karl@cheops.cis.ohio-state.edu (Karl Kleinpaste) (05/25/89)
My fingers can only take so much... I've gotten about 4 requests of this general flavor: We're about to be connected to [pick a regional IP network], and I'd like to offer nameservice/MX for a couple of our UUCP neighbors also. Could you please be so kind as to explain how to do that? I figured that there must be a pretty severe need for a description of how one goes about setting up to do such things. This file describes how I do it. It's certainly not the only way, but some parts (e.g., registration with the NIC) are definitely unavoidable. Note that this is for a new domain in one of the non-geographical top-level domains, e.g., com, edu, org, that sort of thing - not for hosts in the .us domain. Supporting such a lone host only requires a one-line change to sendmail.cf, and not all the related cruft with new nameserver zone files that new entities in the organizational top-level domains require, which is what I describe here. A concrete example is provided. There's several steps to this: [1] Fill out a domain registration form; [2] Add the new domain to your nameserver configuration; [3] Reconfigure your sendmail slightly so that mail addressed to the new domain is sent via UUCP rather than TCP; and [4] make sure that your UUCP transport (smail, for me) understands how to translate that into a suitable UUCP path. Details follow. Have the intended registree fill out a copy of the NIC's NETINFO:DOMAIN-TEMPLATE.TXT; a copy is included at the end. Have them fill out questions 1, 2, 4, 8 and 10. The rest is filled in by yourself, since you're the one who'll be running their nameserver and know about the configuration. For a backup nameserver to be running as secondary, I have a couple of friends with whom I routinely exchange services of performing secondary - find yourself a friendly person and develop a reasonable relationship for such stuff, it'll work out well for both of you in the long run. Anyhow, have them fill out the form and return it to you. You fill in the rest of the items which they can't answer (notably, listing yourself as the technical/zone contact), and send it off to hostmaster@sri-nic.arpa. So far, this is just another domain registration. Then you need to reconfigure your nameserver slightly to include the new domain. Here's my zone file for one of my recent new domains, resource.com: resource.com. in soa tut.cis.ohio-state.edu. karl.tut.cis.ohio-state.edu. ( 890516 ; serial 86400 ; refresh 300 ; retry 3600000 ; expire 86400 ) ; minimum resource.com. in ns tut.cis.ohio-state.edu. resource.com. in ns cheops.cis.ohio-state.edu. resource.com. in ns giza.cis.ohio-state.edu. resource.com. in ns saqqara.cis.ohio-state.edu. resource.com. in ns accuvax.nwu.edu. resource.com. in mx 0 saqqara.cis.ohio-state.edu. * in mx 0 saqqara.cis.ohio-state.edu. Install that in some appropriate place with suitable name changes appropriate to your systems which are performing NS service and the domain which you're registering. I find it's wise to have the nameserver already providing service for the new domain before you actually send the registration to hostmaster; then you can note in the registration application that things are already up and running. Of course, when you install the new zone file above with appropriate changes, you'll need to add a line to the boot file for your nameserver, thus: primary resource.com /etc/named.d/resource.com I put all zone files into /etc/named.d - a pseudo-SysV sort of directory into which to put such things. If it doesn't happen any other time, make sure that you restart your nameserver at some point so that the reconfiguration takes effect. (Well, of course, you knew that, if you run a nameserver already - but I'm trying to forestall confusion and mistakes and so forth.) Then you need to reconfigure your sendmail.cf to understand the new domain and send it off via UUCP rather than letting your sendmail get confused by the domain syntax and try to send it via TCP. I do it thusly: ## The class C is the set of commercial domains to which we speak UUCP ## directly. These are not hosts within your domain, but whole domains ## external to yourself. CCatt pyramid stargate netsys copi morningstar resource ... S0 ... R$+<@$*$=C.com> $#smail$@$2$3.com$:$1 Commercial R$+<@$*dallas.tx.us> $#smail$@$2dallas.tx.us$:$1 Killer-spcl R$+<@$*ysu.edu> $#smail$@$2ysu.edu$:$1 Youngstown State Note that I support direct domain-addressable things for a number of .com entities, so I define a whole class just for that purpose. (I'm not formally listed as the MX for all of them, e.g., Pyramid and AT&T; but I have direct links to them and see no reason to use the Internet for mail going to the far side of town to AT&T, for example.) Other than those, it's a bunch of special cases. Note that I use smail as my UUCP mailer. This, then, must in turn require that I have a /usr/lib/uucp/paths file which understands the domain translations for suitable UUCP destinations. For the Resource example, I must make sure that my paths file contains a line such as resource.com resource!