Configuring a host to use a name server

To configure a host to use a name server, use this procedure.

1. Create an /etc/resolv.conf file by running the following command:

   touch /etc/resolv.conf

2. On the first line of the /etc/resolv.conf file, type the word domain followed by the full name of the domain that this host is in. For example:

   domain abc.aus.century.com

3. On any blank line below the domain line, type the word nameserver, followed by at least one space, followed by the dotted decimal Internet address of the name server that this host is to use (the name server must serve the domain indicated by the domain statement).
   You can have up to 3 name server entries. For example, your /etc/resolv.conf file might contain the entries:

   nameserver 192.9.201.1
   nameserver 192.9.201.2

   The system queries the name servers in the order listed.

   search domainname_list

   Alternatively, the search keyword could be used to specify the order in which the resolver will query the domain list. In this case, domainname_list values are abc.aus.century.com and aus.century.com. The domainname_list can have a maximum of 1024 character strings, each separated by a space.

4. Assuming the name server is operational, you can test the communication between the host and the name server by typing the following command:

   host hostname

   Use the name of a host that should be resolved by the name server to see if the process is working. The output you receive should appear similar to the following:

   brown.abc.aus.century.com is 129.35.145.95