Howto: Setup a DNS server with bind

[tomtom_in_eire]

After looking on Ubuntu forum for an easy step-by-step howto for instaling a DNS server, I decided the best idea would probably be to write this howto myself.... So, here it is!

Step 1: Install Ubuntu dapper, or use your WORKING installation.

Step2: Install bind 9:

sudo apt-get install bind9

Step 3: Configure the main Bind files. Usually, if you install Bind from the source code, you will have to edit the file named.conf. However, Ubuntu provides you with a pre-configured Bind, so we will edit another file:

sudo vi /etc/bind/named.conf.local

This is where we will insert our zones. By the way, a zone is a domain name that is referenced in the DNS server
Insert this in the named.conf.local file:

# This is the zone definition. replace example.com with your domain name
zone "example.com" {
        type master;
        file "/etc/bind/zones/example.com.db";
        };

# This is the zone definition for reverse DNS. replace 0.168.192 with your network address in reverse notation - e.g my network address is 192.168.0
zone "0.168.192.in-addr.arpa" {
     type master;
     file "/etc/bind/zones/rev.0.168.192.in-addr.arpa";
};

Ok, now, let's edit the options file:

sudo vi /etc/bind/named.conf.options

We need to modify the forwarder. This is the DNS server to which your own DNS will forward the requests he cannot process.

forwarders {
      # Replace the address below with the address of your provider's DNS server
      123.123.123.123;
};

Now, let's add the zone definition files (replace example.com with your domain name:

sudo mkdir /etc/bind/zones
sudo vi /etc/bind/zones/example.com.db

The zone definition file is where we will put all the addresses / machine names that our DNS server will know. You can take the following example:

// replace example.com with your domain name. do not forget the . after the domain name!
// Also, replace ns1 with the name of your DNS server
example.com.      IN      SOA     ns1.example.com. admin.example.com. (
// Do not modify the following lines!
                                                        2006081401
                                                        28800
                                                        3600
                                                        604800
                                                        38400
 )

// Replace the following line as necessary:
// ns1 = DNS Server name
// mta = mail server name
// example.com = domain name
example.com.      IN      NS              ns1.example.com.
example.com.      IN      MX     10       mta.example.com.

// Replace the IP address with the right IP addresses.
www              IN      A       192.168.0.2
mta              IN      A       192.168.0.3
ns1              IN      A       192.168.0.1

Now, let's create the reverse DNS zone file:

sudo vi /etc/bind/zones/rev.0.168.192.in-addr.arpa

Copy and paste the following text, modify as needed:

//replace example.com with yoour domain name, ns1 with your DNS server name.
// The number before IN PTR example.com is the machine address of the DNS server. in my case, it's 1, as my IP address is 192.168.0.1.
@ IN SOA ns1.example.com. admin.example.com. (
                        2006081401;
                        28800; 
                        604800;
                        604800;
                        86400 
)

                     IN    NS     ns1.example.com.
1                    IN    PTR    example.com

Ok, now you just need to restart bind:

sudo /etc/init.d/bind9 restart

We can now test the new DNS server...
Step 4: Modify the file resolv.conf with the following settings:

sudo vi /etc/resolv.conf

enter the following:

// replace example.com with your domain name, and 192.168.0.1 with the address of your new DNS server.
search example.com
nameserver 192.168.0.1

Now, test your DNS:

dig example.com

Look at the result.... Enjoy!
Also, this post is not perfect... Do not hesitate to improve it!

[larka06]

I have setup my hp xg833, 733mhz and 384megs ram, just as you have above. I have even cut and pasted through putty. I have then set one of my other machines to go to the dns server to only have it say not able to reach the website I want to reach. Basically I am using the dns server for the intranet and the internet. I thought that once it did not find what I was looking for on the intranet it would go to the ISP, which I have set the ip addresses and host, on to the internet. Is this thinking correct? I am stumped.
Thanks larka06
email at larka51@netscape.net
I also can meet you on the IRC channel or anywhere you want me to be

[hogman23]

One more step to get it to work:
You must rename the named.conf.local to named.conf

[mekas2024]

Nice tutorial , i was working with this and with a tutorial that is in this page http://www.aboutdebian.com/dns.htm

The thing its that im not sure if a did everything well, i dont know how to test this..

y dig mekas.com and this says the terminal:

dantec@ubuntu:~$ dig mekas.com

; <<>> DiG 9.3.2 <<>> mekas.com
;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: SERVFAIL, id: 9469
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;mekas.com. IN A

;; Query time: 12 msec
;; SERVER: 127.0.0.1#53(127.0.0.1)
;; WHEN: Mon Sep 18 00:42:30 2006
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 27



if i dig something wrong, i get this:

dantec@ubuntu:~$ dig tadeo.meks.com

; <<>> DiG 9.3.2 <<>> tadeo.meks.com
;; global options: printcmd
;; connection timed out; no servers could be reached


I think its working, but i need to be sure, please i will apreciate if u help me, im kind of newbie in linux and i need to mount a dns server 4 a class ;)

THX a lot

Regards

MeKaS

[subscr]

When I try and install bnd9, here is what I get..Any ideas ?

sudo apt-get install bind9
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.

Since you only requested a single operation it is extremely likely that
the package is simply not installable and a bug report against
that package should be filed.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
bind9: Depends: libdns21 (= 1:9.3.2-2ubuntu1) but 1:9.3.2-2ubuntu1.1 is to be installed
Depends: libisccfg1 (= 1:9.3.2-2ubuntu1) but 1:9.3.2-2ubuntu1.1 is to be installed
Depends: libisc11 (= 1:9.3.2-2ubuntu1) but 1:9.3.2-2ubuntu1.1 is to be installed
Depends: libisccc0 (= 1:9.3.2-2ubuntu1) but 1:9.3.2-2ubuntu1.1 is to be installed

[mitjab]

must domain be registered or not?
Can i use no-ip.com domain?

I am using router so which port must o foward for bind server?

www IN A 192.168.1.5
mta IN A 192.168.1.5
ns1 IN A 192.168.1.5

can i use for all three the same ip and the same machine?

[garbergs]

I also had trouble installing bind9, so I tried to write:

apt-get install bind

and that gave me version 8.4.6-1. I'm sure this will suffice for my simple home network.

[Bretls]

Thanks for the tutorial. I have a dynu account and used this as my domain name. I believe dynu is similar to no-ip.com. I installed bind9 with synaptic in edgy, and followed your directions. Works without a problem.

[jaywatkins]

Does this work for Edgy?

I would like to set up a "chrooted" bind server for local traffic and Internet forwarding. Would this tutorial work?

I was trying to follow on howtoforge.com regarding "A perfect setup" for Edgy 6.10 server, but ran into trouble when I came to setting up bind9. I understand DNS, just not bind.

Thx

/J

[marwell]

Finaly, what I was looking for.
Thanks a lot.