>:  -----Original Message-----
>:  From: Dana S. Millaway [mailto:dmillaway at holdingford.k12.mn.us] 
>:  Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2005 10:51 AM
>:  To: technology MSET (technology at mset.k12.mn.us); TC Lug 
>:  (tclug-list at mn-linux.org); MEMO SID 
>:  (memo-it at lists.hopkins.k12.mn.us); (scalug-list at mn-linux.org)
>:  Subject: How to name computers you plan to reference on dns server
>:  
>:  
>:  I am sure this is an easy question for most of you but I 
>:  have tried various Google searches and searches in the 
>:  Cobalt archives and either it is so simple a question, no 
>:  one has asked or I am not using the right combination of 
>:  search terms.  :p  
>:  
>:  I have a Cobalt Qube Pro3 running as our dns (and email and 
>:  webserver) for the school.  The initial setup was easy 
>:  because the only server we needed to point our users to was 
>:  the Qube and I was able to use the admin gui (the OS is a 
>:  modified RedHat 6 or 7 from Sun).  However, now I need to 
>:  add several servers to the dns records - mostly web-based 
>:  applications for gradebooks and student curriculum.  These 
>:  services are running on Win2K server, Win 2003 server (but 
>:  we don't run a domain controller), Novell 6.5, and Linux.  
>:  When I try to add forward and reverse records to the 
>:  primary services in the gui, it insists on using our domain 
>:  and accepts the settings when I save.  I thought it was 
>:  working but it is just my computer that works - perhaps 
>:  because I have accessed several of the servers from My 
>:  Network Places.  The other windows and mac machines I have 
>:  tried the links with cannot find the server.
>:  
>:  Is there something special to how I have to name the 
>:  servers when I am configuring them?  Is it possible to make 
>:  a workgroup for the windows servers that would be named 
>:  like our domain name?  Is there some other file on the Qube 
>:  I need to edit?  I would really prefer to have the dns 
>:  method work because as we grow, some of the servers may 
>:  change and my users don't get how to change the ip address 
>:  in the web address bar of their browser.
>:  
>:  I apologize for the cross-posting but I need to also 
>:  install security certificates on some of the servers and I 
>:  cannot do that until I am sure I have the servers named 
>:  appropriately.
>:  
>:  Thanks in advance for any pointers, fixes or well-wishes.  ;)  
>:  (And I understand if I draw a few flames/RTM responses).   
>:  
>:  
A couple of clarifications for those who responded:

1.  I have only 1 dns server within our system and it is running primary
services only.  It gets its dns information when necessary from another
server upstream from us.

2.  Our dns server IS NOT a windows box and I don't intend to put dns on
a windoze box. :P

A development in the saga:

I tried pinging the family info server using just its hostname and got
the server not found message.  But when I pinged it with our domain name
after it, it responded.  So I specified the full name in the web address
and voila!, it worked on both a mac and a win98 machine.  I setup
records for another of our app servers in the dns and it worked too.
Yippee.

So my remaining concern would be how to fill in the names of these app
servers when I purchase my SSL certs.  Do I use just the host name or
the full name - ie - myserver.mydomain.k12.mn.us ?