Frank
8660209c35
Caddy left compose.yaml for a quadlet unit (caddy.service): joins dankclaw_default for container-name upstreams, Pull=never for the local-only image, Porkbun credentials via /home/dank/Containers/caddy/env written by deploy from .env, bare-IP-catch-all health check. deploy_caddy installs, enables, and starts the unit after retiring the bare container (state is in host volumes). Pi-hole: the repo now owns the sysctl drop-in (dankclaw/pihole/sysctl/99-dnsmasq.conf, ip_unprivileged_port_start=53); deploy_pihole installs it to /etc/sysctl.d/, stages conflicting later-sorted drop-ins in the home trash, and applies 'sysctl --system' (the boot code path). This fixes the 2026-08-26 crash loop (port-53 bind denied, restart counter 1645) caused by a second drop-in resetting the value to 80. Tests: new caddy_quadlet.bats seam; caddyfile/deployment_flow assertions repointed from the removed compose service to the quadlet; pihole.bats pins the sysctl drop-in and its deployment; test-changed.sh routes dankclaw/caddy/ and the pihole subtree to their seams. Docs: Caddy, Pi-hole, Dankclaw Stack, work log.
74 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
74 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
# Pi-hole
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Pi-hole is the LAN DNS server for the homelab. It runs as a quadlet container on Dankclaw (192.168.0.143). It answers the flat `franksdank.cloud` / `franksdank.casa` service names and filters ad traffic on the LAN. It retired the dnsmasq quadlet on 2026-08-24. See [[LAN-DNS]] for the name-resolution flow and the router hand-off.
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## Components
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| Component | Where | Role |
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|-----------|-------|------|
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| `pihole` quadlet | `dankclaw/pihole/quadlet/pihole.container` | Boot-persistent container unit |
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| FTL | `docker.io/pihole/pihole:latest` | DNS engine (a dnsmasq fork) + ad blocking |
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| `addn-hosts` | `dankclaw/pihole/addn-hosts` | One A record per Caddy vhost |
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| sysctl drop-in | `dankclaw/pihole/sysctl/99-dnsmasq.conf` (repo) → `/etc/sysctl.d/` | Rootless port-53 threshold, applied at boot |
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| env file | `/home/dank/Containers/pihole/env` (host) | `ServerIP`, `TZ`, `DNS1`, `DNS2`, `WEBPASSWORD` |
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| Web UI | `pihole.franksdank.cloud` (Caddy → 8083) | Dashboard + admin, family login |
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## Quadlet
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- **Install path on Dankclaw:** `~/.config/containers/systemd/pihole.container` (unit `pihole.service`)
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- **Network:** `slirp4netns` (the same pattern as open-webui and gitea)
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- **Published ports:** 53/udp + 53/tcp (DNS), 8083/tcp (web UI)
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- **Mounts:**
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- `/home/dank/Containers/pihole/etc-pihole` → `/etc/pihole` (config + state, preserved across restarts)
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- `/home/dank/Containers/pihole/etc-dockers` → `/etc/dockers` (blocklists)
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- `/home/dank/Containers/pihole/addn-hosts` → `/etc/pihole/hosts/addn-hosts` (read-only; the record file from this repo)
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- **Restart:** `Restart=always`, `RestartSec=5`
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- **Deploy:** `./scripts/deploy-pihole-quadlet.sh dankclaw` (idempotent; preserves the data dirs)
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## Records
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FTL does not read `/etc/dnsmasq.d/` — its generated `dnsmasq.conf` has no `conf-dir`. The only file-based local-record mechanism is `hostsdir=/etc/pihole/hosts`: FTL parses every file in that directory as an `/etc/hosts` file. The quadlet therefore mounts the repo record file there, read-only:
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```
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/home/dank/Containers/pihole/addn-hosts -> /etc/pihole/hosts/addn-hosts
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```
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The file format is hosts-style (`<IP> <name> [<name> ...]`), one A record per Caddy vhost, all pointing at `192.168.0.143`. The file stays in sync with the Caddyfile (`tests/pihole.bats` cross-checks the two). Add a name there and in Porkbun, then deploy. See [[LAN-DNS]] for the two-place rule.
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**Pitfall (2026-08-24):** the first quadlet mounted the file into `/etc/dnsmasq.d/`. FTL never read it; names only resolved from the query cache. A fresh name returned NXDOMAIN. Mount into `/etc/pihole/hosts/`, not `/etc/dnsmasq.d/`.
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## Upstream
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The slirp netns has no useful `resolv.conf`. The env file pins the upstreams: `DNS1=1.1.1.1`, `DNS2=1.0.0.1` (mirrors the retired `dnsmasq.conf` `server=` lines). Every query that is not a local record goes to those resolvers. The zone apex and unknown subdomains fall through to Porkbun.
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## Web UI and API
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- **URL:** `https://pihole.franksdank.cloud/` (Caddy vhost, family basicauth → 8083)
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- **Password:** `WEBPASSWORD` in the env file (the shared family password, the same credential as `CADDY_BASICAUTH_HASH`)
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- **API:** `https://pihole.franksdank.cloud/api/...` — authenticate with the session cookie, then query the blocklist, the local DNS records, and the query log
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- **Port on the LAN:** `http://192.168.0.143:8083/` (direct, no Caddy)
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## Host prerequisites
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1. `net.ipv4.ip_unprivileged_port_start=53`, persisted in `/etc/sysctl.d/99-dnsmasq.conf` — rootless Podman may then publish port 53. The repo file `dankclaw/pihole/sysctl/99-dnsmasq.conf` is the single source of truth: `deploy_pihole` installs it, stages any later-sorted drop-in that resets the value in the home trash, and applies it with `sysctl --system` (the same code path boot uses via systemd-sysctl). **Incident (2026-08-26):** a second drop-in (`99-rootless-ports.conf`, sorted after) reset the value to 80. The runtime override from an earlier manual `sysctl -w` died with a reboot, and `pihole.service` crash-looped on `bind: permission denied` for port 53 (restart counter 1645) until the conflict was removed.
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2. `DNSStubListener=no` in `/etc/systemd/resolved.conf` — the resolved stub would otherwise hold port 53 inside the container netns.
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Both prerequisites survive the dnsmasq → Pi-hole swap. Do not remove them.
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## Failure modes
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| Symptom | First check |
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|---------|-------------|
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| `dig @192.168.0.143` fails entirely | Quadlet down: `systemctl --user status pihole` |
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| A name does not resolve for a new client | The client's `resolv.conf` does not show `192.168.0.143` — the G36 hand-off is missing. See [[LAN-DNS]] |
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| The web UI asks for a password loop | `WEBPASSWORD` in the env file is the placeholder `changeme` — fill the real value, restart the unit |
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| Upstream queries fail (local names still answer) | `DNS1`/`DNS2` in the env file are missing or wrong |
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| Port 53 `bind: permission denied` crash loop after a reboot | sysctl conflict: exactly one file under `/etc/sysctl.d/` may set `ip_unprivileged_port_start`, and it must say 53. Redeploy pihole — `deploy_pihole` reinstalls the drop-in and neutralizes conflicts |
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| Single-label name (for example `dankclaw`) answers `127.0.1.1` | The rootless container `/etc/hosts` carries the host entry (`127.0.1.1 <host>`), and FTL serves it. Use the FQDN, or add an `/etc/hosts` entry on the client |
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## See Also
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- [[LAN-DNS]] — name resolution flow, router hand-off, split DNS
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- [[Caddy]] — the `pihole.franksdank.cloud` vhost
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- [[Dankclaw Stack]] — the host that carries Pi-hole
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