DNS in a nutshell

Joseph S D Yao jsdy at cospo.osis.gov
Wed Sep 8 20:53:32 UTC 1999


> I have tried to understand what DNS does.
> 
> Can I use DNS in a LAN connected to the outside world by a 1600 series
> router without zones or records?
> 
> What would the benifits be?
> 
> TIA
> 
> Rick

DNS is a lookup service.

Networks only understand numbers.  People tend to understand names.
So, if you would prefer to use "www.isc.org" to 204.152.184.101 or even
3432560741, then DNS has some benefit for you.  It allows you to look
up network numbers from names, or vice versa.  It also allows you to
look up some other very useful things, like to which machine each
domain wants you to send its e-mail.

Now, I do not understand your first question/second sentence at all.
You may be assuming something that I am not.  What, exactly, is it that
is "without zones or records"?

If all of the hosts on your LAN use a name server somewhere "out
there", then you are using DNS, and that's fine.  That name server,
though, may or may not have "zones and records".

If you set up your own caching name server - "without zones or records"
- to improve your cache hit rate and decrease latency, then that is
also fine.

If you want your own hosts to have names themselves, then you might
want to add a zone to your name server, or [possibly better] have a
separate internal name server that is not usable from the outside.

If all you have between you and the Internet is a Cisco 1600 router,
OBTW, then you might also want to look up the meaning of "firewall".
;-)

--
Joe Yao				jsdy at cospo.osis.gov - Joseph S. D. Yao
COSPO/OSIS Computer Support					EMT-B
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This message is not an official statement of COSPO policies.


More information about the bind-users mailing list