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Server Configuration File named.conf

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The configuration file, named.conf, has a completely new syntax. The configuration file in BIND 4.x was called named.boot.

The utility "named-bootconf.pl", written in Perl, available with the package, can be used to convert 4.x (8.1.1) configuration files. The complete path of this file in the installation is /BIND/PUB/bin/named-bootconf.pl.

See Appendix D "Server Configuration Migration" for directions on running the named-bootconf.pl utility.

The file named.conf provides configuration information about the database, information for the DNS server program NAMED. The database information is divided into zones. A zone will be either a domain (for example, india.hp.com) or an IP network (for example, 4.10.15.IN-ADDR.ARPA. A DNS server needs both types of zones in order to be able to resolve names to IP addresses, and IP addresses to names.

The named.conf configuration indicates to NAMED which zones it is going to be a server for, whether or not the server is a master or a slave for each zone, and points to the files where the database information is maintained. When a slave zone is configured, the address of the master server for that zone will also be included.

A DNS server which is the master for a zone is the one where the master copy of the data is maintained. A DNS server which is a slave for a zone may keep a copy of the data too, but will open a connection to the master server in order to obtain updates. This update process is called a "zone transfer". A DNS server may be both the master server for some zones, and a slave server for others.

A template /BIND/PUB/etc/named.conf has been provided with the installation of DNS BIND/iX. You can use this file, following the commented instructions within it as a basis for your own /BIND/PUB/etc/named.conf.

Advanced users may need to refer to Appendix B "BIND 8 Configuration File" for a complete list of directives that can be configured for BIND 8. The following is the template /BIND/PUB/etc/named.conf file: 

  options {
           directory "/BIND/PUB/etc";
  // The following is the IP address of the MPE/iX system that
  // is running NAMED.
  // YOU MUST CHANGE THIS TO BE YOUR OWN IP ADDRESS!
           listen-on { nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn; ];
  };

  /*** List any servers here that you communicate with that are also
   *   running BIND 8.1 or greater. Replace ALL OF THESE with your
   *   own servers, if any. ***/

  server nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn {
           transfer-format many-answers;
  };

  // Defines the root. From ftp://rs/internic.net/domain/named.root.
  zone "." {
           type master;
           file "zone.hint"
  };

  // DNS optimiation tricks for "special" addresses. You will need to
  // edit all of these files to specify the hostname of your own
  // nameserver and the e-mail address of the DNS maintainer.

  zone "0.0.127.in-addr.arpa" {
           type master;
           file "zone.127.0.0";
  };

  zone "0.in-addr.arpa" {
           type master;
           file "zone.bogus.0";
  };

  zone "255.in-addr.arpa" {
           type master;
           file "zone .bogus.255";
  };
  
  // A master zone. Substitute one of your own zones here.
  // Slave zones. Replace ALL OF THESE with your own.

  zone "csy.hp.com" {
           type slave;
           file "zone.slave";
           master { nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn; nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn; }

Configuring Master Zones

A sample configuration unit for a master zone is shown here:

Example: 

  zone "43.10.15.IN-ADDR.ARPA" {
           type master;
           file "zone.15.10.43";
  };
The file zone.15.10.43 will have entries like: 

  IN      SOA   bindserver.india.hp.com.  bind_admin.india.hp.com. (
                                    104     ;  Serial
                                    10800   ;  Refresh every 3 hours
                                    3600    ;  Retry every hour
                                    604800  ;  Expire after a week
                                    86400 ) ;  Minimum ttl of 1 day
  IN      NS    bindserver.india.hp.com.

  1        IN      PTR   m1.india.hp.com.
  2        IN      PTR   m2.india.hp.com.
  3        IN      PTR   m3.india.hp.com.
  4        IN      PTR   m4.india.hp.com.
  5        IN      PTR   m5.india.hp.com.

Configuring Slave Zones

A sample configuration unit for a slave zone is shown here: 

  zone "41.10.15.IN-ADDR.ARPA" {
        type slave;
        file "zone.15.10.41";
        masters {
                15.70.188.45;
        };
  };
The IP address of the server that is primary for that domain is specified in the masters { } section of the configuration. There could be more than one master for a given zone.

When the nameserver comes up, looking at this configuration, it makes a connection with the nameserver running on 15.70.188.45 and does zone transfer, if required. It also makes a local copy of this file.



DNS BIND/iX Component Files

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