Super-newbie needs help with configuring name server

[Kevin Darcy]

Your first pair of queries verify that "ns1.flom2.com" is resolvable on the
local server (which is presumably master for the zone), but
"ns.fishnet.com" is not. This implies that your server has not been
configured with the proper Internet root "hints" file (if you are directly
Internet-connected) or with the necessary forwarding arrangement, to be
able to resolve Internet names.

Your third query verifies that "nslookup", moronic program that it is, will
fail over to the second nameserver in your resolver configuration (please
don't call it the "secondary", that's very confusing!) if it can't get a
PTR record for the first one. So it asked "ns.fishnet.com" about
"ns1.flom2.com", and unsurprisingly -- since "flom2.com" is not registered
on the Internet -- no data was found. If you want Internet nameservers and
the clients they serve to be able to resolve names in your domain, then you
have to register it. This costs a modest amount of money, and to register
in the "com" domain, the rule is that you have to provide at least 2
Internet-accessible nameserver to host your domain, for redundancy. So
you'd need at least 1 more server besides your master. If "fishnet" is your
ISP, then maybe you could arrange for them to be a slave for your domain.
They may even be able to handle the whole registration process for you, but
it's probably cheaper to do it yourself.

Additional recommendations:

Use "dig" rather than "nslookup" for DNS troubleshooting.

Obtain and read the _DNS_and_BIND_ book from O'Reilly.


- Kevin

Todd Flom wrote:

> I am trying to set up a primary name server for my domain flom2.com and
> I'm running into the following problem, it seems as though I can either
> only resolve domains internally or externally not both.
>
> (ns.fishnet.com is my secondary for this domain, which I have no control
> over)
>
> This is the PTR entry in my 209.150.221.117 zone file
> >117.221.150.209.in-addr.arpa. IN PTR ns1.flom2.com.
>
> This is what I get when I have that PTR entry un-commented
>
> >ns1:~ # nslookup ns1.flom2.com
> >Server: flom2.com
> >Address:209.150.221.117
> >
> >Name: ns1.flom2.com
> >Address:209.150.221.117
> >
> >ns1:~ # nslookup ns.fishnet.com
> >Server: flom2.com
> >Address:209.150.221.117
> >
> >*** flom2.com can't find ns.fishnet.com: Non-existant host/domain

> This is what I get when I have the PTR entry commented out.
>
> >ns1:~ # nslookup ns1.flom2.com
> >117.221.150.209.in-addr.arpa
> > origin = flom2.com
> > mail addr = root.flom2.com
> > serial = 2000053101
> > refresh = 10800 (3H)
> > retry = 3600 (1H)
> > expire = 604800 (1W)
> > minimum ttl = 86400 (1D)
> >*** Can't find server name for address 209.150.221.117: No information
> >Server: ns.fishnet.com
> >Address: 209.150.200.15
> >
> >*** ns.fishnet.com can't find ns1.flom2.com: Non-existant host/domain