>1) I know that as an email admin, I need to know much more about DNS, >and specifically how to configure it. I have seen posts, both here and >elsewhere, that argue the superiority of BIND over MS-DNS. I don't know >if that is true, since I have also seen posts that argue the opposite >(well, if not superiority, at least equality). In your informed >opinion, should I learn BIND, which will require a complete rebuild? Or >should I learn more about MS-DNS and simply fix what's broke? I already >know a bit about MS-DNS, so the learning curve isn't as steep. But if >BIND is truly superior, then I feel like I should learn how to use it.
We've ran both, and have found BIND to be rock solid, where MS-DNS was up and down (easily corrupted DNS cache = users who can't do DNS lookups). Search the archives, there are many examples of MS-DNS working acceptably in an intranet environment, but it falls flat when exposed to the Internet. For someone in your position (not really knowing DNS that well), I would choose bind, and purchase the O'Reilly book "DNS and BIND". This is an EXCELLENT book will not only teach you BIND, you will learn valuable "core" DNS principles that apply to any DNS server setup. I am not aware of a similar book for MS-DNS. Email is highly dependant on DNS, being a successful mail server admin will require you to buckle down and learn the ins and outs of DNS. > >2)Should I build an independent cacheing-only nameserver for IMAIL on >the IMAIL server? The hardware could handle it, I'm sure (dual AthlonMP >2200+, 1G ECC PC2100, W2KS). What would be the pros and cons of this? You could depending on your mail load, but personally I would do it on a seperate server(s). Wherever DNS is hosted, just remember: if DNS isn't working reliably, your IMail server at best won't deliver any mail, at worst will lock up the entire server and force you to power cycle it. If you're using Declude (which I highly recommend) your DNS traffic will again increase, as each message received by the Imail server will cause a DNS query for each blacklist test you run against it. - Tony --- [This E-mail was scanned for viruses by http://www.intouchmi.com] To Unsubscribe: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/mailing-lists.html List Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/imail_forum%40list.ipswitch.com/ Knowledge Base/FAQ: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/IMail/
