This is a small tutorial to help you understand, use, and configure Domain Naming System (DNS).

First off lets discuss the basics of DNS, first off DNS is a protocol just like TCP/IP, or any other computer protocol.By saying protocol I mean a list of rules on how things are done for a specific command. In the case of DNS it is used to apply a name resolution process for networked computers. It resolves your IP address into a naming scheme that is user friendly. So that when your connecting to a persons computer you dont have to say connect to 192.168.10.100 but connect to MYNETWORK. That is a lot easier than remembering a bunch of numbers. Online the definition of DNS is as follows

(1) Short for Domain Name System (or Service), an Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. Because domain names are alphabetic, they're easier to remember. The Internet however, is really based on IP adresses. Every time you use a domain name, therefore, a DNS service must translate the name into the corresponding IP address. For example, the domain name www.LoginMatrix.com might translate to 198.105.232.4.

The DNS system is, in fact, its own network. If one DNS server doesn't know how to translate a particular domain name, it asks another one, and so on, until the correct IP address is returned.

(2) Short for digital nervous system, a term coined by Bill Gates to describe a network of personal computers that make it easier to obtain and understand information.

Now that you have a brief introductio into DNS we can further discuss its configuration, or how exactly are we going to use this. Well first step is get yourself a netwrork. Next you want to make sure you have the neccesities things like NIC cards and a HUB, Router, Switch, or crossover cable. Once you have this all connected you want to pick the computer to be the server. The main computer that holds all the protocol services and shares them with all your other client computers. This is usually on a home network, the best machine you have.

Now go into its command area and install DNS server service, you'll need to specify names and ip addresses for your DNS server so make sure your in a domain or workgroup. Now that youve installed it you need to activate it. This can be done by opening up the DNS management console and right clicking your server name and going to tasks then start. At this point your pretty much set. Now go on all your client computers configure there network properties to look at your servers name or ip address for DNS. Then you reboot if it asks and when you log back on open up a command prompt and type ipconfig /registerdns this will look for the new server you configured and will attempt a name resolution. If there is a problem then wait a few minutes and try again because sometimes network quereies and replication can take a little while. If you still get no response make sure you have no firewall service running, I did this one and I spent 35 man hours trying to figure out why I couldnt get any resolution, then I disabled my firewall and it fired right up.

Also if your having a problem try to make sure you have connectivity, ping your server and ping your self. Sometimes its a connection problem, but in most cases its the simplist little thing you forgot to uncheck or check a little box or something. So once your confident you have a connection and you still cant get resolution, try installing the WINS service on your server and enable NETBIOS over TCP/IP. This will most of the time fix your problem if your runnung multiple different OS's. I know that 2000 advanced server and XP dont speak well, and ME,95,98,3.1 have some weird things they like to be in place. I use .Net Server 2003 and 2000 Advanced Server as my servers, and my clients are XP, and 2000 Pro. I have no problems with my connection.

So I hope by now you have learned the basics of setting up DNS on your computer. I am hosting the Troubleshooting Forum on the LoginMatrix Forum page so if you've tried everything above and you still get nothing, ask in the forum and ill figure out what you need to do to help solve your problem.