I need to create a sub zone eg. test.linuxquestions.com. Can somebody help me on the actual commands needed to get this zone running. I have an understanding about the named commands but still have problems to have a step by step procedure on creating this zone.

Thanks
Victor

You need to create the file for your zone. If you download the examples from this HOWTO: http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/DNS-HOWTO.html, you only need to change the domain and probably add different hosts.

Mara thanks for your respond but I need more info. meaning I logging as a root user and then what?! my prompt currently is ([example@example.com]#) how do I start creating my zone after that? I'm brand new to Linux!

Victor

Do you have X Window installed on that machine or is it a server with console-only? If it's console-only you need to find an editor you like (possibilities present in every distro: vim, emacs, pico, joe, editor build in into Midnight Commander (to run it: mc)).

Now you need to find 'named.conf' (example in the HOWTO: http://tldp.org/HOWTO/DNS-HOWTO-7.html#ss7.1). Example from my system:
So the file is in /etc/bind/named.conf (in your system it may be in a different palace). Replace the one or edit it. THe place for zone files can be found in a similar fragment:
So, in my system, the zone files are in /etc/bind.

Mara this a command only box. I believe that I have emacs. question you said that mc will be an editor? I'm a windows person so if I run mc I would get something like notepad? and next question is I dont want to replace my file but rather edit it, so would I run a command "mc named.conf" will this do it? The reason that I want to edit it is because this server is already resolving for two other zones so i need to add a zone to it. my last concern is that there is a zone already created called adotek.com, should I create a zone if I want to do test.adotek.com which to me is a sub zone?

Victor

MC is not an editor. If you started your computer experience from DOS, you probably know Norton Commander, right? MC is very similar. Just F4 over a file and you can edit it.

You can create a sub-zone for any zone you have.

Mara I have no experience with NOrton edititor from DOS but from what I got I can type eg. etc/bin/named.conf and then F4?

No, no...You run 'mc', nice file manager starts. You go to /etc/bind/ (or any other directory you'v got the file in) - I think it'll be easy to find out how to move between directories in mc. Then you move to named.conf file and press F4 (a bar at the bootom of scree will show you this option and all other possibilities).

Mara hi again I just tried typing MC on the console prompt and I get nothing! any suggestions?

Which distribution is it? Try one of the following:
RedHat: up2date mc
Debian: apt-get instal mc
Mandrake: urpmi mc

I would seriously suggest _not_ messing around with zone files if you've little or no experience of BIND and, indeed, a UNIX-like operating system.

Not only are you risking breaking things for yourself, you risk breaking them for others too.

Buy or borrow a copy of "DNS & BIND" on O'Reilly press, I would also suggest reading "Linux in a nutshell".

Once you've armed yourself with those two books, and the knowledge therein, you'll then be in a much better position to get things working as you want them.

Regards