DNS Server Configuration

Intermediate Networking
BIND9nameddignslookup

Objective

Hands-on practice with dns server configuration in a network lab environment.

Tools & Technologies

  • BIND9
  • named
  • dig
  • nslookup

Key Commands

apt install bind9
named-checkconf
named-checkzone example.com db.example.com
dig @localhost example.com

Lab Steps

01
Install BIND9

Install and start the BIND9 DNS server.

02
Forward Zone

Create a forward zone file mapping hostnames to IPs.

03
Reverse Zone

Create a reverse zone for PTR record lookups.

04
Testing

Use dig and nslookup to verify resolution from the new server.

Challenges Encountered

  • Zone file syntax errors prevent BIND from starting
  • Serial number must be incremented on every zone change

Key Takeaways

  • BIND logs to /var/log/syslog — check there for errors
  • Recursive resolvers should only serve trusted networks