DNS problem

[Kerry Thompson]

lorenzdominic_ at hotmail.com said:
> Hi
> I would like to know how DNS works for me at the moment I am a little
> confused as to how it works even though it does work?
>
> I have a Windows 98 client statically assigned IP address 10.0.0.25
> attached to a Windows SBS 2003 IP address is 10.0.0.10

You've posted to a mailing list which is focused on the BIND server, which
runs predominantly on Unix systems. So you're a bit off-topic for this
list,  nevermind.

>
> I have set the Gateway for the (ADSL/Router)on the Win98 client to
> 10.0.0.138, I also have only one DNS setting on the Win98 client set to
> the same IP Address as the Server 10.0.0.10. Therefore I assume that
> the Win98 client uses the DNS from the Server to resolve IP Adresses
> but if it cannot resolve them what happens next?

Yes. The client sends all DNS queries to the server.

>
> If the Server DNS is allowing me to find a website on the internet how
> does it work seeing that the only records I can find on the DNS server
> are local?
>

Look at the server configuration some more. Somewhere in there it is
configured to forward DNS queries to Internet servers, maybe the same ones
that got automatically configured on your ADSL router.

> I know the Gateway automatically receives the IP Adresses for the 2 DNS
> servers from our Internet Provider.
>
> How is it that I am able to connect to the internet? Does the DNS from
> the Server play any part in the matter, or is the Gateway used to
> supply to the Win98 client the DNS settings so that I can get on the
> internet?

Yes, the DNS server on the server receives a query fron the Win98 client,
forwards it to an Internet DNS server (probably ones operated by your ISP)
and sends the answer back to the client. If you ran a network packet
sniffer ( such as Ethereal ) on your server, you would be able to see this
actually happening.

>
>
> Your help is appreciated.
>
> If you have an ideal settings let me know.

For this small home/SOHO network, anything that works is probably the
ideal configuration. What you've got now sounds OK.

Kerry

-- 
Kerry Thompson
IT Security Consultant
http://www.crypt.gen.nz