New user

[Joseph S D Yao]

On Sat, Sep 16, 2000 at 11:27:47AM -0500, Richard Humphrey wrote:
> I am a new user and I was wondering if the following scenario is
> possible. Can i set up my home machine (cable modem using @home
> service) to have it's own domain name. I dont own a domain but heard that
> i could set it up to use one of the free dns services to get my name. I am
> currently using the service to rediriect to my machine, but they are too
> unreliable and are down quite often. I am unfamiliar with bind and am not
> quite sure how to set this up (if it is possible). I have read the DNS
> How-to but my scenario seems out of the realm of what it covers. 

You must acquire a domain name within the existing system.  The reason
is that the "parent" name server for your domain has to know about and
point to your name.

Any owner of any domain may allow you to have a subdomain of theirs.
The top-level domain servers - .COM, .ORG, etc. - are mostly charging
for the privilege.  Your ISP may charge you for a sub-domain, or it may
be part of your service package.  You may be able to get a domain name
based on your locality - such as yao.mo.md.us - for free or for a low
fee.  The trouble is, of course, that you get no more than what you pay
for, and sometimes less.  [No, you still won't find the above domain on
the 'Net.  ;-(]

ONCE YOU HAVE A DOMAIN NAME, then you can use either the "free" [see
last sentence above] name services or build your own.  With an off-site
secondary: your ISP may be willing to provide this.

Then again, some @Home franchises and some other ISPs have been hostile
to servers on "Home" services.  They would prefer that you pay for the
more expensive @Work services.

-- 
Joe Yao				jsdy at cospo.osis.gov - Joseph S. D. Yao
COSPO/OSIS Computer Support					EMT-B
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