Neil Cherry wrote: > Mikkel L. Ellertson wrote: >> Dotan Cohen wrote: >>> I've heard that one could run a local DNS server to speed up internet >>> access. Does this have a real-world advantage for a home user? > >> Where running a local name server really helps is if you have more >> then one machine on the local network, and they are all configured >> to use the same local name server. Chances are, there are going to >> be a fair number of sites that are used by more then one computer. > > Bingo, this is what I have setup. I'm currently using tinydns and > dnscache. I have many devices and I can't remember the IP addresses > of them all. So I put in the local DNS and manually administer it > and DHCP. There is another DNS program that you can use (not BIND) > that's supposed to be for this kind of situation (dnsmasq). I > haven't taken the time to investigate that setup but I eventually > will. > > PS, yes I have enough IP devices to justify the dns. > I like dnsmasq. If you are also going to run a DHCP server on the machine, you can use it as the DHCP server as well. Or you can set it up to automatically add the DHCP assigned name/IP address from other DHCP servers. You can also set a system MX record. By default, it will also read your /etc/hosts file, and add that to the hosts it knows about. For a small network, it is a lot easier to configure then a full name server. As an added plus, you can tell it to watch a file to automatically update the name servers it uses. For example, if you use dialup, you can have it watch /etc/ppp/resolf.conf and use the server set by your current dialup connection. (You need to set PEERDNS to NO in your PPP setup, so that /etc/resolv.conf does not get changed.) I have also set it up on a firewall machine so that it provides DNS for the local network, and gets it forwarding name servers from /etc/resolv.conf that is set by the Internet connection. (Modem or PPPoE) Mikkel -- Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with Ketchup!
