[clug-talk] DNS Recommendations

[William Astle]

Jon wrote:
> First question is: how complicated is this? To give you an idea of my skill level, I find web servers easy, but MTAs very complex. Where would installing, configuring, and managing my own DNS fall on that scale?

DNS itself is not terribly complex when you're just doing simple things
like MX records and pointing www.domain.com at an IP address. Once you
get your head around the terminology and the zone file format for the
software you're using, it's relatively easy. In fact, it's probably
easier than dealing with Apache.

Even using BIND as the name server software, it's not terribly
difficult. I would recommend giving a recent edition of DNS & Bind a
read before starting out though, just so you are fully up on
terminology, etc.

> Second question: would *you* bother doing it, or recommend just sticking with Zone Edit?

The advantage of sticking with someone like Zone Edit is that they have
bigger infrastructure and are less likely to get knocked off the net by
various things that might occur. They've likely got redundant hardware,
data centers, and so on. Not to mention people who keep on top of
security updates to the software and so on.

If you decide to go it on your own, you'll need to keep on top of
security bulletins and so on for the DNS software as well as the other
stuff you run. And, of course, there's one more thing you have to fix if
it breaks. Only you can do the cost-benefit analysis.

Personally, I'd do it myself but then I know exactly what I'm doing. YMMV.

-- 
William Astle
finger lost at l-w.net for further information

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