Configuring Network Registrar

Enter the name of the BIND zone file and click OK.
Use the Browse button to locate the BIND zone file. This file might be named hosts.local (Figure 2-7). Click Open.

Figure 2-7: Open Dialog Box, Bind Zone File

Step 6 Click OK.

Network Registrar imports the contents of your BIND zone file, except for any comments.

Configuring a DNS Reverse Zone

In order to have a correct DNS configuration, you must have a reverse zone for each network you are using. A reverse zone is a primary zone that allows the Internet to convert IP addresses back to host names. Reverse zones are all in the special domain, for example, in-addr.arpa.

You can create a reverse zone manually, or if you have configured a reverse zone using BIND, you can import it.

Manually Configuring a Reverse Zone

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the DNS server, for example, DNS@localhost.

Step 2 Click the Add toolbar button to display the Add Zone dialog box (Figure 2-2).

Step 3 Enter the reverse zone name.

Your reverse zone's name is the inverse of your Internet network number added to the special domain in-addr.arpa. For example, if your network number is a.b.c.0, then your inverse zone name is c.b.a.in-addr.arpa. On the other hand, if your network number is a.b.0.0, then your inverse zone name is b.a.in-addr.arpa.

Step 4 Select the Primary option.

Step 5 Click OK.

Step 6 From the Add Primary DNS Zone dialog box, click the SOA (Start of Authority) tab (Figure 2-3).

Step 7 In the Contact email address field, enter the email address of the administrator.

Remember to use "." instead of "@."

Step 8 In the Name of primary server field, enter the name of the primary server.

Use either the host name (ns) or the full name.

If you use the full name, such as ns.example.com., remember to end the name with a period.

Step 9 In the remaining fields, enter the appropriate values for the various times or accept the defaults.

Step 10 Click the Name Servers tab (Figure 2-4).

Step 11 Enter the names of the authoritative servers for the zone that are registered authorities with InterNIC.

Use the full name, such as ns.example.com., and remember to end the name with a period.

Step 12 Click Close.

Note After you have configured a reverse zone, Network Registrar creates all the appropriate host address-to-name entries automatically as you add hosts from the Add Hosts dialog box.

Importing a Reverse Zone From BIND

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the DNS server, for example, DNS@localhost.

Step 2 Click the Add toolbar button to display the Add Zone dialog box (Figure 2-2).

Step 3 In the Name field, enter the reverse zone name.

Step 4 Select the Primary option.

Step 5 Do one of the following:

Enter the name of the BIND zone file. Click OK.
Use the Browse button to locate the BIND zone file. This file might be named hosts.rev.zone_number (Figure 2-8). Click Open.

Figure 2-8: Open Dialog Box, Reverse Zone

Step 6 Click OK.

Network Registrar imports the contents of your BIND zone file, except for any comments.

Note After you have configured a reverse zone, Network Registrar creates all the appropriate host address-to-name entries automatically as you add hosts from the Add Hosts dialog box.

Configuring a DNS Loopback Zone

You need to create a loopback zone, which is a reverse zone that enables a host to resolve the loopback address (127.0.0.1) to the name localhost. The loopback address is used by the host to enable it to direct network traffic to itself. You can configure a loopback zone manually or you can import it from an existing BIND zone file.

Manually Configuring a Loopback Zone

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the DNS server, for example, DNS@localhost.

Step 2 Click the Add toolbar button to display the Add Zone dialog box (Figure 2-2).

Step 3 In the Name field, enter the loopback zone name 0.0.127.in-addr.arpa.

Step 4 Select the Primary option.

Step 5 Click OK.

Step 6 From Add Primary DNS Zone dialog box, click the SOA (Start of Authority) tab (Figure 2-3).

Step 7 In the Contact email address field, enter the email address of the administrator.

Remember to use "." instead of "@."

Step 8 In the Name of primary server field, enter the name of the primary server.

Use the full name, such as ns.example.com., and remember to end the name with a period.

Step 9 In the remaining fields, enter the appropriate values for the various times or accept the defaults.

Step 10 Click the Name Servers tab (Figure 2-4).

Step 11 Enter the names of the authoritative servers for the zone.

Use the full name, ns.example.com., and remember to end the name with a period.

Step 12 Enter the TTL value or accept the default.

The - (dash) in the TTL field means to use the default value.

Step 13 Click the Resource Records tab (Figure 2-9)

Figure 2-9: Resource Records Tab

Step 14 Click Add to display the Add Resource Record dialog box.

Step 15 Click the PTR tab (Figure 2-10).

