DNS/Linuxconf

Ok I got apache running smoothly on my Linux machine. Now I want to hook virtual domains to it. However when I try to change a domains dns to my machine, it says that is can't verigy that my nameserver exists. So how do I make sure my nameserver exists, and then configure it so that I can set domains dns entries to my machine.


Also I am using linuxconf, I have recently installed a new apache, however linuxconf still points to the old apache that came with my linux distro. So how do I make linuxconf point to the new apache instead of the old one already installed? And can I use linuxconf to fix my DNS woes.

Start here -> http://www.name-space.com/search/ and do a DNS lookup to your new domain. Make sure it points to the appropriate IP, Apache name-based or ip-based doesn't matter.

>> however linuxconf still points to the old apache

Just don't use such lame tool.

Ok when you say you wnat me to lookup my new domain, I assume you mean my machine's name becuase, I haven't hooked any domains to my machine yet, because the registrars keep reporting errors. Anyway, when I did the lookup, I got the correct ip, and machine, but the server is localhost, and the server ip is a local ip.

127.0.0.1

I assume this is the error. So if I configure things so my server is my machine's hostname, and the ip is the real ip of my machine, everything should work then, right?

You then need to configure /etc/hosts file appropriately. Start here -> http://forums.devshed.com/showthrea...2665&forumid=15

Registrars still say the cannot verify that my nameserver exists. How do I make sure that my DNS server is actually running porperly. That site you gave me does verify that my machine exists with the proper ip. No I just need to fix it so that I can set dns entries to my servers hostname.

There are two types of DNS server: 1) authoritative 2) cache-only

An authoritative DNS server is to host domains. A cache-only DNS server actually is NOT a server at all, it's a DNS client that can speak to authoritative DNS server. Additionally, a cache-only DNS server doesn't have any zone record but a root zone, that's all.

The 127.0.0.1 IP you saw from name-base.com was the IP their cache-only DNS server binded to. As you can see, it's the loopback device and external network can't query it directly. Instead, it will query other authoritative DNS server for the answer, it's one-way communication.
As for authoritative DNS server, it's also a one-dimension communication but the other way around - DNS clients can query such authoritative DNS server.

In BIND, unless you explicitly set it to cache-only, it will act as both authoritative and cache-only. In djbdns, it splits to two different packages: 1) tinydns (authoritative) 2) dnscache (cache-only).

If you want to host your own domain, you just need authoritative in BIND or tinydns + axfrdns in djbdns. You still can set your /etc/resolv.conf's nameservers to the ones your ISP provide, same for Windows.
Now say you don't host any domain, but you want to run your own DNS cache just because you want a reliable DNS resolver. A question may raise, what is the advantage to run my very own DNS cache?

Advantage for running your own DNS cache:
- More reliable lookup
- You can control your cache size (in dnscache only)
- Be able to do recursive lookup at all time (in dnscache only)
- Be able to lookup domain that relies on dynamic IP

Disadvantage of running DNS cache:
- Waste your resource where you can save to allocate for something else
Advantage of using your ISP's DNS cache:
- Faster lookup because the answers could be found in cache
- Save your resource

Disadvantage:
- Unreliable lookup for dynamic IP's domains because ISPs don't flush their DNS cache often.

Example:

Say you are hosting your domain at a dynamic DNS server, your friends are able to reach your site now. But then you need to reboot your server for whatever reason, after reboot, your IP changes and your friends are no longer able to reach your site, just because they are querying their ISP's DNS cache (old cache) that is not up-to-minute, unless they expire their cache.

BIND vs. djbdns:

BIND is the worst software ever developed on the internet because of the following reasons:
- doesn't use memory efficiently (you need at least 1GB RAM)
- a poor cache mechanism (it relies on cache too heavily)
- the cache will grow without bound
- unreliable DNS lookup
- tying authoritative and cahce-only together
- vulnerability often found

Advantage of djbdns:
- tinydns and dnscache are completely separated
- you have full control of your cache size
- very secure, no vulnerability ever found
- runs fine with 16mb RAM
- easier to setup
- recursive lookup (more reliable answer)

>> No I just need to fix it so that I can set dns entries to my servers hostname

Now if you could tell us what your problem is, or perhaps telling us your REAL domain name, we should be able to identify what your problem is.

You can set your machine hostname to your host.domain.com at anytime.

Yeah, my problem is registrars chocking when I set my domains to my machine. One registrar says I can't verify the existance of my nameserver, and another says an error occured.


I edited the resolv.conf to add the ip of my machine to the nameserver field.


My machine's hostname is mj.resnet.gatech.edu, or r36h27.res.gatech.edu

Since I know you can hook domains, to a gatech machine, that's not a problem, so I can pretty much marrow down the problem to my machine.

>> One registrar says I can't verify the existance of my nameserver

We still don't know your domain.

>> I edited the resolv.conf to add the ip of my machine to the nameserver field

This -> 128.61.36.27? You can't, unless you are running a cache-only DNS server at 128.61.36.27. You need to put your ISP's nameservers there.

BTW, who is hosting your domain now? You can host your own domain even you have just one static IP.

Right now, the domains I'm trying to move are hosted either by tera-byte or featureprice.com the registrars are namesecure, and tera-byte.


For example I'm trying to move the domain mj99.net, which dns currently goes to tera-byte, and whose registrar is namesecure.com to my machine, the domain hostname of which is mj.resnet.gatech.edu.

>> I'm trying to move the domain mj99.net

This is all I wanted to know, no more, no less.

>> the domain hostname of which is mj.resnet.gatech.edu

This is non-relevant.

If you are Michael Johnson, the Administrative Contact person of mj99.net, you have full rights to change the nameservers.
1) Tell REDIRECTION.NET to set the A record in your zone record of (mj99.net) to point to your IP (128.61.36.27).
2) Tell REDIRECTION.NET to add another A record of www.mj99.net to point to 128.61.36.27.
3) Set your Linux hostname to be www.mj99.net.
4) Ask your ISP for the IPs of their DNS cache and add them to /etc/resolv.conf.

If you wish to host your own with just one static IP:
1) Tell or login to NAMESECURE.COM and modify the nameservers to www.mj99.net (128.61.36.27) and make up another one like:
ns2.mj99.net (128.61.36.28) as the secondary.
2) Set your hostname to www.mj99.net
3) Run authoritative DNS server and create a zone record for mj99.net.

How to configure DNS is beyond the scope here. Try first, if you are running into any problem, post them here.
Note, as long as you set your dns cache's nameservers in /etc/resolv.conf appropriately, you can surf the web and able to resolve domain name. That said, configuring a DNS server doesn't affect your internet connection.

A question may raise, what about the FQHN of mj.resnet.gatech.edu, do I set anything to it?

Absolutely no. Just leave it intact, just because you most likely don't have any authoritative to the PTR record, so reverse lookup always point to r36h27.res.gatech.edu, unless gatech.edu can set the PTR record of 128.61.36.27 to point back to www.mj99.net.

Another FAQ:
128.61.36.28 is not my IP.

Doesn't matter, as I said, make it up. Just don't do any zone transfer, that's all.

Ok, one more question.


I'm going to be hosting multiple names with Apache, I'll have another domain extremistnet.com and subdomains off of that domain. That I want to host as well. If I do the same thing with those domains, as I did with mj99.net, will be able to use virtual domains with all those domains?

>> I'm going to be hosting multiple names with Apache

That's fine but please do it one at a time, especially the first one.