DNS (Domain Name System) is a distributed database to:
- convert machine names into IP numbers
- convert IP numbers into machine names
DNS is also used for security and access control.
When a machine is connected to the network DNS servers can and should be specified - otherwise using the machine will be quite cumbersome. This has to be done for all connected machines including the machine administered by yourself.
If the machine in question is configured by DHCP, then you don't need to read any further, since all DNS configuration is taken care of by DHCP.
If however you configure the (network configuration of your) machine yourself/manually, you do need to take into account the details concerning DNS.
Attention: You have to change or specify the
IP
numbers of the name servers.
change the IP number of your own machine.
- On a Unix machine you have to edit /etc/resolv.conf or use a tool that does that for you (like resolvconf)
- On a Windows PC use Start Menu -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Network -> TCP/IP -> Properties -> DNS Configuration. Fill in domain and DNS search order.
- On a MacOS PC use the settings from your network software.
In cs.kuleuven.be there are general purpose DNS servers on dns-i-5.cs.kuleuven.be and dns-i-6.cs.kuleuven.be and a fallback server on ns.cs.kuleuven.be.
There are also special DNS servers on dns-d-e.cs.kuleuven.be and dns-e-d.cs.kuleuven.be that serve special purposes and are not intended for general use.
If you find a DNS server on another machine, please do not use it, it is most probably temporary and/or for special purposes only.
Your machine is always in the domain cs.kuleuven.be. and you have to give at least one DNS server. You have to specify the DNS server by its IP number (to avoid the chicken-and-egg problem ;-).
For redundancy you can specify more than one server but we try to spread the load evenly and therefore the order in which you specify the DNS servers in your configuration is important.
Depending on the IP number of your machine use following servers :
- Subnet/Vlan 9 (IP starts with 134.58.39 or 2a02:2c40:500:a000)
nameserver 134.58.45.6 2a02:2c40:0:a005::13b dns-i-5 nameserver 134.58.46.6 2a02:2c40:500:a006::13b dns-i-6 nameserver 134.58.45.149 2a02:2c40:0:a005::149 ns - Subnet/Vlan 16 (IP starts with 134.58.46 or 2a02:2c40:500:a006)
nameserver 134.58.46.6 2a02:2c40:500:a006::13b dns-i-6 nameserver 134.58.45.6 2a02:2c40:0:a005::13b dns-i-5 nameserver 134.58.45.149 2a02:2c40:0:a005::149 ns - IP unknown or something else:
- if connected to departmental networks via VPN: any of the above general purpose name servers
- if not connected to departmental networks via VPN: use the name servers of/on the network or ISP you are connected to
More information about BIND (the nameserver software).
