domains &/or zone ?

[Maaz]

Hi Dear Experts
OS=rhl, Software=BIND 9

I m running my local domain.. say for example test.com, and a sub domain sub.test.com.
I know how to configure, BIND and the concepts of Internet Domains, Root servers .. bla bla.

But i m not clear about the diff b/w domains and zones .. I mean what are zones .. and what are domains ?

sub.test.com is a domain or zone ?
test.com is a domain or zone ?
com is a domain or zone ?

plz help me understand the diff b/w zones ans domains.
Any Tutorial... Any help... will be highly appreciated

Thanks
Regards
Maaz

[Florian Heigl (new acc) · Accepted solution]

lets just say a zone is a domain with all the records belonging to it?

my domain is .deranfangvomen.de and it's zone file contains TTL, contact, a SOA, a MX and a few A and CNAMEs.

See what I mean?


Florian

[ger donohue_1]

test.com is a domain.
A zone is a database of all records for a domain and any child domains, unless you create a new zone for any child domains at which point you must delegate control to the new zone in the parent zone

You would only create a new zone for a subdomain if you intend hosting on a different nameserver.

If the sub domain is hosted on the same nameserver as the parent domain you would not create a new zone but place all records in the test.com zone file.

[kcpant]

Hi Maaz,

to add to ger's reply, as he told one zone database may contain a domain and it's subdomains, one domain may also have more than one zone database, if it is configured on more than one server, as replicated nameserver for redundency.

[Maaz]

Great/Nice help Dear Florian Heigl, ger donohue, and kcpant

One more issue to verify/clear from u people

cat /etc/named.conf

zone "test.com" IN {
type master;
file "test.com.frwd";
};
zone "sub.test.com" IN {
type master;
file "test.com.frwd";
};

cat /var/named/test.com.frwd
@ IN SOA ns1.test.com. root.localhost.
.
.
.
@ IN NS ns1.test.com.
sub.test.com. IN NS ns1.sub.test.com.

ns1 IN A 10.0.0.1
ns1.sub IN A 10.0.0.1
www IN A 10.0.0.100
www.sub IN A 10.0.0.110

that is I have created only one zone database file(test.com.frwd), while in /etc/named.conf i have decleared two zones, i,e "test.com", and the subdomain "sub.test.com".(both domains have same zone database file)

I wana ask u people that I did right or any mistakes.. plz le me know ?

Regards
Maaz

[kcpant]

Hi Maaz,

when you are using only one zone file to declare the main domain and it's subdomains, you have to declare only one zone in /etc/named.conf, that is of the main domain ( I mean, declare only test.com related properties there).

[Maaz]

Dear kcpant Many Thanks for the continous help/reply

Its now clear to me ... again Many Thanks to u all.

Regards
Maaz