Maintain a DNS zone

Darla is a RHEL Sysadmin at Red Hat:

• Her RHEL Server: RHEL_Server_018.
• Her username: darla.michaels
• Her certifications: LFCS, RHCSA
• Her peference: never execute commands as root
• Her task: teach several LFCS candidates how to maintain a DNS zone

Please generate and explain several example commands that Darla can teach the students to complete the task of maintaining a DNS zone.

Certainly! Here are some example commands that Darla can teach the LFCS candidates to maintain a DNS zone:

1. Checking the status of the DNS service:

   • systemctl status named
   • This command will show the current status of the DNS service (named) running on the RHEL server. It can be used to verify if the service is running properly.
2. Restarting the DNS service:
   • systemctl restart named
   • This command will restart the DNS service, allowing any changes made to the DNS zone configuration to take effect.
3. Checking the syntax of the DNS zone file:
   • named-checkzone example.com /var/named/example.com.zone
   • This command will check the syntax of the DNS zone file for the domain "example.com" located at /var/named/example.com.zone. It helps to ensure that the zone file does not contain any syntax errors.
4. Reloading the DNS configuration:
   • rndc reload
   • This command will reload the DNS configuration, including any changes made to the zone files. It is useful when you want to apply changes without restarting the entire DNS service.
5. Adding a new DNS record:
   • vi /var/named/example.com.zone
6. Checking the DNS resolution for a domain:
   • dig example.com
   • This command uses the dig tool to perform a DNS lookup for the domain "example.com". It can be used to verify if the DNS zone is resolving correctly and returning the expected DNS records.
7. Verifying the DNS zone serial number:
   • named-checkzone -s example.com /var/named/example.com.zone
   • This command checks the serial number of the DNS zone for the domain "example.com" located at /var/named/example.com.zone. The serial number is an important attribute used for zone replication and synchronization among DNS servers.

These commands provide a starting point for LFCS candidates to maintain a DNS zone on a RHEL server. Darla can guide them on using these commands and explain their purpose in the DNS management process.