Totally lost

[lwinstead]

I'm not entirely - but pretty much - new to using linux. I'm trying to install the community version of Zimbra on Ubuntu 6.06, and I'm totally stuck in trying to configure my DNS settings. I followed the "Ubuntu 6.06 Server (Dapper Drake) Beginner's Install Guide" word-for-word, but when I run "nslookup duratechind.com" it always comes back saying:

Server: 10.10.1.50
Address: 10.10.1.50#53

** server can't find duratechind.com: SERVFAIL

I'm totally lost on how to fix it. I think I've read every article in this forum on split DNS and nothing seems to apply to my situation. I can't even find articles that apply to Ubuntu! Can someone please help me through this? If I can't even get the OS setup properly, I'll never get Zimbra actually working... Sheesh.

[seanhogge]

Moments ago, I just solved my own DNS issues. So I can help with the very very basic stuff.

Some stuff that those in the know usually like to have are the results of the following commands (just paste them in to a reply between CODE tags).

host `hostname`
cat /etc/hosts
cat /etc/resolv.conf
dig yourdomain.com mx
dig yourdomain.com any

[lwinstead]

root@zmail:~# host `hostname`
Host zmail not found: 3(NXDOMAIN)

root@zmail:~# cat /etc/hosts
127.0.0.1   localhost.localdomain   localhost
10.10.1.50   zmail.duratechind.com   zmail
(followed by IPv6 info)

root@zmail:~# cat /etc/resolv.conf
nameserver 10.10.1.50

root@zmail:~# dig +short duratechind.com mx
(nothing)

root@zmail:~# dig +short duratechind.com any
(nothing)

---

I think I understand that, fundamentally, my problem lies within the fact that I'm running Ubuntu under VMware Workstation, on a Windows domain, that is behind a NATting firewall. I believe I've got the ports open on the firewall necessary to get this thing running, but there's something I'm missing, I'm sure. Also, my Ubuntu box (zmail) has a static IP address from my Windows domain, so I'm not sure how DNS resolution is happening, if at all. I'm wondering if I shouldn't give it a *different* address like 192.168.x.x.

[Krishopper]

Is named running on that machine?

Does the following return anything?

# dig +short a localhost @10.10.1.50

Can you ping an outside IP address from the machine? For example, do a "nslookup www.google.com" from a workstation that is able to do DNS lookups, and try to ping one of those IP's form the 10.10.1.50 machine.

[phoenix]

Ubuntu 6.06 Server (Dapper Drake) Beginner's Install Guide - Zimbra :: Wiki

[lwinstead]

First off, Phoenix, that's the guide I mentioned following in my first post. That guide is missing lots of information; I'll have to see if I can't contact the author.

Krishopper, I honestly don't know if "named" is running on my box. As for querying with dig, it returns stuff now, but two days ago I was getting nothing. Oh, and after following the aforementioned guide, I was able to properly ping outside sources no problem.

Secondly, I "fixed" my problem, although I'm still trying to figure out where the problem was. The two things I did was to change the "forwarders" section of /etc/bind/named.conf.options to point to my Windows DNS server (I honestly don't know if that did anything), and I added an A record to my Windows DNS server for my Ubuntu machine.

Again, keep in mind that my Ubuntu box is a virtual machine running inside a Windows Active Directory domain. I got to the point where I thought I had to have more connections with the AD infrastructure. But other than those two changes, nothing else was done. Now I'm past the DNS troubles and trying to figure out why the logging service for zimbra won't start.