DNS names for DHCP connect workstations

SaintDanBert · 05-04-2014, 11:20 PM

How do I configure the private-network "DNS names" associated with DHCP connected devices? It is important that any solution work within my home-office, small-business LAN without causing the device trouble when on some other LAN.

Is there some way to configure DHCP-clients to ask for a specific name string, or does the following describe the only process?

When a workstation asks to connect, I can configure DCHP server to use its MAC address to cause it to always get the same private-network IP address.
I can create my own private-network zone file that uses that IP address.
I can configure so that my private-network DNS server will enable using those names for interactions between and among my workstations.
I can configure so that my workstations will reference my private-network DNS server

NOTE -- All of this happens on the in-house side of my gateway-router. This ISP-supplied box provides some sort of DNS for the in-house LAN. I have more questions about configuring the interactions between my home-office, small-business DNS server and this ISP-supplied box.

Thanks in advance,
~~~ 0;-Dan

business_kid · 05-05-2014, 04:39 AM

Having an inhouse DNS server creates issues. Why not use /etc/hosts? That takes names. Your workstations should not need a private dns server to communicate. /etc/hosts handled the entire internet at one stage. (I have seen a 200k /etc/hosts from the 70s).

SaintDanBert · 05-05-2014, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by business_kid

Having an inhouse DNS server creates issues. Why not use /etc/hosts? That takes names. Your workstations should not need a private dns server to communicate. /etc/hosts handled the entire internet at one stage. (I have seen a 200k /etc/hosts from the 70s).

I also want to run an in-house email server with IMAP support:

gathers family and small-business email from all over the net onto local server
locally scrub email and attachments for scum-ware
home-office, small-business LAN clients interact with local email server
to read messages
local server processing would help manage local IMAP folders
local IMAP server would sync with online IMAP servers (where email most likely came from to begin with)

business_kid · 05-08-2014, 03:29 AM

You want to run a regular network in house with a cheap internet connection. Fine. Do it. Designate a box as firewall/server (and it doesn't have to be big or powerful for a small network) and go to it.

The firewall/server would have the internet connection, block spam/other crap, and act as server. Security is less than top class this way, but you should be ok. The modem would only see one box, and all should work nicely.

This simplifies because only one box sees the modem.