setup a dns server

Red Squirrel · 06-18-2004, 01:22 PM

I want to setup a DNS server on my Red hat server. The server is connected to my router with my other machines, I just want it to act as a local DNS server. I would configure my router to use it as secondary or maybe even primary DNS.

I just want to know what are the steps required to do this. I have webmin so it will be that much easier, but I'm just not sure what all the DNS terms mean, like foward master zone, etc... I just need more clarification on the whole concept.

Basically what I want to do is

1) my own root domain (my own .com, I'll probably call it .loc for local) this would be local only so no need to register it etc.... I just want my dns server to have it. So I can then have different domains like iceteks.loc, which would be a local version of my site... this would enable me to play with virtual hosting as well.

2) I want to hold world wide DNS records so that it checks my server before it checks my isp's, and if it's not on my server, it checks my ISP's (mine would be primary, my ISP's would be secondary, which is set in my router). I'd want it to automaticly download the DNS entries from a given DNS server, maybe like a few at a time. Is that possible?

I know such

questions.

Thanks in advance for the help, very much apreciated.

linuxxed · 06-19-2004, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Red Squirrel
I want to setup a DNS server on my Red hat server. The server is connected to my router with my other machines, I just want it to act as a local DNS server. I would configure my router to use it as secondary or maybe even primary DNS.

I just want to know what are the steps required to do this. I have webmin so it will be that much easier, but I'm just not sure what all the DNS terms mean, like foward master zone, etc... I just need more clarification on the whole concept.

Basically what I want to do is

1) my own root domain (my own .com, I'll probably call it .loc for local) this would be local only so no need to register it etc.... I just want my dns server to have it. So I can then have different domains like iceteks.loc, which would be a local version of my site... this would enable me to play with virtual hosting as well.

2) I want to hold world wide DNS records so that it checks my server before it checks my isp's, and if it's not on my server, it checks my ISP's (mine would be primary, my ISP's would be secondary, which is set in my router). I'd want it to automaticly download the DNS entries from a given DNS server, maybe like a few at a time. Is that possible?

I know such questions.

Thanks in advance for the help, very much apreciated.

DNS is not a small topic that can be explained in a newsgroup. Start with the book "DNS and Bind". You can find an online version also somewhere.

Red Squirrel · 06-19-2004, 05:07 PM

Thanks, any other online resources I can read? Searching for the book right now but the more the better.

maxut · 06-22-2004, 10:15 AM

hmm reading man pages is a good idea too.

man named.conf
man named
man rndc

i can advice u to prefer "forward first" (read man of the named.conf). so your nameserver wont search for domain records over internet. it will ask your ISP dns server, and it will cahce the replies come from your ISP nameserver. so a little less network trafic and faster name solving.