The DNS configuration files are stored in the
/etc/bind directory. The
primary configuration file is
/etc/bind/named.conf. The content
of the default configuration file is shown below:
// This is the primary configuration file for the BIND DNS server named.
//
// Please read /usr/share/doc/bind9/README.Debian.gz for information on the
// structure of BIND configuration files in Debian, *BEFORE* you customize
// this configuration file.
//
// If you are just adding zones, please do that in /etc/bind/named.conf.local
include "/etc/bind/named.conf.options";
// prime the server with knowledge of the root servers
zone "." {
type hint;
file "/etc/bind/db.root";
};
// be authoritative for the localhost forward and reverse zones, and for
// broadcast zones as per RFC 1912
zone "localhost" {
type master;
file "/etc/bind/db.local";
};
zone "127.in-addr.arpa" {
type master;
file "/etc/bind/db.127";
};
zone "0.in-addr.arpa" {
type master;
file "/etc/bind/db.0";
};
zone "255.in-addr.arpa" {
type master;
file "/etc/bind/db.255";
};
// zone "com" { type delegation-only; };
// zone "net" { type delegation-only; };
// From the release notes:
// Because many of our users are uncomfortable receiving undelegated answers
// from root or top level domains, other than a few for whom that behaviour
// has been trusted and expected for quite some length of time, we have now
// introduced the "root-delegations-only" feature which applies delegation-only
// logic to all top level domains, and to the root domain. An exception list
// should be specified, including "MUSEUM" and "DE", and any other top level
// domains from whom undelegated responses are expected and trusted.
// root-delegation-only exclude { "DE"; "MUSEUM"; };
include "/etc/bind/named.conf.local";
The include line specifies the filename which contains the DNS options. The directory line in the options file tells DNS where to look for files. All files BIND uses will be relative to this directory.
The file named /etc/bind/db.root
describes the root name servers in the world. The servers
change over time, so the
/etc/bind/db.root file must be maintained
now and then.
The zone section defines a master server, and it is stored in a file mentioned against file tag. Every zone file contains 3 resource records (RRs): an SOA RR, an NS RR and a PTR RR. SOA is short of Start of Authority. The "@" is a special notation meaning the origin. NS is the Name Server RR. PTR is Domain Name Pointer. To start the DNS server, run the following command from a terminal prompt:
sudo /etc/init.d/bind9 start
You can refer to the documentation mentioned in the references section for details.
