DNS

OK, I work for a small web design company and we are shortly having a fast leased line installed. We are planning on having a web server in our office to host some of our smaller client's sites on. The thing is, these clients will have their own domain names and the server only has one IP address, so how can I set up a DNS for the domains to point to? I'm quite new to the whole idea of DNS but I know that it basically converts IP addresses to domain names and vice versa, and I know that when you have a web server it only has one IP address normally, since we're only running one internet connection on the server. Any advice would be appreciated. I know how to set up Apache, by the way.

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Alex
(http://www.alex-greg.co.uk)

alex - read up on apache's virtual server feature.

basically you can map multiple www.$&%(@#.com names to a single ip address. as long as the clients are communicating via http 1.1 then your customers sites will be served up fine, because the client sends the name as well as the ip, letting the server pick the right site to serve.

the only trap is clients that still only communicate via http 1.0 as they only send an ip address which means they will only get your default server... but if you make the defauly server a page that links to all the sites on the server as subdirectories (eg www.default.com/foo/ for www.foo.com) this will be a workable solution for the few clients left behind...

To hold/host multiple domain names on a single webserver, you have to do this VIRTUALHOST setting in Apache (as you said your webserver is). This is set/configured in the httpd.conf file. You should refer your Apache documentation for this. Besides that, this also involves DNS servers. When you register a domain name, you are required to give atleast two name servers. Or when you request to a WHOIS database, the result will show the name servers that of that domain. From this name servers, there's a file which they call the zone file. With this file is the scripting/configuration to what server it will point by stating the IP number. So your client should point their DOMAIN NAME by setting their ZONE FILE in their NAME SERVER to your WEBSERVER'S IP ADDRESS. Then you should do the VIRTUALHOST setting on your webserver stating which folder is whose. OK? I'm not sure if I make things clear here. Well, sorry for that.

Supine,
I have a quick question you said

"the only trap is clients that still only communicate via http 1.0 as they only send an ip address which means they will only get your default server..."

Who would come under this category? Is it anyone with a really old browser? And if so do you happen to know which browsers would still be using http 1.0? Or is it something totally different? I was just wondering how common of a thing it would be to have somebody using http 1.0.

Thanks.