Arch Linux DNS Servers Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to DNS servers on Arch Linux, including Bind, dnsmasq, and DNS server configuration.

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Table of Contents

1. Bind Setup
2. dnsmasq Setup
3. DNS Configuration
4. Troubleshooting

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Bind Setup

Install Bind

Install Bind:

# Install Bind
sudo pacman -S bind

# Enable service
sudo systemctl enable named
sudo systemctl start named

Configure Bind

Edit config:

# Edit named config
sudo vim /etc/named.conf

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dnsmasq Setup

Install dnsmasq

Install dnsmasq:

# Install dnsmasq
sudo pacman -S dnsmasq

# Enable service
sudo systemctl enable dnsmasq
sudo systemctl start dnsmasq

Configure dnsmasq

Edit config:

# Edit config
sudo vim /etc/dnsmasq.conf

Settings:

domain-needed
bogus-priv
listen-address=127.0.0.1

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DNS Configuration

Test DNS

Test server:

# Query DNS
dig @localhost example.com

# Or
nslookup example.com localhost

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Troubleshooting

DNS Not Resolving

Check logs:

# Check dnsmasq logs
sudo journalctl -u dnsmasq

# Check Bind logs
sudo journalctl -u named

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Summary

This guide covered Bind, dnsmasq, DNS configuration, and troubleshooting.

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Next Steps

• Arch Linux Networking - Network setup
• Arch Linux Web Servers - Web servers
• ArchWiki DNS: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/DNS_server

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This guide is based on the ArchWiki. For the most up-to-date information, always refer to the official ArchWiki.