Filter
Top Products
38 Chapter 2 DNS Service
BIND is configured by editing text files containing information about how you want
BIND to behave and information about the servers on your network. If you wish to
learn more about DNS and BIND, resources are listed at the end of this chapter.
BIND on Mac OS X Server
Mac OS X Server uses BIND version 9.2.2. You can start and stop DNS service on
Mac OS X Server using the Server Admin application. You can use Server Admin to view
DNS status and usage statistics.
BIND Configuration File
By default, BIND looks for a configuration file labeled “named.conf” in the /etc directory.
This file contains commands you can use to configure BIND’s many options. It also
specifies the directory to use for zone data files.
Zone Data Files
Zone data files consist of paired address files and reverse lookup files. Address records
link host names (host1.example.com) to IP addresses. Reverse lookup records do the
opposite, linking IP addresses to host names. Address record files are named after your
domain name– for example, example.com. Reverse lookup file names look like part of
an IP address, such as db.192.168.12.
By default, the zone data files are located in /var/named/.
Practical Example
The following example allows you to create a basic DNS configuration using BIND for a
typical network behind a Network Address Translation (NAT) device that connects to an
ISP. The port (cable modem/DSL/dial-up/etc.) that is connected to your ISP is referred to
here as the WAN interface. The port that is connected to your internal network is
referred to here as the LAN interface. The sample files you need are installed with
Mac OS X Server in the directories listed in the steps below. This example also assumes
the following:
• The IP address of the WAN interface is determined by your ISP.
• The IP address of the LAN interface is 10.0.1.1.
• The IP address of the Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server computer that will be used as the
DNS server is 10.0.1.2.
• The IP addresses for client computers are 10.0.1.3 through 10.0.1.254.
If IP address assignment is provided by the NAT device via DHCP, it must be configured
with the above information. Please consult your router or gateway manual for
instructions on configuring its DHCP server.
If your NAT device connects to the Internet, you also need to know the DNS server
addresses provided by your ISP.
LL2351.Book Page 38 Monday, September 8, 2003 2:47 PM