DNS Module Domain Name Service

Introduction

Instead of using the numeric IP Address of the host it is possible to use the host name. Example:

www.google.ca acs3.acs.ucalgary.ca

Translation of names to IP Addresses is done by nodes called Name Servers

DNS Name Space

Hierarchy Structure

ROOT

CA

Country level Name Server

AB Region Name Server Local Name Server

UCALGARY

ACS

SAIT IT

Domain Name Resolution

User program issues the request Query to Name Server is formulated The name server checks if name in database. If not, ask the higher level Name Server Finally the user program gets IP Address or error

Subdomain versus Subnet

Fully Qualified Domain Name. Example: thunder.it.sait.ab.ca thunder - Actual host name it.sait.ab.ca - Part of the domain (subdomain)

IP Address: 142.110.16.7 142.110 - sait.ab.ca 16 - Subnet Number 7 - Host Number

Subdomain versus Subnet

Subdomain can have many subnets Subnet can have many subdomains

Command nslookup provides the conversion between Domain Names and IP Addresses

Generic Domains
Domain Name com edu gov mil net org country Meaning

Commertial Educational Government Military Major Providers Non-Profit 2-letters code

The DNS Name Space

A portion of the Internet domain name space.

Resource Records
The principal DNS resource records types.

Resource Records

Name Servers
Part of the DNS name space showing the division into zones.

Name Servers
( flits.cs.vu.nl ->linda.cs.yale.edu )

How a resolver looks up a remote name in eight steps.

NAMING SERVICES IN Unix or Linux

I. Bypassing DNS:

/etc/hosts

127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain 192.168.66.1 192.168.66.99

sentinel zippo

II. Setting up DNS Client: /etc/resolv.conf nameserver xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (first DNS server)

nameserver yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy (second DNS

server)

Server:

/etc/named.conf . . zone "zone_name"{ type master; file "file_name"; } . . "file_name" is the name of the DNS database file

DHCP versus DNS

DHCP can dynamically change IP address of a node DNS has static assignment between IP addresses and names

Solution: Dynamic DNS (DDNS)

DDNS cooperates with DHCP to maintain consistency