basic nameserver setup??

Hi, complete newbie here. Basically all I want to do is set up my own name servers so that I can register domain names direct with the central registrar (just as any domain reg company does), these will be just for my own personal use. Is it possible to set this up without using / configuring my own server etc. I just need my own nameservers with the ability to administer the domains after they have been registered.

Any help much appreciated as there is a minefield of information out there that doesnt really answer my question.

Many thanks, Bob

It is possible, but you will be better off to pay a hosting company... and there are a few free dns services out there. Do a web search for "DNS Hosting".

ok, thanks very much

bob

You can setup a nameserver on your machine. What OS are you using? What type of internet connection do you have?

98SE and 512k broadband connection, im really looking for a quick and simple way to do this tho!

cheers, grant

Bandwidth is not a concern for DNS hosting. It is reliability, and not having a frequently changing IP address.

Look at Simple DNS http://simpledns.com , they offer a free trial.

SilentRage is right, if your IP address changes more than once every few months, it won't be very useful.

In that case you can try something like http://zoneedit.com

www.granitecanyon.com offers free dns hosting. i used it for awhile...but watch out because sometimes their system will not update for a while and it screws you from having a functioning website. you can pay like 4 or 5 bucks a month to other places that will host your dns and they are more reliable.

I have been trying to figure out how to set up name servers for quite a while now...

I have a stable internet connection with 2 static IP's.

Why does it seem like there is a pluthera of information regaurding the theory, or overveiw, but no step by step manual.

Alot of servers are very easy to setup and maintain, but there is no one that will just say. Step one install MS DNS, step 2, make a zone called 'intranet' by right clicking on the server in the msc console, step 3 .... I hit the same type of BS when i was setting up apache servers... and it seems that I am one of the only people that has generic config files for a Apache server with instructions of how to modify them avalible.

Why does everyone make it seem so difficult, and why won't they take the 10 minutes to make a step by step manual so people just refrence the manual instead of asking the same questions.

If the guy wanted to do hosting, i doubt he would have found his way here. Someone just tell us how to do it step by step please.

I know there is quite a bit of advanced topics, but most of this stuff is old news.

"Why does it seem like there is a pluthera of information regaurding the theory, or overveiw, but no step by step manual."

Cause we'd have to know the domain you have, the registrar you'd like to register with, and the hosts you'll be using. We can't tell you to use a specific registrar cause it may cost more than you wish to spend, or they're harder to use than you are willing to deal with. If we assume you want to self host, we'd have to know if you're behind a router, and how many IP's you have, and how they're being used in order to make them work in the first place.

You can't make a single instruction set that will help everybody. If you try, you have to be generic. If you are generic, then people won't understand. You know that step by step BIND setup process you liked so very much? The only reason I could write it in the first place is cause I had an idea of what the guy wanted/needed and had.

There's 3 different ways people learn best in this kind of thing. Some people gotta figure it out for themselves, some people gotta be told how to do it (most people), and other people have to be shown how to do it. Step by step instructions is the closest thing that written information comes to "showing" you how to do something. The more detailed, the more like "showing" it becomes.

Now it sounds like you are one of those people who needs to be shown how to do something. Well, we're sorry, but from behind this computer screen, we can't show ya anything. Your complaining about not getting your detailed step by step instructions is a pain. But this is the fact of the matter. Even though you do best when shown how to do something, you can still learn via one of the other ways. It takes more effort for you than us, sure, but you can. So start studying, and start asking where to look for materials that'll teach you what you need to know. Take those "theories and overviews" and figure out what they mean; understanding the fundamental way things work. You can't rely on other people for everything, so start learning to be self sufficient.

I'm sorry if I came across harshly, I'm not trying to piss you off. But I feel very strongly on this subject and work very hard sometimes to help people who have the capability of figureing things out for themselves. Your rant makes my effort feel like wasted time and unappreciated.

I agree, it's almost impossible to produce a step by step instruction that will work for every situation and that everyone will be able to understand. Just when you think you've done it, there's another variable and your instructions no longer apply.

Apache is a perfect example. There are countless step by step instructions and examples for VirtualHosts, but many people have a hard time getting them to work. They make many changes and try many examples, all of which are correct for a specific circumstance, but not for them. That's why these boards exist.

I think the bottom line is to start with the easiest, for instance a trial version of a commercial program, and make sure you can make it work. From there you go to the program you'd like to use and at least you know that it should work and what to expect.

That's why I suggested trying SimpleDNS in an earlier post.

Experience=Knowledge!

Really There are only a 3 diffrent types of typical setups, and the IP addresses, router information, and actual domain name are immaterial. You can use generic 'variable names' as you do in programming.

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The most common setups apparently are:

1. Set up a top level domain ie. mydomain.com for access for the web and local intranet. I belive this is called a 'split horizon'. This includes setting up their own name servers most of the time.

2. Set up a second level domain ie. mydomain.com for access for local intranet only. This includes name servers.

3. Setup lower level domains (usualy 3rd level) under their second level domain. ie. mysubDomain.mydomain.com

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Belive me generic setup using variable names is the way to go.

All you say at the top is:

Assuming:
mydomain.com is your registered domain name
server1 is your servers name
server1's IP address is 192.168.0.1
etc.

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Routers are immaterial - it is a diffrent catagory just as firewalls and proxy's are. It has nothing to do with the basic set up.

How many Ip's they have is not important for a basic setup. You should assume there are at least 1 (as required for intranets as far as i know) or the 2 required for nameservers for a full self hosting setup.

Everything above this I would expect would require specialized IT personel, however the above should be avalible in some basic format for joe-IT-guy that is the only Sys Admin for a dozen or so computers IMO. I say this primarly because this system of DNS is mature.

Most of the time it is easy to do easy things; this appears to be one of them, unfortunatly there seems to be little information that is freely given out for some reason. Forums like these should be for trouble shooting, or getting advice for complex topics, not to awnser the same basic questions over and over.

I am not one of those people who need to be told what to do, I just know when not to waste my time trying to re-invent the wheel, therefore I am asking for the 'how to' rather than wasting hours looking through unrealated DNS information.

If you don't eventually get to a step by step approach for any software or technology it just remains therory that will not be used.

Don't claim to know every problem a DNS server administrator would run into in a "basic" setup and need help for. One reason why a router matters is cause with some routers it is necessary to have BIND "views" to be able to locally access your site, and some routers don't care. Some people may be willing to put up with the slight additional complexity that "views" give you and others has small networks of maybe 1 or 2 computers where all the want to use is the hosts file.

That is just 1 - just 1 - of the many things you'd have to account for in a step by step process. Although, the obvious reason I mentioned routers is cause it needs to be configured to allow ports 53 UDP and optionally TCP. Many times we help with that too.

But the point of my topic is not whether or not step by step is possible. Cause you're right, it's very possible to give a limited step by step process that only helps some people and not others. It's the fact that you're complaining about how the hard given help around here is not good enough. Well, it's not you asking for help on this topic. If YOU want to give him a step by step on how to set things up, do so. Make yourself useful. Don't complain about other people's attempts to help. Why? (1) cause it's rude (2) cause some people already answered this question time and time again and wish the person would search (3) cause some other people may not know how to help the guy specifically and so offer other helpful tips (4) cause other people don't want to spend the 10 min or more to give the guy help.