Figure 2-10: PTR Tab

Step 16 In the Name field, type 1.

Step 17 In the Data field, type localhost.

Remember to include the period after the word localhost.

Step 18 Click OK.

Step 19 Click Close.

Your Resource Record should look like Figure 2-11.

Figure 2-11: Resource Record

Importing a Loopback Zone From BIND

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the DNS server, for example, DNS@localhost.

Step 2 Click the Add toolbar button to display the Add Zone dialog box (Figure 2-2).

Step 3 In the Name field, enter the loopback zone name 0.0.127.in-addr.arpa.

Step 4 Select the Primary option.

Step 5 Do one of the following:

Enter the name of the BIND zone file. Click OK
Use the Browse button to locate the BIND zone file. This file might be named host.loop, 127.localhost, db.127, or db.local.host (Figure 2-12). Click Open.

Figure 2-12: Open Dialog Box

Step 6 Click OK.

Network Registrar imports the contents of your BIND zone file, except for any comments.

Reloading the DNS Server

After you have configured the DNS server, you need to reload it to write the configuration information to Network Registrar's database.

Note You will see a red star on the server in the tree control if the server has never been successfully started. After the server has been started, you will see the red star only if you make a change to the server.

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the server you want to reload.

Step 2 Click the Control toolbar button to display the Control dialog box (Figure 2-13).

Step 3 Select the Reload option.

Figure 2-13: Control Dialog Box

Step 4 Click OK.

Figure 2-14: Server Control Results

Network Registrar displays a dialog box (that tells you whether the server has reloaded successfully and allows you to view the log messages. Every time you stop, start, or reload the server you can view the log messages.

Note To see the entire log, go to the \Registrar\Logs directory and view the filename_dns_1_log.

Configuring a DHCP Server

DHCP is an industry-standard protocol for automatic assignment of IP configuration to workstations. DHCP uses a client-server model for address allocation. You can configure one or more DHCP servers to provide IP address assignments and other TCP/IP-oriented configuration information to your workstations. DHCP frees you from having to manually assign an IP address to each client.

To configure your DHCP server, Network Registrar needs the following:

Your DHCP server's address---You can allow Network Registrar to determine the address or you can specify one

One or more policies---To specify, at a minimum, the lease times for the addresses
One or more pools of addresses (called scopes)---To make IP addresses available to the DHCP server

After your DHCP server is configured, you can view your leases to monitor lease use and availability.

Note Immediately after you have installed Network Registrar, the DHCP server will be in a stopped state because it has no leases to offer. Network Registrar logs a configuration error because there are no leases configured.

Configuring the DHCP Server's Address

Network Registrar, by default, determines the IP address of the interface card on your DHCP server host. If you have several interface cards in your system, Network Registrar uses all of them. If you want to use one interface only, you need to specify the DHCP server's interface address.

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the DHCP server to configure.

Step 2 Click the Show Properties toolbar button to display the DHCP server Properties dialog box.

Step 3 Click the General tab (Figure 2-15).

Figure 2-15: General Tab

Step 4 Click Use interface.

Step 5 In the IP address field, enter the IP address.

Step 6 In the Net mask field, enter the net mask of the server's specific interface card you want to use.

Step 7 Click OK.

Configuring a Policy

Policies allow you to group lease times and other configuration parameters that a DHCP server assigns to a client. These parameters are called DHCP options.

Policies are useful if you have more than one scope at your site. You can create a policy that applies to all the scopes on the current server, or create a policy for a selected scope. Policies are a convenient way of ensuring that your DHCP server supplies all the correct options for scopes, and frees you from the task of specifying the information separately per scope.

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the DHCP server for which you want to create a policy.

Step 2 Click the Show Properties toolbar button to display the DHCP Server Properties dialog box.

Step 3 Click the Policies tab (Figure 2-16).

Figure 2-16: Policies Tab

Step 4 Click New to display the New Policy dialog box (Figure 2-17).

Step 5 In the Name field, enter the policy's name.

Figure 2-17: New Policy Dialog Box

Step 6 Do one of the following:

Select an existing policy to use as the starting point for the new policy.
Select <None> to create a policy from scratch.

Step 7 Click OK.

Step 8 In the Policies dialog box (Figure 2-16), decide whether you want the leases to be permanent (never expire) or whether you want leases to have a duration.

If you want them to be permanent, click Leases are permanent, and skip to Step 11. If you want the leases to be temporary, continue to Step 9.

Step 9 Set the duration of the lease.

