Need help with hosting domain names

[pwebb]

Hi,

I am running Fedora 7 and have been trying to configure the bind dns to host some domain names that i have. I have all the actual zone files correct but i feel i have an error in my named.conf file.

The problem is :-

1) my test domain resolves fine when i configure the dns but then it does not go up stream to my providers dns if it cant find the domain hosted on the machine.

I basically want a server that will serve the domains i have hosted by this machine to all users both external and internal. I also want it to resolve other domain names to the local network users.

Does anyone know of any examples of the configuration files that would do this?

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Peter

[skeptic]

I'm rarely on this site, but perhaps I can get a productive conversation started.

First, run nslookkup and type "server <your server ip>" type in a host name from one of your domains and verify it comes back correctly (I think it does from your description). Now type "server <some other external dns server>" and try the same hostname, just to verify not only your server is serving correct DNS, but that external people are getting directed correctly.

For the second part, being able to pass on the request for domains it doesn't know, I believe you can do it one of two ways. Either forward the request upstream, or query root servers. I'm a bit fuzzy on some of this, it's been a while, but I believe to forward the request upstream you just need a forwarders entry in the options section of named. conf: forwarders { <IP of server1>; <IP of server2>; <IP of server3>}; Just use your ISP's dns servers.

In looking at my named config, I was expecting to find entries for named.root, but perhaps something changed in the last couple years??? Anyway, my config has this zone entry in /etc/named.conf:
zone "." in {
type hint;
file "root.hint";
};

And of course in /var/lib/named there is a root.hint file. According to the comments in this file, you can get a current version from :
; under anonymous FTP as
; file /domain/named.root
; on server FTP.INTERNIC.NET
; -OR- RS.INTERNIC.NET

There I see what I expected for the name, named.root.... Although I'm surprised this wasn't included in your named install as it was for me.