DNS is critial for the proper functioning of LDAP, ActiveDirectory, OpenDirectory, EMail and SSL, and to a lesser extent, things like Apache. There’s a bit you need to know about DNS as a server administrator, and things you need to know working in IT. Here is what you need to have a self contained system – and it’s easier than you think.

I’m using MaraDNS, on an Ubuntu VM, inside of VMWare Fusion. Simple configuration, simple management, lots of speed, and a measure of security. To get a basic recursive DNS server running, all you need is a 3 line config file, and to host a domain, a pair of config files (one of them 4 lines, the other as few as 1 line). And yes, it really is that easy to run a DNS server. I’ve got mine setup at home already, using the domain homelan.lab as to not have it confuse my home network with the internet.