Step 10 Set the duration of the grace period.

The lease grace period is the length of time that the lease is retained in the DHCP server's database after it has expired. The grace period protects a client's lease in cases where the client and server are in different time zones, the computer clocks are not synchronized, or the client was not on the network when the lease expired.

Step 11 Click Edit options to select and configure any additional options (Figure 2-18).

Step 12 For all clients, you should configure options for routers, domain name, and domain name servers.

Note If you plan to use dynamic DNS update, you must configure a policy with these options. In addition, if you are using Microsoft networking, you must configure the netbios-name server option (WINS server).

Figure 2-18: Edit Options Dialog Box

Step 13 From the Available column, select the option you want to add.

Step 14 Click Add.

Step 15 Enter the appropriate value in the Option value(s) field.

Step 16 Repeat this procedure to continue adding options.

Step 17 Click OK when you are done.

Step 18 Click Close.

Adding a Scope

A scope contains a set of IP addresses for part of or an entire subnet, and an associated policy that tells DHCP how to operate on these addresses. You must define at least one scope for each subnet on which you want a DHCP server to supply IP addresses to DHCP clients.

Note You can have more than one scope per subnet, and you can combine secondary subnets as well. For more information, see Using Network Registrar or the online help.

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the DHCP server to which you want to add a scope.

Step 2 Click the Add toolbar button to display the Add Scope dialog box (Figure 2-19).

Step 3 In the Name field, enter the name of the scope.

Figure 2-19: Add Scope Dialog Box

Step 4 In the Policy field, do one of the following:

Click the arrows to select the policy you want applied to this scope.
Click the View policy button to create a new policy or edit an existing one.

Step 5 In the Network number field, enter the server's network number, for example, your Internet Class B or Class C address.

Step 6 In the Subnet mask field, enter the subnet mask.

Step 7 In the Start/End Address columns, specify the scope address range by typing a series of single addresses and/or address ranges.

Step 8 Click OK.

Reloading the DHCP Server

After you have configured the DHCP server, you need to reload it to write the configuration information to Network Registrar's database.

Note You will see a red star on the server in the tree control if the server has never been successfully started. After the server has been started, you will only see the red star if you make a change to the server.

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the server you want to reload.

Step 2 Click the Control toolbar button to display the Control dialog box (Figure 2-13).

Step 3 Click Reload.

Step 4 Click OK.

Figure 2-20: Server Control Results

Network Registrar displays a dialog box that tells you whether the server has successfully reloaded, and gives you a chance to view the log messages (Figure 2-20). Every time you stop, start, or reload the server, you have an opportunity to view the log messages.

Note To see the entire log, go to the \Registrar\Logs directory and view the filename_dhcp_1_log.

Viewing Leases

After you have established a scope, you can monitor lease activity from the DHCP Scope Leases tab.

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the scope whose leases you want to view.

Step 2 Click the Show Properties toolbar button to display the Scope dialog box.

Step 3 Click the Leases tab (Figure 2-21).

Figure 2-21: Leases Tab

This dialog box displays the following information:

Address, which lists the leases for the scope

State, which can be one of the following:

Available---A lease that could be given to a client

Unavailable---A lease that is not leasable

Leased---A lease that is held by a client

Expired---A lease that will be available when the grace period expires

Deactivated---An available lease that has been deactivated
R or D, which is one of the following:
- Reserved---A lease that has been allocated to a specific client
- Deactivated---A lease that cannot be offered to another client, although Network Registrar still tracks its state changes
Host address, which is the MAC address of the host machine that was most recently associated with the lease
Host name, which is the name of the host machine

Note If you have a Remote Access Server (RAS) on one of your LANs, you might see it using some of your DHCP leases. RAS servers broadcast DHCP requests continually for the two or three addresses they can use.

Making Reservations

If you would like to ensure that a client always gets the same lease, you need to reserve a lease. You reserve a lease by pairing an IP address with the host's MAC address. You can choose any valid IP address that is within your network number. The IP address does not have to be one that is listed in the scope's range of addresses. In fact, you can use the scope's range of IP numbers for dynamic leases, and use other addresses for reserved leases.

Note Even though a reserved IP address may not be listed in the scope's range of IP addresses, it is still part of the scope, and the policy attached to the scope applies to it.

Network Registrar provides two ways to make reservations. If you want to reserve several leases, use the Reservations tab dialog box. If you want to reserve a lease that is currently held or available, you can do so from the Leases tab dialog box.

Reserving Several Leases

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the DHCP scope that has the appropriate policy for your lease reservation.

