|
If you are responsible for network connections in your department or
building, it's a good idea to register as a Network Administrator (NetAdmin)
with the Cornell hostmaster. To do so, send email to
hostmaster@cornell.edu and include the following information:
- The IP address range(s) of your subnet(s)--for example,
128.253.230.64-128.253.230.255
- The name(s) of your domain(s)--for example, dept.cornell.edu
- The names, Network IDs, and e-mail addresses of all the people
who have responsibility for these networks, including yourself
The advantages of registering as a NetAdmin are that you will be able to:
- Update info about your subnets, domains, and hosts in Cornell's
DNS database
(see below)
- Hear from other NetAdmins or the Network Operations Center
if there's a problem that affects your subnet(s)
- Receive announcements of changes that affect your subnet(s), and
announcements of new services such as the DNS database and DHCP support
The DNS database offers a handy way to
- Assign hostnames in your domains to IP addresses on your subnets
- Look up which IP addresses are in use and which are free
- Record attributes for each host, such as secondary addresses,
aliases (cnames), host info (hardware and operating system), and
user's NetID
- Create mail exchange (MX) records, either for individual hosts or for
entire domains, if you run your own mail server
- Keep contact info for all the NetAdmins on your network, so that
NetAdmins from other departments or the Network Operations Center
can find the right person when there's trouble with the networks
- Create an escalation path for the Network Operations Center to use
if a serious problem needs to be reported at night or on a weekend
- Use an optional batch interface if you need
to enter lots of updates at the same time
Information entered in the DNS database is uploaded to the three
Cornell production DNS servers every three hours.
How DNS Works
DNS translates alphanumeric names used by humans
| 2-part domain name |
(ex. cornell.edu) |
| 3-part subdomain name |
(ex. ciser.cornell.edu) |
| 4-part host name |
(ex. gaea.ciser.cornell.edu) |
into numeric IP addresses used by computers
| 3-part subnet |
(ex. 128.253.230) |
| 4-part host address |
(ex. 128.253.230.32) |
Useful DNS & DHCP links from other sites
Questions about this service:
dnsdb-admin@dnsdb.cit.cornell.edu
Comments about this web page: please use our feedback form
Last updated: May 17, 2004
Reformatted: November 23, 2009
|
