Setting up NeXT DNS ?
Raj Patel
Hi all,
(apologies if this message appears twice)
Any idea how you specify a name server on a NeXTStation (NS3.3) ?
I used Simple Network Starter application to set up the
basics and I can telnet by IP number but how do I specify
a name-server address to do DNS resolution for host-names ?
I tried putting in a manual entry into /etc/hosts which didn't
help. What extra files do I need to edit ? Or can it all be done
through the SNS.app ?
Note there are no other NeXT machines on campus so this is a
standalone machine.
Thanx in advance for any assistance...
Raj.
Matthew Seaman
In <R.J.Patel-280...@cc-ra4000-1-33.massey.ac.nz> Raj Patel wrote:
> Any idea how you specify a name server on a NeXTStation (NS3.3) ?
One or two...
> I used Simple Network Starter application to set up the
> basics and I can telnet by IP number but how do I specify
> a name-server address to do DNS resolution for host-names ?
Right. Now you have your simple network started, throw away SNS.app, and
start using the power tools like NetInfoManager.app...
Under NS 3.3 you have two choices for configuring your DNS: you can either do
it the flat file way, by creating an /etc/resolv.conf file, which will have
contents something like this:
domain somewhere.com
nameserver 111.111.111.111
nameserver 222.222.222.222
nameserver 333.333.333.333
where you make the obvious edits top substitute values that are correct for
your site. Nb. you can have from one to three "nameserver" lines --- the
second and third are backups in case the usual DNS server from the first
"nameserver" line goes down. See the resolver(5) man page[*].
From NS 3.3 on, you can now specify all this configuration in netinfo ---
which means that you only have to configure it once, and all the machines in
your netinfo domain will pick it up. It's too tedious to describe exactly
what to click and what to type where to set it up via NetInfoManager.app, but
you can use this command line snippet to achieve the effect you desire:
niload -p -r /locations/resolver / <<FOO
name = resolver;
domain = somewhere.com;
nameserver = (111.111.111.111, 222.222.222.222, 333.333.333.333);
FOO
> I tried putting in a manual entry into /etc/hosts which didn't
> help. What extra files do I need to edit ? Or can it all be done
> through the SNS.app ?
etc/hosts is never referenced under NS 3.3 unless something is seriously
wrong with your machine. The hosts database has to be loaded into netinfo:
niload -p hosts / < /etc/hosts
However, as a general rule you shouldn't load any data from /etc/hosts like
this unless:
a) it's not in the DNS
b) it's one of your netinfo client machines
c) it's a machine that you NFS mount directories from --- otherwise a
network problem somewhere else which stops you seeing the DNS can prevent
your machine booting correctly.
Matthew
[*] If you're not familiar with this unixism, it means "the resolver man page
in section five of the manual", ie. type:
man 5 resolver
If you just type 'man resolver' you'll get the page from section 3, the
C-programming interface.
--
Certe, Toto, sentio nos in Kansate nin iam adesse.
Matthew Seaman P&L Systems, 12 The Broadway, Amersham, Bucks., HP7 0HP, UK
Tel: +44 1494 432422 Fax: +44 1494 432478
Timothy J. Luoma
In <R.J.Patel-280...@cc-ra4000-1-33.massey.ac.nz> Raj Patel wrote:
> I used Simple Network Starter application to set up the
> basics and I can telnet by IP number but how do I specify
> a name-server address to do DNS resolution for host-names ?
set up a /etc/resolv.conf file that looks like this:
domain yourdomain.ext
nameserver xxx.yyy.zzz.aaa
where you supply your domain and the IP rather than 'xxx....'
You can and should enter more than one nameserver. Any UNIX machine on
campus should already have an /etc/resolv.conf file.
TjL
Lee Byeong-ho
Raj Patel wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> (apologies if this message appears twice)
>
> Any idea how you specify a name server on a NeXTStation (NS3.3) ?
>
> I used Simple Network Starter application to set up the
> basics and I can telnet by IP number but how do I specify
> a name-server address to do DNS resolution for host-names ?
>
> I tried putting in a manual entry into /etc/hosts which didn't
> help. What extra files do I need to edit ? Or can it all be done
> through the SNS.app ?
>
> Note there are no other NeXT machines on campus so this is a
> standalone machine.
>
> Thanx in advance for any assistance...
>
> Raj.
Hi, Nice to meet you.
It's very simple.
To enable DNS, the only step required is to create a file called
/etc/resolv.conf. This file has the following format:
domain <your internet domain name>
nameserver <internet address of a DNS server(inquire about available
DNS servers when you register your internet address)>
That's all. I want to these comment help you.
Bye...
-Lee Byeong-ho
Yuhan C&T, Seoul, Korea
Raj Patel
Hi all,
My DNS problems are fixed!!
Many thanx to Matthew, Lee and Timothy for their prompt assistance.
A couple of related questions:
1. When I take the Station off the network do I just set the
networking back to the local settings so that when I set it
up at home again it doesn't hang at boot-up looking for the network ?
2. I was fiddling with PPP and having installed it I don't need
it any more. How do I disable it so it doesn't kick in at start-up ?
Do I just comment out the related lines in the /etc/rc file ?
Thanx again,
Raj.
Matthew Seaman
In <R.J.Patel-290...@cc-ra4000-1-23.massey.ac.nz> Raj Patel wrote:
> 1. When I take the Station off the network do I just set the
> networking back to the local settings so that when I set it
> up at home again it doesn't hang at boot-up looking for the network ?
If your machine is it's own netinfo master, and has all the data it needs to
boot locally, then it should boot OK whether attached to a network or not.
Formerly networked machines hang when they try to access network services
which aren't there: primarily netinfo and NFS. Most other things seem to
realise the network isn't there and give up quietly.
> 2. I was fiddling with PPP and having installed it I don't need
> it any more. How do I disable it so it doesn't kick in at start-up ?
> Do I just comment out the related lines in the /etc/rc file ?
Yes.
Matthew
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