Solaris UNIX: How to Setup DNS Client configuration / name server

Posted on in Categories Solaris, Sys admin, Troubleshooting, UNIX last updated January 28, 2005

So how do you set DNS namserver under Sun Solaris UNIX system? The resolver is a set of routines in the C library that provide access to the Internet Domain Name System (DNS). The resolver configuration file contains information that is read by the resolver routines the first time they are invoked by a process. The file is designed to be human readable and contains a list of keywords with values that provide various types of resolver information.

Internet address (in dot notation) of a name server that the resolver should query. Up to MAXNS (currently 3, see ) name servers may be listed, one per keyword. If there are multiple servers, the resolver library queries them in the order listed. To configure Solaris nameserver edit or modify /etc/resolv.conf file.

DNS Client Setup

First Create the file called /etc/resolv.conf – which includes the primary and secondary DNS server IP address for Solaris system, it can be your own DNS server or your ISPs DNS server:
# touch /etc/resolv.conf

Open /etc/resolv.conf using vi text editor:
# vi /etc/resolv.conf
Add the following lines to it:

search nixcraft.in
nameserver 202.54.1.30
nameserver 202.54.1.18

Where,

  • nameserver IP : It is IP of first DNS server
  • search nixcraft.in : Default domain name to search. For example, if you type command nslookup www, it will search it as www.nixcraft.in

2) Enable the name resolving using DNS as follows:
# cp /etc/nsswitch.dns /etc/nsswitch.conf
3) Test new name server by running the nslookup command as follows:
# nslookup nixcraft.in
OR
# /usr/sfw/sbin/nslookup nixcraft.in
Output:

Server:  gwbsd2vsnl.nixcraft.in
Address:  192.168.1.202

Non-authoritative answer:
Name:    nixcraft.in
Address:  202.71.128.225

Posted by: Vivek Gite

The author is the creator of nixCraft and a seasoned sysadmin and a trainer for the Linux operating system/Unix shell scripting. He has worked with global clients and in various industries, including IT, education, defense and space research, and the nonprofit sector. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+.

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16 comment

  3. Might be because of

    1) Your solaris system is using DHCP to get all info such as IP, Router, DNS server etc
    2) You configured DNS while installing Solaris itself
    3) OR may be you have configured NIS+ Client to Use DNS

  4. Thanks my solaries server is able to connect with my linux dns server!!! Thanks once again.

  5. How do you prevent the resolver from appending your domain name to the end of a query?

    For example, if my domain name is mydomain.ARPA and I do a lookup for foo.com, how do I prevent my resolver from first trying to resolve foo.com.mydomain.ARPA?

  9. its done. thanks for sharing.
    #cp /etc/nsswitch.dns /etc/nsswitch.conf and than #init 6

  12. hi many many thx…
    its working instantly
    your website is one of the best. for linux how to i always turn here

  15. Is there no way to specify DNS IP during OS installation itself e.g. 8.8.8.8? I can do this very easily for windows and many other linux distros

    Weird enough if I choose DHCP and let it auto capture from router, after installation finish the file /etc/resolv.conf will have got created and name resolution will work.

    There is another portion on installation to setup ‘nameservers’. Options are NIS+,NIS,DNS,LDAP and none but that portion doesnt seem to be right

  16. Hello,
    I have a web server ( Solaris10) with IP 10.92.101.103 and I want to use same as DNS server also. Please help in this regards..

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