Re: [cobalt-users] Configuring Secondary DNS (2nd Plea For Help)

["Rodolfo J. Paiz" <rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 6/22/01 10:14 AM -0500, you wrote:
> Can someone please help me with this:

I kept my mouth shut because I don't have a RaQ so the screen-specific 
things are sorta difficult to imagine. :) But here you go, an attempt:

> > Thank you for the useful information. Obviously I would like to learn how
> > to configure this info the *proper* way. So let me make sure I understood
> > your clarification:

Good attitude.

> > As I have only have one server, I should have that server configured with
> > the primary dns. The secondary dns should not be on the same machine, but
> > instead I should utilize a dns such as from my ISP.

Correct. Or at least the best way.

> > I should enter the primary and secondary dns into the appropriate fields
> > under Control Panel Network.

No, I don't think so. The "Network" refers to your RaQ as a *client*. That 
is, when your RaQ (the server itself) needs to resolve a name 
(www.domain.com) to an IP address, whom is it going to ask? You get to put 
in two IP addresses that will act as nameservers for your RaQ, that is 
answer questions that your RaQ asks.

Suggestion: You can tell your RaQ to ask itself as its first option, and to 
ask your ISP's nameserver if it's own internal nameserver doesn't provide 
answers.

> > When I create a new virtual site, I should only provide the primary
> > dns info for that site in the Control Panel > DNS > Parameters screen.
> > Am I correctly interpreting your recommendations?

Yes. The only difference between primary and secondary is that primary gets 
its data from you, and secondary gets its data from primary. But the both 
provide the same answers: why the heck would bind agree to answer twice for 
the same thing and have two internal copies of the same data? It won't.

> > Regarding email, am I correct in assuming that when I create a user, the
> > system automatically generates a corresponding site for that user? Is it
> > possible to create a fully function email account (not alias) without
> > creating a user web site account?

Beats hell out of me. Ask someone with a RaQ.

> > Furthermore, I believe I read that there
> > is some way to create a mail.mydomain.com through the DNS > Parameter
> > Screen. How is this done? Do I simply create a record that points
> > mail.mydomain.com to www.mydomain.com?

A records point a name to an address. You can have many A's to one address.

CNAME records point one name to another; they are aliases. So you have 5 
CNAMEs to 1 A, which points to an IP. Then if you change the A, now all six 
names point to a different IP.

Some convenience in administration there, but MX (mail) records cannot use 
CNAMEs and people with little understanding of DNS sometimes misuse them 
and get into trouble. That includes you and me, by the way. There is no 
harm in pointing any number of A's to a single IP (just more things to 
change if you ever move that machine), so I always take the safe route and 
use only A's. Suggest you do the same. To get mail.domain.com to receive 
your mail, you'd need.

domain.com.             IN      MX      20 mail.domain.com.
mail.domain.com.        IN      A       111.222.333.444


--
Rodolfo J. Paiz
rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx