a little DNS help

[John Cesta]

Here's my situation. I have a hosting server that has been fine for
years. I know that I didn't configure the DNS server as optimum as I
could have but it works. I am configuring a new server and using
SimpleDNS. I would like to know the best way to set it up. Not
SImpleDNS necessarily but DNS in general.

Here is how I have one of our current servers configured.

Server name: www
It's a workgroup not a domain

The main IP in the NIC adapter is: 216.216.219.20

The DNS server registered at Internic is: dns.lookwww.com

I have a zone file in the primary DNS called:  lookwww.com.DNS  It
looks like this:

;[*-DeEnesse-*]
;
;Forward Mapping File
;
;[SOA]
lookwww.com. IN     SOA    lookwww.com. john.lookwww.com. (
2000100949
1080
3600
604800
86400 )
;
;[Name Servers]
lookwww.com.     IN     NS    dns.lookwww.com.
lookwww.com.     IN     NS    ns2.primarydns.com.
;
;[Mail Servers]
lookwww.com.     IN     MX     10     mail
;
;[Host Addresses]
lookwww.com.     IN     A     216.219.244.20
;
;[Aliases]
mail.lookwww.com.        IN        A        216.219.241.33
dns.lookwww.com.        IN        A        216.219.244.20
www.lookwww.com. ;       IN        A        216.219.244.20
;
;[Text Files]
;
;[Responsible Persons]
;


I know that there are technical problems with this setup. And although
 this has always worked I want to make it right this next time around.

1. What are the steps to creating a new DNS host?

2. Does it matter what I name the computer?

3. When I create the DNS host with a particular IP does the primary IP
in the computer's NIC adapter need to be the one I register or can it
be one of the IPs in the NICs Advanced section?

4. If the DNS host is going to be named: dns.newdnshost.com what is
the zone file configuration or is there one?

5. Can I name the DNS host the same domain name as I use on the server
as a Web site or is that  bad idea?

These are a few of the questions that I have in trying to get the new
DNS server configured properly and in gaining a better understanding
of DNS.

I know that this is the iMAIL list and I use it for that but the users
in this list know more about DNS than the DNS group! :)

Thanks,

John Cesta