Some questions about creating a dns server

test_tube_tonytest_tube_tony Dallas TX Member
edited November 2003 in Science & Tech
Alright, I’m running a win2k server machine and I want to register for a domain name. Now, when I register for the name I want, it asks me for the primary and secondary DNS server IP addresses. Are these the addresses the ISP gave me or is this something I have to have set up? If there is any other advice you can give me, that would be nice too. Also, what kind of things can I do with my own DNS server besides host a web site?

Comments

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    You can create your own DNS server with Server and Advanced Server versions of 2000. But you'd be best to forward DNS requests to your ISP's DNS servers.

    With a domain you can do the following:

    Instead of connecting to an IP for a game server, they can connect to your domain.

    You can run an IRC server, FTP server, HTTP server, mail server and people could connect to all of those by domain.

    You could connect to VNC, Dameware, or any remote computing by your domain name.

    Anything where an IP is involved to identify your computer, that is if any program/person/service needs an IP to connect to your machine, your domain name will suffice now.
  • test_tube_tonytest_tube_tony Dallas TX Member
    edited November 2003
    :confused: Ok, so how do I configure this stuff? I would perfer to not forward requests if I don't have to. I mean I have a basic idea, but I'm still not sure about alot of things. Which IP numbers do I give them when I register? I'm probably gonna need a lot of help. You may ask why I'm trying to do this, and my answer is for the sake of knowing how. (and yes, i am a bit crazy)
  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited November 2003
    BUMP
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    Right, you seem to be confusing 2 different issues here.

    A DNS server just resolves names such as cheese.com to an IP address, such as 123.123.123.123. You DO NOT need a DNS server yourself to host a website.

    All you need to do is register the Domain with a company that lets you set the IP for the domain itself, so that when someone pings the address or goes to it, it actually goes directly to your IP address. Certain domain registers will do this, and others let you change the primary and secondary name server which lets you use a third party to do it (both work as well, second can be a little messy). To do this you NEED a static IP address (doesn't change).

    What EXACTLY is this registrar asking for? As the NAME servers shouldn't be needed unless someone else is doing the DNS resolving.

    NS
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    First of all, do you have a static IP?
  • test_tube_tonytest_tube_tony Dallas TX Member
    edited November 2003
    Yep, it sure is. Thats why I chose the isp that I did.
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    When you host a domain, you use the IPs the hosting company gives you, or if you have a STATIC IP account with an ISP adn a local server you can use yours as primary and the ISP DNS as secondary if they will let you. THEN you set your software to route inbound calls to your IP to your site with with say Apache being told to take all inbound Port 80 site requests and display an opening page. In this case, if ISP is reasonable about registration and you plan to stick with them, let tHEM register it and they will know what to plug in and their servers will DNS for you faster than your box probably will-- let the ISP handle the DNS load also, it is just one more pair of route entries in an already existing DNS server table.

    John-- who finds more and more ISPs are using dynamic IPs partly to keep folks from piggybacking servers onto client accounts, typically this is an AUP violation and could get the account terminated. You need a STATIC IP to serve right. I found a cheap hosting service for my small websites, adn design locally and FTP up and down to sync or recover (site host works as backup this way also, so if local box dies and hosting is still working you just suck\fetch\download your own site and then edit and push\put\upload). I pay around $8.00 a month for a simple site host with despammed email that works-- registration and hosting through GoDaddy.

    John.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    Okay, so anyways....

    Win2K Server:

    Start --> Administrative Tools --> DNS

    Right click on your server --> New Zone

    If you have an active directory installed, you can do Active Directory Integrated. If you just want to do standard and you will NEVER have an active directory, use Standard Zone.. I would say to use AD integrated if you are strictly going to be using windows. If you want to integrate with a BIND server, running unix, then you will do a standard zone. Chances are it sounds like you want to go AD integrated.

    So, anyways:

    Forward Lookup Zone --> Type in the name of your domain (whatever you registered with your registrar)

    Click finish.

    Right click on the newly created domain --> and you can start creating your host records (for example, www.yourdomain.com -- so www would be the host name and then point it to the appropriate IP)

    \
  • test_tube_tonytest_tube_tony Dallas TX Member
    edited November 2003
    Ok, I'll see what I can do.
  • GobblesGobbles Ventura California
    edited November 2003
    you dont have to but I would create a reverse lookup zone as well.

    You should probably set it up as a cache server only as well. Since you wont be really hosting the DNS server for public lookups.

    1. configure your DNS forward lookup zone
    2. configure a reverse lookup zone
    3. in 2003 server you have the option to set it as a cache server.. if the option is there in 2000 do it, i cant recall if it is or not...
    4. use your ISP's dns info in your dns server to do the look ups..
    5. now set all the machines on your local network to use your dns to do look ups, your DNS server will now cache your looks ups speeding up resolutions for the sites you visit the most.

    I did this in my office at work and I was the only one in the company using the DNS server and man it really made a big difference in page display speeds..

    Gobbles
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    Why would you need a reverse lookup zone? Only major backbone DNS servers have dominion over reverse lookup zones.... you can only handle your own subnet's reverse lookup under the following conditions:

    You have the ENTIRE Class C at your disposal
    Your ISP relegates reverse lookup responsibility to you

    Otherwise, if your IP block is a CIDR, the ISP MUST handle reverse lookup :confused:
  • test_tube_tonytest_tube_tony Dallas TX Member
    edited November 2003
    Ok, 1 last thing. Email server. What software should I use.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    The only windows mail server I have any experience with is Exchange and I fricking hate exchange. I don't recommend it if you ONLY need email. As groupware, it works well, but it sucks as an email server.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    Exim is nice, and apparently it integrates with Spamassassin well, but running 2k, so..

    I used Kerio Mail Server. Works really well, remote admin console and everything, and it has Spam-Assassin built in, which is useful.

    NS
  • test_tube_tonytest_tube_tony Dallas TX Member
    edited November 2003
    Made a new thread.
    see: http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6675
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