dns server - cost & learning curve

Hello

I'm flirting with the idea of getting deeper into linux. But I don't
want to start something I can't finish. Basically, I can't seem to
find a good price for straight domain redirections. Is there a way to
simply do it myself?

I already have a linux box which is a server on my private network. It
runs good. Let's say I turn this into a public server with the sole
purpose of redirecting domain name addresses.

Is this feasible for a suburban hack? Is it easier or harder than your
normal server setup? Are there costs like getting a static IP?

Love to hear your questions, feedback and abuse.
Simon

In the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.networking, in article
<(E-Mail Removed). com>, sime wrote:

>I'm flirting with the idea of getting deeper into linux. But I don't
>want to start something I can't finish. Basically, I can't seem to
>find a good price for straight domain redirections.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "domain redirections". If you
mean "normal" Domain Name Service, consult the registrar you used to
register your domains. The requirements are normally that you have
two name servers (different IP addresses) that are authoritative for
your domain. In most cases, the registrar will supply these for a
nominal fee. There are also "free" services that will do this - a
search at google should turn up a few, though these may not be
acceptable to your registrar.

If you mean "redirect" as in ICMP Type 5 messages, most hosts ignore
these, as they are so open to abuse. The accepted mechanism is to
correct the DNS data, or routing tables, as applicable.

>Is there a way to simply do it myself?

Your subject says 'dns server' - have you looked at the (rather dated)
DNS-HOWTO?

-rw-rw-r-- 1 gferg ldp 91563 Dec 23 2001 DNS-HOWTO

>I already have a linux box which is a server on my private network. It
>runs good. Let's say I turn this into a public server with the sole
>purpose of redirecting domain name addresses.

Assumption: You mean running a DNS server.

>Is this feasible for a suburban hack? Is it easier or harder than your
>normal server setup? Are there costs like getting a static IP?

You'll run into a number of problems. First, you need to have two
servers on separate IPs (redundancy requirement). You need to tell the
registrar what these addresses are, so that they can be "published" (so
that people will know to ask your computer what the address of this or
that domain is). To avoid blocklists/blacklists, your server should
be on a static IP, and use TTLs over four hours (14400 seconds, although
some may tolerate half that). And most importantly, you need the
approval of your ISP for this - many ISPs don't allow servers on
residential addresses).

Old guy

Moe Trin wrote a few things:
<snip>
> Old guy

Thankyou for taking my flakey post and identifying a number of factors.
In fact you have answered my primary question: is it feasible for me to
try it? I think not!

Cheers
Simon