DNS in Twenty-One Hours

Question

I want the equivalent online resource to DNS in Twenty-One Days. I need one evening's reading that will explain what the different record types do, how do propagation and caching work, what is an SoA, etc.

I don't want anything that begins by explaining what DNS is.

Can anybody please point me in the right direction to find some online 'DNS for Geniuses' guide, please?

Answer 1

Check out DNS for Rocket Scientists

It does start with a very brief "What DNS is" but you can easily skip that.

You can also check out Records 101 which gives a good overview of the different record types - the examples are specific to DNSMadeEasy though.

Answer 2

I keep DNS and BIND on my bedside table. It was good to get me going (I used the TOC and skipped the "What is DNS" bits), and it keeps on giving me confidence and a helping hand.

I don't normally buy soot-on-dead-trees books, but this one is a rare exception that has repaid me many times over.

Answer 3

When I set up DNS for the first time I read DNS HOWTO. It worked pretty well for me.

Answer 4

The definitive source, and quite readable (IMO):

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1035.txt