Old MAC server, DNS issue

mtroxmtrox Minnesota
edited August 2009 in Science & Tech
I just took over a network that runs on a MAC server, OS 10.2.8. The workstations are a combination of MACs and PC's. I do not know MAC servers. The last guy tried to create users, and said it crashed the server (not sure exactly what "crashed" means) when they started logging in. He said it was a DNS problem, and that version of the MAC server OS needs to have DNS configured by command line.

Anyone know anything about this?
  1. Is that an known issue with OS 10.2.8?
  2. Does DNS have to be configured by command line?

Comments

  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited August 2009
    For OS X Server previous to 10.3 you need to setup the DNS through the command prompt it uses BIND. But unless things are totally messed up it's really easy.

    Get to a command prompt using terminal and then Open /etc/named.conf.

    Then you have to add in the forwarders to use ISP's name server to query domains not defined in the DNS settings for your external DNS. If you understand linux, it's the same thing basically. If you don't know linux, then your going to be in for some culture shock.

    If you had OS X 10.3> then it's all done through the admin console.

    What I'm not sure of is why adding users would crash the server, regardless of the DNS settings. They should be unrelated to each other. If DNS isn't working it would just prevent users from navigating the network correctly by Names if they are using the OS X server for their DNS.
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited August 2009
    kryyst wrote:
    What I'm not sure of is why adding users would crash the server, regardless of the DNS settings. They should be unrelated to each other.

    Good, then I don't feel so dumb. Maybe the workstations just couldn't find the server to authenticate too? Again, not sure what "crash" means, but don't want to experiment

    Yea I played a little bit in terminal. I tried your command under two users that have admin rights, but "Permission Denied" after your command both times. I don't know what's going on with this thing and the more I look at it, the more I think it needs to be scrapped.
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited August 2009
    try the command:
    sudo vi /etc/named.conf
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited August 2009
    Much better. I'm in. About the only UNIX command I know is Cisco PIX stuff. What the hell, all I can do is screw up a screwed up server.....
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited August 2009
    Just make a backup first.

    sudo cp /etc/named.conf /etc/named.conf.bak
    then start messing around.
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited August 2009
    Backups are good. Thnx kryyst.
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