DNS server using PowerDNS

Abstract

One of the key requirements of almost every TCP/IP based network is the ability to resolve host names to network addresses. This is a central function as, amongst other things, it allows users to address hosts on a network using human readable names, such as www.example.com, instead of having to use the network address directly, such as 10.23.117.4, which besides being more convenient is also far less error prone. This functionality is usually provided by one or more DNS servers as part of the Domain Name System which is described in detail in RFC-1034◳ and RFC-1035◳.

This document aims to be a how-to describing the installation and configuration of the PowerDNS server which uses a database to store the DNS records making it ideal for applications involving large domains with thousands of records, dynamic records which are regularly updated by automated systems, or user-managed sub-domains where an interactive application is needed as a front-end to the system. Topics covered include simple DNS resolution, recursive queries, mail exchange records and reverse DNS.

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