DNS Server

Setting up DNS server run on Raspberry pi Zero 2 W

Introduction

A Domain Name System (DNS) translates human-readable domain names to IP addresses. DNS serves as a phone book of internet addresses for quicker access to pages. Setting up a Raspberry Pi as a DNS server improves DNS lookup time and connection speed.

This guide explains how to configure the Raspberry Pi as a DNS server.

Prerequisites

• Raspberry Pi 2, 3, or 4 with Raspbian OS using a static IP address

• Ethernet cable connection or Wi-Fi dongle

• Power supply

• MicroSD card

• Terminal access (directly or through SSH) with sudo privileges

Raspberry Pi DNS Server Setup Guide

Step 1: Update Packages

Before starting, open the terminal and update software packages on your Raspberry Pi using the apt package manager:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install DNS Software

Install DNSMasq on the Raspberry Pi:

sudo apt install dnsmasq

DNSMasq is an excellent choice for small-scale networks.

Step 3: Configure DNSMasq

Configuring DNSMasq ensures the best setup for the DNS server.

1. Modify the dnsmasq.conf file using the nano text editor by running:

sudo nano /etc/dnsmasq.conf

1. Locate (CTRL+W to search) and uncomment the following lines by removing the hash sign (#):

   • domain-needed – Configures the DNS server to not forward names without a dot (.) or a domain name to upstream servers. Any names without a dot or domain stay in the local network.

   • bogus-priv – Stop DNS server from forwarding local IP range reverse-lookup queries to upstream DNS servers. That prevents leaking of the local network to upstream servers.

   • no-resolv – Stops reading the upstream nameservers from the /etc/resolv.conf file, relying instead on the ones in the DNSMasq configuration.

2. Replacing DNS Server

server=8.8.8.8
server=8.8.4.4

1. Find following line and replace with 1000:

cache-size=1000

1. Save the file with CTRL+X, then press Y and hit Enter to keep the changes.

2. Restart DNSMasq to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart dnsmasq

1. Check DNS status:

sudo systemctl status dnsmasq

The status shows as active (running), indicating the Raspberry Pi is running as a DNS server:

The Dnsmasq reads all the DNS hosts and names from the /etc/hosts file, so add your DNS hosts IP addresses and name pairs as shown.

127.0.0.1       dnsmasq
192.168.56.10 	dnsmasq 
192.168.56.1   	gateway
192.168.56.100	maas-controller 
192.168.56.20 	nagios
192.168.56.25 	webserver1