Domain Name System

Domain Name System (DNS) is a distributed database system for managing host names and their associated Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

Using DNS means that people can use simple names, such as www.jkltoys.com to locate a host, rather than using the IP address (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx). A single server might only be responsible for knowing the host names and IP addresses for a small subset of a zone, but DNS servers can work together to map all domain names to their IP addresses. DNS servers working together is what allows computers to communicate across the Internet.

For IBM^® OS/400^® Version 5 Release 1 (V5R1), DNS services are based on the industry-standard DNS implementation, known as Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) version 8. Previous IBM OS/400 DNS services were based on BIND version 4.9.3. To use the new BIND version 8 DNS server, you must have i5/OS^® option 31 (DNS) and option 33 (PASE) installed on your IBM System i™ model. If you do not have PASE installed, you can still run the same DNS server based on BIND version 4.9.3 that was available in previous releases. However, the migration to BIND 8 provides improved functions and incorporates better security for your DNS server.

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• Domain Name System concepts
  Domain Name System (DNS) is a distributed database system for managing host names and their associated Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Using DNS means that people can use simple names, such as www.jkltoys.com, to locate a host, rather than using the IP address (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx).
• Examples: Domain Name System
  You can use these examples to understand how to use Domain Name System (DNS) in your network.
• Planning for Domain Name System
  Domain Name System (DNS) offers a variety of solutions. Before you configure DNS, it is important to plan how it works within your network. Subjects, such as network structure, performance, and security, should be assessed before you implement DNS.
• Domain Name System requirements
  Consider these software requirements to run Domain Name System (DNS) on your System i model.
• Configuring Domain Name System
  You can use iSeries™ Navigator to configure name servers and to resolve queries outside of your domain.
• Managing Domain Name System
  Managing Domain Name System (DNS) includes verifying that the DNS function is working, monitoring performance, and maintaining DNS data and files.
• Troubleshooting Domain Name System
  Domain Name System (DNS) logging and debugging settings can help you resolve problems with your DNS server.
• Related information for Domain Name System
  Listed here are the IBM Redbooks™ (in PDF format) and Web sites that relate to the Domain Name System (DNS) topic. You can view or print any of the PDFs.