                         Introduction to DNS

   This document is meant to be an introduction to DNS for someone
   who has never administrated a DNS server or registered a domain
   before. Being a part of the MaraDNS package, this tutorial
   assumes that one is using the MaraDNS package.

What is DNS?

   DNS is the method that the internet uses to convert
   difficult-to-remember numbers, such as '10.17.243.32', in to
   easy-to-remember names, such as 'www.yahoo.com'. The reason for
   this conversion is because the underlying protocol for the
   internet, TCP/IP, uses difficult-to-remember numbers to connect
   to other computers.

What is a DNS server

   A DNS server is a program that performs the DNS conversion
   from names in to number. There are three kinds of DNS servers
   out there:

     * DNS servers which can convert most DNS nodes in to their
       corresponding number. These DNS servers are called
       recursive DNS servers. This kind of server can not change
       the names of any DNS nodes out there. Instead, they
       simply ask other DNS servers the IP for a given DNS node.

       This kind of DNS server does not depend on one's ISP's DNS
       servers to resolve a given name, but directly contacts the
       relevant authoritative DNS servers anywhere on the internet
       to resolve a given DNS node.
     * DNS servers which can only convert DNS nodes which a
       DNS server administrator manages from DNS nodes in to
       IPs. The DNS server administrator can change the IPs that
       the DNS nodes have. These kinds of DNS servers are called
       authoritative DNS servers. Recursive DNS servers contact
       authoritative DNS servers in order to learn the IP for a
       given DNS node.
     * DNS servers which simply cache information obtained from
       other recursive DNS servers. The "Deadwood" program included
       with MaraDNS supports this type of configuration via the
       "upstream_servers" mararc variable; this program can also
       act as a full fledged recursive DNS server.

   MaraDNS' "Deadwood" program is a recursive DNS server; the
   "maradns" program is an authoritative DNS server. Whether one
   needs a recursive or an authoritative DNS server depends on what
   one is trying to do with dns:

     * If one simply wishes to contact other sites on the internet,
       one only needs to set up a recursive DNS server.
       Tutorial for setting up MaraDNS as a recursive DNS
       server
     * If one wishes to register domains, and have their own
       computers serve the domain names in question, then one needs
       to set up an authoritative DNS server. Tutorial for
       setting up MaraDNS as an authoritative DNS server.
     * If one has a current DNS setup using another DNS server,
       this document details how to convert from another DNS
       server to MaraDNS.
