You've seen this before.... but i'll ask anyway

I know this is a repeat. I keep looking through threds, and see things close to what i'm trying to do... so i'll just ask, so i can see how to do specifically what i'm wanting to do.

Ive got a RH9 server inside my local network. I've installed the xampp software, (pretty neat package, if you ask me), so i've got Apache, mysql, ftp yadda.yadda. So here's what I want to do. I don't have a registered domain, because i don't feel I need one. I do, however, have 15 users in my office that I want to access this server. The ultimate goal: I want them to load up IE, (because they all live in the M$world) and type in 'project' or 'intranet' instead of getting an error from MSN, I want them to get one of my intranet pages. My web guy is building the pages, so i can sort that bit out later. but I want to use DNS or something of the sort, to translate a single word to a specific web page.

Right now everyone can access my intranet server by typing in the ip address. My users (like most users) are too ignorant to keep this type of policy. I need to have some sort of in-house name server going on.

This server is just a file/web server. It is not a secuirty/proxy/firewall/DHCP/Domain controller/Activdirectory server... or anything of the like,
I've got the firewall/proxy/etcetc taken care of.

OK, i'm typ9ing WAY to much here, so lastly i'll say, i'm a newbie to this sort of thing in the Linux world, i'm a trained M$ admin, but i hate M$, so i want to learn Linux. Please, if you can be as specific as possible and provide examples in your responces if you can.

thanks
Robert Cochrum
Systems Administrator and A/V Specialist
Perceptive Sciences www.perceptivesciences.com
email: rob@perceptivesciences.com
office: 474-0004 ext 212

First of all I assume that all these clients have a local dns server configured in their DNS resolver list right?

true.

Here's my network. T1-->SMC hardware router/firewall->switch -->clients...

The clients all point to my router for access to the internet and for DNS that way. I am willing to point them at my own DNS server (RH box) only if i learn how to set it so when it doens't find what it's looking for, it bounces to the SMC and out. I'm only worried about taxing the Linux box with unneccessary traffic. Truely my 15+ users can't possible bang this server too hard.. .but I'm trying to look forward to the future, ya know.



Robert Cochrum
Systems Administrator and A/V Specialist
Perceptive Sciences www.perceptivesciences.com
email: rob@perceptivesciences.com
office: 474-0004 ext 212

Alright, sounds spiffy. So how much about managing BIND do you know? Have you tried to set it up yourself or are you wanting me to baby step you through the process? Usually I won't baby step people anymore, but for some reason I won't mind this time.

hmm.. baby step? well, yeah that'd be useful. But for dignity reasons, a location to obtain BIND, the right version needed, and maybe a good resource document on setting it up would work just as well.

I know this has to be easy. I've worked at many companies who have an intranet setup this way. This can't possibly be hard in anyway, I just gotta bump over the OS learning curve. I'm getting there.

Suppose the true answer to your question is: I'll take as much information as you feel like providing me.

Knowledge is the solution to ignorance
Absence of knowledge is the cause of ignorance
Refusal of knowledge is proof of ignorance.

Robert Cochrum
Systems Administrator and A/V Specialist
Perceptive Sciences www.perceptivesciences.com
email: rob@perceptivesciences.com
office: 512.474.0004 ext 212

heh, maybe I should've used a different term. First I thought "hold your hand" but I felt it was too insulting. Then I used baby step even though it was kinda dubious sounding. Probably I should've just said "stepped you through". No condescension meant.

Well here's a BIND orientation on linux for typical setups. It has a slant for redhat. So some redhat specific paths and commands may not work.

# Location of the BIND server and commands:
/usr/bin/named # full path
named -u named # start named using the 'named' user
named -u named -g # start named for startup debugging

# Location of the BIND management tool and commands:
/usr/bin/rndc # full path
rndc stop # stop server
rndc start # start server
rndc reload # reload config file

# Location of the BIND configuration file:
#
# This file is used to specify what domains you are host for
# and what zone files each domain is stored in
#
/etc/named.conf

# Other config files you shouldn't need to mess with
/etc/rndc.conf
/etc/rndc.key

# Location of the BIND zone files:
#
# Zone files actually lay out the IP addresses, MX, etc
#
/var/named/

# Example config to get you started
http://www.dollardns.net/bind/

# Location of BIND startup script:
/etc/rc.d/init.d/named # path to startup script
service named start # start the server
service named stop # stop the server
service named reload # reload server config

# How to locate files in unknown locations:
updatedb (updates the locate database)
locate FILE (searches for FILE in the locate database)

# when the normal server stop commands don't do jack
killall -KILL named

At this point you should know enough to get everything going. If you have specific problems, just yell for me.

awsome infromation, I appreciate it. I will be working on it hopefully this week. (it would be nice if this was my only project, eh?)

Is BIND a native component to RH, or do I need to obtain it.


My RH is a OEM install from Dell. (not my choice), so I didn't DL it, or actually have a lot of say in the packages installed.

BIND comes with redhat and most other linux flavors.

maybe baby stepping is the right word, i'm a little frustrated at being so ignorant about this.

Ok, i think i've setup the named.conf file at least, i've modified it to look similar to yours

first question basiczone.com was your way to mean <insert your own domain here> right?.

If that's true, then I configured it to match what I need... however heres a question that's bubbling in my mind. I don't have a domain. this is an intranet, so a domain name, at least a registered one, is not userful to me.


secondly... where is the part that allows me to configure for name recogniation. I guess that's what i'm not understanding. Where is the component that lets me type in the word Intranet, or intranet.myfakedomain.com and get my intranet.html page.

My assumption is, i get this configured, and then I point my workstations at it for primary DNS, right?

if that's the case, what is the part that I edit to point me to my ISP DNS when i type www.google.com, becasue this DNS server shouldn't see www.google.com. right?

Or.. do i simply point my server's TCP/IP settings to my ISP DNS, and it'll automatically do the redirecting. I know my questions sound confusing, but it's probably because i'm confused. Probably s hould have gotten a book on this, i'm sure Que makes a good one...

Yes, just replace basiczone.com with the word you want to use.

If you have it so that recursion is 'yes' then all unrecognized domains will be resolved externally. The 'forward' related configuration has to do with how it resolves domains.