DNS, Apache, Firewall Configuration HowTo Guides

[ping00]

I find that some areas within linux are impossible to get any information on, online or offline (bookstores).

eg - in searching for a guide to how to do DNS configs, websites tend to be vendor-application focused - leaving anyone new to linux wondering if there's a point to read through it all, only to find that nope it won't work on that version of the service or the distro of linux you happen to have.
(I find that happens a lot with linux in general - and the manual really only helps if you already understand what the command and the switches are doing, and what order they go in).

What I'd personally find helpful for the DNS for example, would be a list of the bare minimum lines that have to be included or added to the config files, and exactly what formats they take. Even just pointers like 'when you write in the admin contact email, if you don't have a real email address to put it, then use this format: ' or 'this is the domain you are to configure, and given that domain name and its IP / IPs, these are the lines you enter in for 1)name servers 2)email servers, etc'

I do find the notes on linuxzoo helpful*, but for me personally I really am lost on the DNS config (though the process of how DNS itself works, I am fine with & it makes sense), and some bits and pieces on the latter tutorials.

- how about using the test to illustrate the steps required for each question? bad idea, good idea, woulda be done anyway?



*unlike the majority of linux notes online - I get the impression that search engines are serving up a lot of pages written by 'gurus' who have actually just copy-pasted instructions they never used themselves...and the more people that click-on them looking for info, the more hits those pages get, meaning they are more likely to be clicked-on again in further searches...

[ping00]

I found a book in Glasgow the other day that is actually good,

but I'd still like to know what the answers to the practical should have been - is that going to happen? Cause in some cases it's obvious what went wrong - what was needed to know wasn't known of, but in other cases it isn't at all clear what the answers ought to have been.

For instance I found via the new book that I should have used 'groupmod' to change a group ID, but I didn't know about that so had changed it in the config file - even though it worked it only came up as something like 33%. But I'm not entirely sure if that is indeed what I did wrong - & if it works, then why the low mark? Does the group ID get recorded in more than one config file?

I'm not a 'happy with a pass' kind of person when I still don't know how to do what I'm meant to know.

[drgrussell]

You forgot the chgrp command to change all the old files in the old group to the new group id.

[stugster]

Tell me about it

I didn't get any marks for fixing a completely separate apache error, too! :p

[ping00]

I can't recall the exact question now, but I don't think it said to also change all the files - it just said to move some user from one group to another.

eg, from here:

http://linuxzoo.net/page/wk04.html

Moving a uid or gid

Useful Commands
$ chown jim.staff filename
$ chown jim filename
$ chgrp staff filename

That says that to change a file to another group, you have to type in each filename, one at a time on a different command line each?, or is there a * type of way to have found all files in the previous group ID, to then be able to send them into the new group ID?

[drgrussell]

chown -R does multiple files and directories in one command.

If you dont do this after changing the passwd or group file, then an "ls" on the files in the old group would report rubbish. There was a tutorial question on how to do this.

Gordon.