1. Domain Names and Linux Philip Bock

2. Contents What is the Domain Name System? Acquiring a Domain Name Name Servers Linux as an Internet Server Web, Mail, and FTP server software

3. What is the Domain Name System? Computers identify each other using IP addresses, which are difficult to use The DNS allows computers to be assigned simple, user-friendly names, which can then be ‘resolved’ into their related IP addresses These names are called ‘domain names’

4. What is the Domain Name System? The DNS consists of a tree of nameservers To resolve a domain name, the requesting computer accesses its local nameserver, which then ‘crawls’ down the DNS tree, finding the addresses of nameservers progressively closer to the target computer. Finally, it finds the computer’s address, and returns it to the requesting computer

6. Acquiring a Domain Name Domain names are registered through a company called a Registrar Prices vary by registrar, from $8.95 - $50 USD Some registrars offer other services in addition to domain registration

7. Name Servers Every domain needs a nameserver with information about the hosts in the domain Several organizations can provide free nameserver service, among them Granite Canyon and DynDNS.org For servers using dynamic IP addressing, DynDNS.org is preferred

8. Linux as an Internet Server Linux is an OS modeled after Unix, and is ideal for network applications Good performance on older hardware Very secure, when properly configured Lots of excellent server software is freely available, and often included in the distribution

9. Linux as an Internet Server Requirements: Hardware: Pentium II equivalent recommended, plenty of RAM and disk space Internet connection: ADSL or Cable are adequate for small to medium traffic, T1 or better for high traffic Static or dynamic IP will dictate nameserver solution

10. Web, Mail, and FTP server software Web server: Apache, PHP, Mod-SSL Mail server: Sendmail or Postfix FTP server: ProFTP Other useful servers: OpenSSH, MySQL

11. Conclusion What is the Domain Name System? Acquiring a Domain Name Name Servers Linux as an Internet Server Web, Mail, and FTP server software