%s Thus, S0 of sendmail.cf will detect "anything@resource.com" and invoke smail on such a destination with exactly that syntax; when smail gets a grip on it, it'll translate it to "resource!anything," which is exactly what is needed. That's it (he said wryly) - once those things are done, you're both the nameserver as well as the MX forwarder for the new domain. Below are a copy of the NIC's domain template, as well as the domain registration which I sent in for resource.com. Enjoy, --Karl ---------------- [ NETINFO:DOMAIN-TEMPLATE.TXT ] [ 9/88 ] To establish a domain, the following information must be sent to the NIC Domain Registrar (HOSTMASTER@SRI-NIC.ARPA). Questions may be addressed to the NIC Hostmaster by electronic mail at the above address, or by phone at (415) 859-3695 or (800) 235-3155. NOTE: The key people must have electronic mailboxes and NIC "handles," unique NIC database identifiers. If you have access to "WHOIS", please check to see if you are registered and if so, make sure the information is current. Include only your handle and any changes (if any) that need to be made in your entry. If you do not have access to "WHOIS", please provide all the information indicated and a NIC handle will be assigned. (1) The name of the top-level domain to join. For example: COM (2) The NIC handle of the administrative head of the organization. Alternately, the person's name, title, mailing address, phone number, organization, and network mailbox. This is the contact point for administrative and policy questions about the domain. In the case of a research project, this should be the principal investigator. For example: Administrator Organization The NetWorthy Corporation Name Penelope Q. Sassafrass Title President Mail Address The NetWorthy Corporation 4676 Andrews Way, Suite 100 Santa Clara, CA 94302-1212 Phone Number (415) 123-4567 Net Mailbox Sassafrass@ECHO.TNC.COM NIC Handle PQS (3) The NIC handle of the technical contact for the domain. Alternately, the person's name, title, mailing address, phone number, organization, and network mailbox. This is the contact point for problems concerning the domain or zone, as well as for updating information about the domain or zone. For example: Technical and Zone Contact Organization The NetWorthy Corporation Name Ansel A. Aardvark Title Executive Director Mail Address The NetWorthy Corporation 4676 Andrews Way, Suite 100 Santa Clara, CA. 94302-1212 Phone Number (415) 123-6789 Net Mailbox Aardvark@ECHO.TNC.COM NIC Handle AAA2 (4) The name of the domain (up to 12 characters). This is the name that will be used in tables and lists associating the domain with the domain server addresses. [While, from a technical standpoint, domain names can be quite long (programmers beware), shorter names are easier for people to cope with.] For example: TNC (5) A description of the servers that provide the domain service for translating names to addresses for hosts in this domain, and the date they will be operational. A good way to answer this question is to say "Our server is supplied by person or company X and does whatever their standard issue server does." For example: Our server is a copy of the one operated by the NIC; it will be installed and made operational on 1 November 1987. (6) Domains must provide at least two independent servers for the domain. Establishing the servers in physically separate locations and on different PSNs is strongly recommended. A description of the primary and secondary server machines, including - Host domain name and network addresses - Any domain-style nicknames (please limit your domain-style nickname request, if any, to one) - Hardware and software, using keywords from the Assigned Numbers RFC. The preferred format for this information is: Primary Server: HOST-DOMAIN-NAME, NETADDRRESS, HARDWARE, SOFTWARE Secondary Server: HOST-DOMAIN-NAME, NETADDRRESS, HARDWARE, SOFTWARE Example: Primary Server: BAR.FOO.COM, 