File: //var/usr/webmin-1.941/dnsadmin/help/intro.html
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<h2><i>This help page is incomplete</i></h2>
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<h3>Introduction</h3>
This module allows you to configure the BIND (Berkeley Internet Name Daemon)
DNS server installed on this machine. The DNS server is responsible for
converting hostnames like <i>www.foo.com</i> into IP addresses like
<i>10.1.2.3</i>, and IP addresses into hostnames.
<hr>
<h3>DNS Basics</h3>
Each DNS server manages a number of forward and reverse domains. A forward
domain is something like <i>foo.com</i>, and a reverse domain like
<i>204.165.66</i>. For each domain, the DNS server can either be the
primary server (the original source of data for the domain), or a secondary
server (a backup source for the domain). <p>
<dl>
<dt><b>Forward Domains</b>
<dd>If your DNS server manages a forward domain like <i>foo.com</i>, then
it will be able to answer requests for hostnames within this domain.
For domains for which this server is the primary, you can use this
module to add hosts (and other records) to the domain. For secondary
domains, you can specify the primary server(s) to download host
information from. <p>
<dt><b>Reverse Domains</b>
<dd>Reverse domains map IP addresses (like <i>203.165.66.77</i>) into
hostnames (like <i>www.foo.com</i>). A reverse domain provides hostnames
for all the IP addresses in a network (like <i>203.165.66</i>). For
domains for which this server is the primary, this module allows you to
add IP to hostname records to the domain. For secondary domains, you can
specify the DNS server(s) to download IP address mappings from. <p>
</dl>
<hr>
<h3>Setting up the DNS Server</h3>
If your system already has a running BIND DNS server, then you can ignore
this section. However, if the Webmin detects that the primary DNS server
configuration file (usually <tt>/etc/named.boot</tt>) is missing from your
system, it assumes that the server has not yet been setup. <p>
For normal internet use, a DNS server has to have a list of the root nameservers
so that it can answer DNS queries that are outside its domains. If your server
is not setup, Webmin can:
<ol>
<li>Download this list from the internic FTP server at <tt>rs.internic.net</tt>.
Assuming the host Webmin in being run on is connected to the internet
and is not blocked by any firewall, this is the best option. <p>
<li>Use a copy of the list that is distributed with Webmin. Because the
root nameservers do not change very often, this should work fine. <p>
<li>Setup the nameserver for 'internal' use only. If you are on network that
is not connected to the internet, then this is the option you want.<p>
</ol>
<hr>
<h3>Creating a Primary Domain</h3>
To create a new primary domain, fill in the form under <b>Add a new primary
domain</b> on the <a href=/dnsadmin/>DNS Server</a> page. The meaning of
the fields are:
<ul>
<li><b>Mapping</b><br>
Determines if this is a forward or reverse domain<p>
<li><b>Domain/Net</b><br>
For forward domains, the domain to be added (like <tt>foo.com</tt>). For
reverse domains, the IP network to be added (like <tt>203.123.221</tt>). <p>
<li><b>Filename</b><br>
The name of the file in which to store the domain information. If you
leave this field blank, a suitable filename is automatically generated. <p>
<li><b>Contact email</b><br>
Each DNS domain must have an associated email address, which should be
the person responsible for the domain. <p>
<li><b>Nameserver</b><br>
This must contain the fully qualified name of the nameserver responsible
for this domain. This will almost always be the name of the host you
are running Webmin on. <p>
</ul>
<hr>
<h3>Creating a Secondary Domain</h3>
<hr>
<h3>Editing a Primary Domain</h3>
<hr>
<h3>Editing Domain Records</h3>
<hr>
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