Common DNS implementations

BIND, also called named (for name daemon), is the DNS tool most often implemented in Linux, and is arguably both the most flexible and complete, as well as the most difficult to configure and troubleshoot. For better or worse, though, it's the service you are most likely to see and to implement in most organizations. The two main implementation use cases are outlined in the next two sections.

DNS Masquerade (dnsmasq) is a competing DNS server implementation. It's commonly seen on network appliances because of its small footprint, but also makes a fine DNS server for a smaller organization. The key advantages to Dnsmasq would include its built-in graphical user interface (GUI) that can be used for reporting, as well as its integration with DHCP (which we'll discuss in the next chapter), allowing DNS registration directly from the DHCP database. In addition, Dnsmasq implements a friendly way to implement DNS blocklists, which are very nicely...