10.9.0.13, VAX-11/750, UNIX Secondary Server: XYZ.ABC.COM, 128.4.2.1, IBM-PC, MS-DOS (7) Planned mapping of names of any other network hosts (including any ARPANET or MILNET hosts), other than the server machines, into the new domain's naming space. For example: BAR-FOO2.ARPA (10.8.0.193) -> FOO2.BAR.COM BAR-FOO3.ARPA (10.7.0.193) -> FOO3.BAR.COM BAR-FOO4.ARPA (10.6.0.193) -> FOO4.BAR.COM (8) An estimate of the number of hosts that will be in the domain. (a) Initially (b) Within one year (c) Two years (d) Five years. For example: (a) Initially = 50 (b) One year = 100 (c) Two years = 200 (d) Five years = 500 (9) The date you expect the fully qualified domain name to become the official host name in HOSTS.TXT, if applicable. Please note: Registration of a domain does not imply an automatic name change to previously registered ARPANET or MILNET hosts that will be included in the domain. Please list below the official host names and network addresses of any ARPANET or MILNET hosts that now appear in HOSTS.TXT whose names will change as a result of this domain registration. (Also be sure to answer question # 7, above.) (10) Please describe your organization briefly. For example: The NetWorthy Corporation is a consulting organization of people working with UNIX and the C language in an electronic networking environment. It sponsors two technical conferences annually and distributes a bimonthly newsletter. PLEASE ALLOW AT LEAST 10 WORKING DAYS FOR PROCESSING THIS APPLICATION ---------------- To: hostmaster@sri-nic.arpa Subject: Domain registration: RESOURCE.COM (1) The name of the top-level domain to join. COM (2) The NIC handle of the administrative head of the organization. Alternately, the person's name, title, mailing address, phone number, organization, and network mailbox. This is the contact point for administrative and policy questions about the domain. In the case of a research project, this should be the principal investigator. Administrator Organization Resource Systems Name Bryan M. Beck Title Programmer/Technical Specialist Mail Address Resource Systems 2545 Farmers Drive, Suite 390 Columbus, Ohio 43235 Phone Number (614) 764-7800 Net Mailbox bryan@resource.com NIC Handle -not yet registered- (3) The NIC handle of the technical contact for the domain. Alternately, the person's name, title, mailing address, phone number, organization, and network mailbox. This is the contact point for problems concerning the domain or zone, as well as for updating information about the domain or zone. Technical and Zone Contact Organization The Ohio State University, Computer Science Dept Name Karl Kleinpaste Title Senior Researcher Mail Address 2036 Neil Ave Mall Columbus, OH 43210 Phone Number 614/292-7347 Net Mailbox karl@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu NIC Handle KK53 (4) The name of the domain (up to 12 characters). This is the name that will be used in tables and lists associating the domain with the domain server addresses. [While, from a technical standpoint, domain names can be quite long (programmers beware), shorter names are easier for people to cope with.] RESOURCE (5) A description of the servers that provide the domain service for translating names to addresses for hosts in this domain, and the date they will be operational. TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU, BIND 4.8 ACCUVAX.NWU.EDU, BIND 4.8 Already operational (6) Domains must provide at least two independent servers for the domain. Establishing the servers in physically separate locations and on different PSNs is strongly recommended. A description of the primary and secondary server machines, including TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU, 128.146.8.60, Pyramid 98x, OSx 4.0 ACCUVAX.NWU.EDU, 129.105.49.1, MicroVAX-II, 4.3BSD (7) Planned mapping of names of any other network hosts (including any ARPANET or MILNET hosts), other than the server machines, into the new domain's naming space. None. (8) An estimate of the number of hosts that will be in the domain. (a) Initially = 2 (b) One year = 6 (c) Two years = 10 (d) Five years = 20 (9) The date you expect the fully qualified domain name to become the official host name in HOSTS.TXT, if applicable. N/A. (10) Please describe your organization briefly. Resource Systems is a health care information system consulting firm specializing in decision suport systems developed in 4GL languages in a UNIX, XENIX, VMS enviornments. PLEASE ALLOW AT LEAST 10 WORKING DAYS FOR PROCESSING THIS APPLICATION