Getting Started with DNS on Ubuntu Server

First things first, setting up DNS can be tricky at first, but you’ll get the hang of it! Here’s a simple guide that might help you navigate through the steps.

1. Installing Required Packages

You’ll want to install Bind9, which is the DNS server software. You can do this with:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install bind9 bind9utils bind9-doc

2. Editing Configuration Files

The main configuration file is usually located at /etc/bind/named.conf. Open it with a text editor (like nano):

sudo nano /etc/bind/named.conf

Be careful when editing. It’s a good idea to make a backup before you start making changes:

sudo cp /etc/bind/named.conf /etc/bind/named.conf.backup

3. Creating Zone Files

You need to define what zones you’re going to serve. Look for a section in named.conf to add your zones, like:

zone "example.com" {
        type master;
        file "/etc/bind/db.example.com";
    };

Next, create the zone file:

sudo nano /etc/bind/db.example.com

Here’s a simple example for the content:

$TTL    604800
@       IN      SOA     ns.example.com. admin.example.com. (
                             2         ; Serial
                        604800         ; Refresh
                         86400         ; Retry
                       2419200         ; Expire
                        604800 )       ; Negative Cache TTL
;
@       IN      NS      ns.example.com.
@       IN      A       192.0.2.1
ns      IN      A       192.0.2.1

4. Testing Your Configuration

To check if your configuration is alright before restarting Bind9, use:

sudo named-checkconf

And to validate zone files:

sudo named-checkzone example.com /etc/bind/db.example.com

If there are no errors, then you’re good to go!

5. Starting the DNS Server

Now you can start (or restart) the Bind9 service:

sudo systemctl restart bind9

6. Testing Your DNS Setup

Use dig to verify everything is running smoothly:

dig @localhost example.com

Check if it returns the correct IP address you set up.

These steps should hopefully guide you through the process. It’s normal to feel a bit overwhelmed, but just take it one step at a time, and don’t hesitate to reach out for more help if you need it. Good luck!