Linux DNS Server Administration (Craig Hunt Linux Library) - Softcover

Hunt, C

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0782127363 ISBN 13: 9780782127362

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2000

Synopsis

The Domain Name Service (DNS) server translates Internet protocol (IP) addresses into the URLs humans use. Configuring the DNS server correctly is a key to networking Linux effectively. This text provides an advanced treatment of DNS.

About this title

Review

DNS provides the Net's address system, and Linux with BIND is a favourite way to implement a DNS server. Linux DNS Server Administration assumes BIND 8.x, the version included with current Linux distributions.

Unlike other excellent books on the subject, O'Reilly's DNS and BIND, for example, it assumes you're running an up to date Linux distro, which means it can address Linux specific issues such as how to compile and run it, start and stop it as well as understanding, creating and maintaining the Linux scripts necessary for the correct operation of DNS and BIND.

Because Craig Hunt doesn't have to cover differences between Unices he's able to construct a more linear narrative as well as delving deeper into the subject. OK, you may not care how a DNS query is constructed at the machine level but the fine detail concerning, for example, the Resolver, could save you hours of anguish. The dissection of the various configuration files--most notably named.conf--will prove equally invaluable.

Some of the most useful information doesn't appear until halfway through the book. Performance tuning includes neat tips for speeding up large networks as well as saving money on small systems using dial-up Net connections. Perhaps the most useful section in these days of constant Net security breaches is the extensive coverage on securing and testing your DNS server. Even if you already run a DNS server this is worth a look.

The appendices include a BIND command reference as well as details on configuring NIS. Altogether, a must-have book for any Linux server administrator. --Steve Patient

From the Author

The story of DNS and BIND clearly told.
Thanks for giving me the chance to tell you about "Linux DNS Server Administration" and about the series of Linux books of which it is a part. The Craig Hunt Linux Library was created because Linux deserves its own line of system administration books. Many Linux system administrators rely on books that were written for the Unix operating system because Linux and Unix are almost the same. Since when was almost good enough for a professional system administrator? Linux is an enterprise and departmental server operating system used for mission-critical applications. As the administrator of such a system, you cannot settle for information that is almost correct. You require accurate information that is focused on the operating system that you will actually be using.

Linux is an excellent platform upon which to build a DNS server. The reliability of Linux itself is already legendary. As important as the reliability of the operating system, is the reliability of the name server software running on that system. Again, Linux is a winner because it uses the Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) software that first introduced DNS to widespread use back in the 1980s, and is still the most widely used DNS software today. BIND has been put to the test and proven reliable by millions of users.

This book provides complete coverage of DNS and BIND running under Linux. Unlike books that attempt to cover every version of Unix and BIND, even versions that are long out of date, "Linux DNS Server Administration" focuses exclusively on Linux and BIND 8, so there is no need for you to sift through unrelated examples from various flavors of Unix and BIND. As a result, the BIND examples are more consistent and easier to follow. These factors create a book that is better organized and easier to read.

Linux system administrators will find this book invaluable as their primary resource for DNS information. It provides detailed instruction about how a DNS server is built on a Linux platform. Examples of compiling, installing and configuring BIND to run with Linux are provided. Security features specific to Linux are covered. Information about Linux that is overlooked by other DNS books is provided here.

Even administrators of Unix and Windows NT systems will find this book a useful companion text. This book provides a detailed description of the underlying DNS protocols and ties that discussion to the values used to configure DNS. It provides this information in a clear and organized manner. The insights into how DNS works and why certain configuration values are used, will be helpful to anyone running DNS—even if they don’t use Linux.

I think you will find that "Linux DNS Server Administration" provides in-depth technical coverage of DNS and BIND that is presented in a clear and concise manner. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it for you.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0782127363
• ISBN 13: 9780782127362
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448