Home > Computersystemen > Services > Name servers (DNS)

DNS (Domain Name System) is a distributed database to:

  • convert machine names into IP numbers
  • convert IP numbers into machine names

DNS is also used for security and access control.

When a machine is connected to the network DNS servers can and should be specified. This has to be done for all connected machines including the machine administered by yourself and/or the machine you use to connect over telephone.

If the machine in question is configured by DHCP, then you need not to read any further, since all DNS configuration is taken care of by DHCP. If you configure the machine yourself, you do need to take into account the details concerning DNS.

Attention: You have to change or specify the IP numbers of the name servers.
Never change the IP number of your own machine.

  • On a Unix machine you have to edit /etc/resolv.conf
  • On a Windows PC use Start Menu -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Network -> TCP/IP -> Properties -> DNS Configuration. Fill in domain and DNS search order.
  • On a MacOS PC use the settings from your network software.

In cs.kuleuven.be there are DNS servers on midgard, muspel, dilly, nidavel, svartal. If you find a DNS server on another machine, please do not use it, it is only temporary. We try to limit DNS traffric to the network segment to which your machine is connected.

Your machine is always in the domain cs.kuleuven.be and you have to give at least one DNS server. You have to specify the DNS server by its IP number. For redundancy, you can specify more than one server.

Depending on the IP number of your machine use following servers :

  • Subnet 134.58.39.0/24 (IP starts with 134.58.39)
    nameserver 134.58.39.4 muspel
    nameserver 134.58.39.8 dilly
  • Subnet 134.58.40.128/25 (IP starts with 134.58.40.128)
    nameserver 134.58.41.16 dilly
    nameserver
    		 134.58.41.6
    		 muspel
  • Subnet 134.58.41.0/24 (IP starts with 134.58.41)
    nameserver 134.58.41.16 dilly
    nameserver 134.58.41.6 muspel
  • Subnet 134.58.42.0/24 (IP starts with 134.58.42)
    nameserver 134.58.42.26 muspel
    nameserver 134.58.42.3 dilly
  • Subnet 134.58.43.0/24 (IP starts with 134.58.43)
    nameserver 134.58.43.12 dilly
    nameserver 134.58.43.3 muspel
  • Subnet 134.58.45.0/24 (IP starts with 134.58.45)
    nameserver 134.58.45.10 muspel
    nameserver 134.58.45.6 dilly
  • Subnet 134.58.46.0/24 (IP starts with 134.58.46)
    nameserver 134.58.46.11 nidavel
    nameserver 134.58.46.10 svartal
  • Dialin by telephone (IP unknown or 134.58.47)
    nameserver 134.58.41.16 dilly
    nameserver 134.58.41.6 muspel

More information about BIND (the nameserver software).