Step 2 Click the Show Properties toolbar button to display the Scope Properties dialog box.

Step 3 Click the Reservations tab (Figure 2-22).

Figure 2-22: Reservations Tab

Step 4 In the Lease Address column, enter the IP address for each reservation.

Step 5 In the MAC Address column, enter the MAC address for each reservation.

You can use the arrow keys to move from cell to cell.

Step 6 When you are finished creating reservations, click OK.

Reserving Individual Leases

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the DHCP scope that contains the address or addresses you want to reserve.

Step 2 Click the Show Properties toolbar button to display the Scope Properties dialog box.

Step 3 Click the Leases tab (Figure 2-21).

Step 4 Select the address of the lease you want to reserve.

Step 5 Click Lease properties.

Figure 2-23: Lease Properties Dialog Box

Step 6 In the Lease Properties dialog box (Figure 2-23), select the Reserve lease check box and do one of the following:

If the lease is available, enter the MAC address of the host.
If the lease is leased, Network Registrar copies that MAC address into this field automatically. You can accept this MAC address or type another MAC address.

Step 7 Click OK.

Configuring Dynamic DNS Update

Dynamic DNS update is the integration of DNS and DHCP. The two protocols are complementary: DHCP centralizes and automates the allocation of IP addresses, and dynamic DNS update records automatically the association between assigned addresses and host names.

When you use DHCP and dynamic DNS update, a host is configured automatically for network access whenever it attaches to the IP network. The host can be located and accessed using its permanent, unique DNS host name. Mobile hosts, for example, can move freely around on a network without end-user or administrator intervention.

To configure dynamic DNS update, you need to configure both a DHCP scope and a primary DNS zone, and supply host names. You can request that the Network Registrar generates host names, or you can supply them.

Note You can update only a primary DNS server that supports dynamic DNS update.

Configuring Dynamic DNS Update for the Scope

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-1), select the DHCP scope you want to associate with dynamic DNS update.

Step 2 Click the Show Properties toolbar button.

Step 3 In the DNS tab of the Scope Properties dialog box (Figure 2-24), select the Perform dynamic DNS updates check box.

Figure 2-24: DNS Tab

Step 4 In the DNS zone name field, enter the DNS zone name.

Step 5 In the DNS server IP address field, enter the DNS server's IP address.

Step 6 In the DNS reverse zone name field, enter the DNS reverse zone name.

The Number of host bytes field indicates the number of IP address octets that are in the host name of the inverse DNS zone as opposed to the actual zone name.

Step 7 If you want Network Registrar to create hosts names for hosts that do not supply names, select the Create host names for hosts that don't supply one check box.

If you select this check box, Network Registrar creates a unique host name based on the host name prefix.

Step 8 If you want Network Registrar to use a specific host name prefix, enter one in the Create host name starting with field.

Step 9 Select whether to update DNS before or after providing a lease.

The default is After responding to client.

Caution Do not choose the Before responding to client field if you have Windows 95 clients. Updating DNS before responding to a lease can cause delays, and problems with Windows 95 DHCP clients.

Step 10 Click OK.

Configuring the Corresponding DNS Server

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-25), select the DNS zone that you want to configure for dynamic DNS update.

Figure 2-25: Server Manager Window

Step 2 Click the Show Properties toolbar button to display the Zone Properties dialog box.

Step 3 Click the DHCP tab (Figure 2-26).

Figure 2-26: DHCP Tab

Step 4 Select the Enable dynamic DHCP updates check box.

Step 5 In the Accept updates from these addresses only field, specify the address of the DHCP server from which DNS allows updates.

If you do not list a DHCP server, dynamic updates will not occur.

Step 6 Repeat this procedure for both the zones, for example, the primary zone example.com and the reverse zone 1.168.192.in-addr.arpa.

Note If the DNS zone and the DHCP scope are on the same machine, be sure to include the loopback address 127.0.0.1 in the DNS server's list of addresses from which it accepts updates to ensure that dynamic updates occur in both the primary and reverse zones.

Reloading the Servers

After you have configured the DNS and DHCP servers, you need to reload them to write the configuration information to Network Registrar's database.

Step 1 From the Server Manager window (Figure 2-25), select the first server you want to reload, for example, the DNS server.

Step 2 Click the Control toolbar button to display the Control dialog box (Figure 2-13).

Step 3 Click Reload.

Step 4 Click OK.

Step 5 Repeat Steps 1 through 4 for the second server.

Table of Contents

Configuring Network Registrar