DNS server setup for .6

[SamHowells]

Hi Guys,
Completely new to macs, but have been asked to set up a server running an open directory for my boss, we have a mac mini running OS X server and 4 iMacs that we would log on using network users stored on the mac mini.
I can't seem to understand how to set up the DNS settings. I would like to call the server 'company-company-5' and the domain 'company.internal.'. I have absolutely no experience setting up a DNS server.

What should I enter in the various boxes on setup, surely this is something anyone that has set up a open directory has done.

I have followed a guide designed for 10.5 but it's not quite the same. I am unsure in my initial setup what to put as the computer name and as the DNS name.

Really, any help would be greatly appreciated as I've literally spent a day reading up and have managed to get precisely no where.

Best Regards
Sam

 

[Hoodman]

Configuration

Hi

If it's a basic configuration you should skip the initial DNS setup from the tutorial. Automatic configuration sucks.

At Server Admin, DNS, Zones. you have to add a primary Zone and name it company.internal.
then add a machine with the ip of your server. then verify that the DNS create a reverse Zone.

the name of the server can be changed at the network settings of the server at server admin.

I attach a picture to show how it should look

 

[hakuryuu]

your computer name will be whatever you want it to be and will be based on the dns name. If memory serves correctly you may have to type your dns name in assuming you do not have a dns server with records for the machine and the ip you specify already setup.

For example your dns name will be company5.company.internal.
Your computer name can be Company 5. Computer name can have spaces and whatnot but your dns name cannot.

Once you are in the server open up Server Admin.

> Select DNS
> Click Zones
> If you get a warning click the checkbox and click OK
> click the Add Zone pop-up menu and choose Add Primary Zone (Master)
> In the Primary Zone Name field enter company.internal.
> Click the Add (+) button next to the Nameservers field
> Click Save to save the record
> Select company.internal.
> click Add Records and choose Add Machine (A)
> In the Machine Name field, enter servername and press Tab, then press Tab again to move to the IP Addresses field
> In the IP Addresses field, press Return to edit the IP address.
> Change the IP address to the address of the machine and then press Return to stop editing the IP Address.
> click Save

A Reverse zone should automatically be created by this.

 

[SamHowells]

DNS server setup

Hoodman,

Thanks for your help - I'm beginning to understand how the setup needs to work.
The part that is still bothering me, is how to get it to look like that in the first place. I think the part that is messing it up for me, is during OS x Server installation, where it asks me during my ethernet settings for the DNS address (which I assume is my servers IP address) the domain name (this is what I'm nit sure on), and the computer name (reading one guide instructed me to call the computer 'computername.companyname.companyname.'

Lastly, what should my Primary Zone general section look like (in specific the nameservers table) - if it's complex would it be possible to provide a screenshot like the last?

EDIT:

Hakuryuu - Thanks, thats seems pretty easy to follow and I'll give at a go. Still, the thing that confuses me is after i've set my server up, it already has the DNS running with bogus information. Is the way to fix this to UNPLUG the server network cable during installation or is there another way. Come to think of it, it needs to be plugged in to prompt me for my domain name so thats probably not a good idea....

Cheers
Sam

 

[hakuryuu]

yeah the dns settings are generally bogus unless you already have a dns/dhcp server setup on the network for the machine to get info from. Otherwise you have to do what I did. I know it seems odd, I must have reinstalled about 10 times thinking that i must have done something wrong during setup.

 

[SamHowells]

Overview

EDIT:
Ok, I'm really struggling again guys. I understand how the DNS should work now by looking at your tables, but cannot get the same showing on my server. I get the impression I am using the wrong DNS name in the setup, I am using company.company. For the servername I am using servername. Using this setup, when I add my machine and use the name 'servername' that is all I get in the table, whereas you guys get servername.companyname.companyname.

Could you please provide a screenshot of your machine page, and the same for the reverse zones.

Ok,
So this is what I am going to enter as my DNS and server name respectively:

Server name: server1
DNS name: company.company

I'm then going to set the server to standalone so no services are started, because I heard if you change the DNS settings with services running it can mess things up.

Im then going to go into server admin, stop the current DNS service and remove it.

I'm then going to follow the steps hakuryuu gave and set up the page so it looks like his, and start the DNS service.


Are all these stages correct?

Cheers
Sam

 

[SamHowells]

Fixed

Hi guys,

I've fixed the problem, it was so simple.
During the installation, I set the server DNS to server1.company.company and it automatically filled in the server name box. I left it like that, and it has automatically set up the DNS server.

Thanks for your help - the next challenge is setting up mail for each user so I'm sure you'll hear from me again ;-).

Best regards
Sam