[cobalt-users] Reverse DNS and Err/TO getting serial# messages

[Barbara - <thebizworkers@xxxxxxxxx>]

>>i suspect you have poor connectivity...or a confused
firewall

You might have hit on something with the possibility
of a confused firewall, I'm still investigating that
possibility. But everything seems to be okay except
for this error message off the secondary system which
only comes several days later after the initial zones
are transferred and they need updated..<?> -my brain
is simply turning to mush.  :-)

>>The only other thing that comes to mind is you have
a domain -> IP 
>>line in /etc/hosts that doesn't agree with the
actual address of 
>>your primary, in which case the secondary is asking
some completly 
>>foreign machine for a zone...

On each machine, the /etc/hosts file lists 

127.0.0.1       localhost
MAIN-IP   	NS.MYNAMESERVER.TLD      # main interface

But mynameserver is for the machine holding the file
-neither one of the /etc/hosts files on either machine
contains the IP/servername of the *other* system, just
for itself. Is this correct? Should I add the IP and
servername of the opposing DNS system to each
/etc/hosts file?

>>It's a good idea , to have a local static mapping of
the primary servers 
>>name to IP on the secondary , it reduces chances of
spoofing, and
>>allows the secondary to update zones if it has
troubles getting to the
>>root servers...(eg in /etc/hosts)

Not to sound completely green here, but how can I
configure (which file) static mapping of the primary
server name to IP on the secondary system? Would that
be in the resolv.conf file? I currently have my
primary system and it's IP (main DNS) listed in that
file, is that the correct one?

Question: When you register and setup a secondary
nameserver (using the RaQ's for this example) -should
you host the primary and PTR records for the
*secondary* DNS on the *primary* system, or on the
secondary system itself..? It's a little confusing
when considering the GUI layout. Meaning, when I setup
the secondary DNS, I put my pri master file for the
secondary DNS (via the GUI) on the secondary DNS
system itself - *not* on the primary DNS system that
houses all the other pri master records. Is this the
correct way of doing this (e.g., on the secondary DNS
system under CONTROL PANEL >> NETWORK, under the
"PRIMARY DNS SERVER ADDRESS" it's actually it's own IP
(the secondary DNS (mainbox) IP address -again this is
the secondary machine I'm referring to). It just seems
a little confusing here -and I'm not sure if I'm
conveying what I'm thinking/doing on the secondary
system. Let me try this instead (I'm text impaired I
guess, I need visuals :-)

PRIMARY DNS SYSTEM'S IP ADDY = xxx.xxx.xxx.105
SECONDARY DNS SYSTEM'S IP ADDY = xxx.xxx.xxx.125

Then on the Secondary DNS Server (under the NETWORK
tab)

Interface Settings - Network 1 = xxx.xxx.xxx.125 
(the main IP of the server)

Primary DNS Server Address = xxx.xxx.xxx.125 
(the main IP of the server)

Secondary DNS Server Address = xxx.xxx.xxx.105 
(the main IP/DNS of the other server, which is
actually the primary DNS system)

The WHOIS records for the secondary nameserver list
itself for DNS and the primary records are on that
(secondary) machine. Should I point those records to
the primary DNS system instead and change the above
entries in the GUI on the secondary system to reflect
these entries instead (again this is on the secondary
system)

Interface Settings - Network 1 = xxx.xxx.xxx.125 
(the main IP of the server)

Primary DNS Server Address = xxx.xxx.xxx.105 
(the main IP of the server)

Secondary DNS Server Address = xxx.xxx.xxx.125 
(the main IP/DNS of the other server, which is
actually the primary DNS system)

GOODNESS I didn't think I was going to get that out
without creating some kind of screen shot.

I guess what I'm asking is if the secondary DNS system
has to be setup to serve itself, or should that be
delegated to the other (main/primary) DNS system which
sits on the other side of the country..? I'm wondering
if this has anything to do with the problem. It seems
that when the main (primary) DNS is loaded/reloaded,
it talks and transfers everything correctly to the
secondary machine. Things just get strange after a
week or so have passed and the secondary machine
starts trying to update the records and can't seem to
find the primary machine<?> I don't know?

Thanks again for your help and insight.

Barbara


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