Hello, Not sure if Im posting this in the right thread or not, but I have a home network with mutiple servers/ip addresses, and I was wondering how I could go about setting up a local DNS server? Something like "myhome.lan" so I can just use serverXX.myhome.lan to access my individual machines instead of having to rember what IP address is for what server? Im fairly new to networking and stuff, and I want to learn, so any help would be welcomed! Thanks!
I use my network firewall/router for this purpose (well, I just override some dns names/lookups, I don't use a fake domain, but it's pretty much the same effect). An alternate would be to install a dns server (eg. bind) on a local server and use that server to resolve dns inside your network; configure it to be authoritative for myhome.lan, and to recursively resolve queries for your clients (or I suppose forward them to another dns server).
My signature has link to DNS tutorial, It uses ISPConfig to setup DNS servers. You can set up two name servers without ISPConfig if you know how bind or some other DNS software works. A book like Albitz, Liu: DNS and BIND is good to have. If you find setting up name servers too much work, old and good way is to use /etc/hosts file. Create one with all IP-addressses and hostnames in your local LAN, and copy the lines to all your computers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosts_(file))
One question though... I know I'll beed to set up ISPConfig on a VM, but would I need to do one for each DNS server as well? or can I do it all on the same VM I put IPSConfig on?
What? For each ISPConfig server you set up you need a virtual machine or a real physical machine, if that is what you are asking. If you only want to set up name service for your internal LAN you can get by with only one host, which has the ISPConfig panel and name service. Then you have only one name server so if you want two name servers you need two hosts.
okay, Thank you... Yeah I think I just want one server to handle internal dns for "myhome.lan". Setting this up will not affect outside connections correct? (being ble to reach outside sites from any machine/vm)
If done correctly it does not prevent outside connections. Check you have in forwarders statements some suitable name servers, for example your internet service providers name servers or other name servers that are close to your hosts.
