DNS Service: I need to know

[cadbilbao]

Hi!

I come from Unix world, and when you have configured a LAN and want to access another machine, you have to set it up at '/etc/hosts' file.

But on Windows 2000 Server, I bump into DNS Service.

I would be extremely obliged if anybody could explain me if this service resembles '/etc/hosts' file, or the purpose of it.

Regards.

 

[SheldonC]

A DNS will do the same as the host files and lmhost file. But, the DNS is a central point of the network, which is needed in a big microsoft network, to determine who is on the network and what they offer. It does the forward/reverse lookups for protocols and can also be tied in with AC (Active Directory) in Windows 2000. You do not need a DNS on a smaller network, unless you want to minimize traffic.

 

[Kurlach]

Hi
When you start using Windows 2000 you'll find DNS at every corner. DNS is completely integrated with Windows 2000 so it's best to get used to it and maybe purchase a book or two from amazon.com. In fact, if you check Active Directory Users and Computers you'll see that your domain is listed as an FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name). As someone else said, it does the forward and reverse lookups for your network, resolving IP addresses to logical DNS names. One benefit of 2k is that Servers (and 2k Pro workstations too I think) is that they can dynamically update the DNS records and add themselves in when they come online, minimising administration time. I hope this helps