Setting Up a Linux DNS Server on Ubuntu

Setting Up a Linux DNS Server on Ubuntu

A DNS server is a crucial component of any network infrastructure that translates domain names into IP addresses. Ubuntu is a popular Linux distribution, and it's easy to set up a DNS server on Ubuntu. In this article, we'll go through the steps of setting up a Linux DNS server on Ubuntu.

Step 1: Updating Ubuntu

Before we start setting up the DNS server, we need to ensure that the Ubuntu system is up to date. To update Ubuntu, run the following command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Installing BIND

BIND (Berkeley Internet Name Domain) is the most commonly used DNS server software. To install BIND on Ubuntu, run the following command:

sudo apt install bind9

Step 3: Configuring BIND

After installing BIND, we need to configure it. The main configuration file for BIND is located at /etc/bind/named.conf. We'll edit this file to add our DNS zones.

First, open the file in a text editor:

sudo nano /etc/bind/named.conf

In this file, we'll add a new zone for our domain. For example, if our domain is example.com, we'll add the following lines:

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

Save and exit the file by pressing Ctrl+X, then Y, and then Enter.

Step 4: Creating a DNS zone file

Now that we've added a zone for our domain, we need to create a DNS zone file. This file contains the DNS records for our domain. We'll create a file named /etc/bind/db.example.com for our example.com domain.

To create the file, run the following command:

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

In this file, we'll add our DNS records. For example, to create a record for the www subdomain that points to the IP address 192.168.1.100, we'll add the following lines:

;
; BIND data file for example.com
;
$TTL 604800
@ IN SOA ns1.example.com. admin.example.com. (
3 ; Serial
604800 ; Refresh
86400 ; Retry
2419200 ; Expire
604800
) ; Default TTL

;
@ IN NS ns1.example.com.
@ IN A 192.168.1.100
www IN A 192.168.1.100

Save and exit the file by pressing Ctrl+X, then Y, and then Enter.

Step 5: Restarting BIND

After creating the DNS zone file, we need to restart BIND for the changes to take effect. To restart BIND, run the following command:

sudo systemctl restart bind9

Step 6: Testing the DNS server

Now that our DNS server is set up and running, we can test it by querying it for DNS records. To test the DNS server, run the following command:

nslookup www.example.com

If everything is working correctly, the output should display the IP address of the www subdomain that we configured in the DNS zone file.

Setting up a Linux DNS server on Ubuntu is a straightforward process. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can quickly set up a DNS server that translates domain names into IP addresses for your network.

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  • That's it for this post. Keep practicing and have fun. Leave your comments if any.

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