.. But generally speaking and I only bring it up as a point of discussion related to the topic.. Quite often users think they "have to have" ddns when their IP might be the same for years at a time, etc..

Just because its handed to you via dhcp, doesn't mean it changes as the wind blows ;)

you need a static IP

From OP comment was my point of discussion.

Zoltrix

Can confirm the same issue here using Namecheap with pfsense. The config will update the IP fine, but it doesn't reflect this in the pfsense GUI, and the logs show the "/services_dyndns_edit.php: phpDynDNS (XXX): (Unknown Response)" error.

Gertjan

@zoltrix said in Dynamic DNS & Namecheap:

Can confirm

The issue left is : the DDNS text is showing a red 'failed' message, but the IP was updated. So your host name does point yo your actual WAN IP. It's just a 'visual' thing in the pfSense right now.
As cheapname confirmed that they changed something on their side, the solution is 'waiting'.

Zoltrix

Thanks Jangert

jamesg246

@gertjan Also experiencing this. If you use the namecheap http update method, then you do get a green tick in the gui. As its been said above, the ip address still updates.

Zoltrix

we should enter a bug report I guess

Gertjan

@zoltrix said in Dynamic DNS & Namecheap:

we should enter a bug report I guess

Some one - here on this forum, or on reddit, wrote that the namecheap support has confirmed the issue, as 'something' on their side was changed (not pfSense, we use all the same version / scripts ) and that they, namecheap, will correct it.

For the record, as the brand of the company implies, they do not have a huge budget, so this will take some time.
In the future, they will correct he issue on their side, and everything will be fine again.
For the time being, a work around exists.

If pfSense get patched now, and namecheap correct the issue afterwards, the problem will re start all over again, and the patch has to be removed by updating pfSense again.

edit : Btw : if a bug report has to be opened : go head : good idea. But use the namecheap bug reporter @namecheap - if they have one ....

Zoltrix

@gertjan said in Dynamic DNS & Namecheap:

For the record, as the brand of the company implies, they do not have a huge budget, so this will take some time.

Maybe done some homework first.

Namecheap had over $200 million in revenue in 2020, which was up 35%, or $51.6 million, over the $149 million it posted in 2019.

It has 11 million registered users and 10 million domains.

johnpoz

@zoltrix I think that was meant as joke ;)

But they could have 1 Billion in revenue, doesn't mean they spend any of that on development ;)

The issue comes down to, if pfsense didn't change anything, and it stopped working because namecheap did change something. Do you also change pfsense to accommodate whatever changed (can you even?), or is namecheap going to change/fix what they did or forget to add or whatever.

Gertjan

@johnpoz said in Dynamic DNS & Namecheap:

I think that was meant as joke

Yeah, hope so.

@zoltrix said in Dynamic DNS & Namecheap:

Namecheap had over $200 million in revenue in 2020, which was up 35%, or $51.6 million, over the $149 million it posted in 2019.

I didn't fact-check that, but I tend to believe the numbers. I 'know' who namecheap is.
They have probably also an 'owner' or share holders, or whatever. And now we reached the point : Who comes first :
The 'clients' ?
The the share holders ?

I'm pretty sure, if some one at namecheap sits down for one hour or so, the issue will be solved. One hour !
But noooop - xx thousand of clients will have to wait for weeks - now months.

Btw : I say up front : I have nothing against namecheap - neither against the concept as companies and how they work and their goals. I'm working for a company - and the idea is mainly : making € (no $ here).
And making fun, of course.

And also : again :
They have confirmed : they introduce the issue.
They fix it.
Or they shall feel the power of Free DynDNS service.
Although that won't touch them financially, as the service is free - and is this might be the actual reason why all this takes so long ;)