What I would like my server to do. How to do it ?

[RimBlock]

Hi,

I have a server with WHS 2011 installed and am pretty happy with it.

There are a few other things I would like to do with it and would appreciate some direction.

DNS: Not working as I would like.

I would like to use the server as a DNS server resolving internal IP addresses and forwarding requests of non local lan lookups. I have the sever on home.local but when pointing at my server and doing a NSLookup the request seems to be fulfilled by my ISPs ADSL router. The guides I have found give details about setting up DNS for a domain to fulfil external lookup requests (i.e. mail.domain.com).
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Remote access: Half working.

I have a domain but also have a dynamic IP address which changes often. What is the best (and cheapest) way to link my domain (GoDaddy managed) with my rotating IP address. I would rather avoid paying for a premium service if possible but need it to work with SSL certificates so I can use the WHS 2011 remote desktop over HTTPS. I can connect via dyndns (different domain name) but have the SSL cert for my GoDaddy domain and not for the dynDNS domain which was setup for testing.

​

EMail server: Investigating.

I would like to have an email server to go and collect my email for my domains, hotmail, google mail and yahoo and then put them in mailboxes which Outlook on my client machines can connect to and gather for reading. I used to use a program called EFS a long time ago which was pretty good but IIRC only does Pop3. Again for home so cheap / free would be good.
​

Suggestions, links to guides etc would be much appreciated.

Thanks
RB

 

[memyselfandi]

Not an OS I use but for DNS you need a guide which will tell you how to configure it as a master for the home.local domain and a forwarder (maybe caching) everything else ... it's not to difficult to do with BIND but I don't know about under WHS

 

[mikeh501]

Why not use logmein for remote access?

 

[RimBlock]

Why not use logmein for remote access?

Partly as it seems to be defeating the purpose of having access to my server through one https connection (shares, streaming, turn on PCs on my network and remote desktop). I would imagine that using a ssl cert would be pretty secure as well. The issue is redirecting the paid for domain to my rotating IP address without having to pay for a premium service (already have godaddy cost, ssl cert cost for just a home server).

Will take a look though.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Edit: Ahh, Logmein site blocked at work so access requirements to use it may also be blocked. Rdp isn't surprisingly .

RB

 

[PistolPete]

Hi,
DNS: Not working as I would like.

I would like to use the server as a DNS server resolving internal IP addresses and forwarding requests of non local lan lookups. I have the sever on home.local but when pointing at my server and doing a NSLookup the request seems to be fulfilled by my ISPs ADSL router. The guides I have found give details about setting up DNS for a domain to fulfil external lookup requests (i.e. mail.domain.com).​

Is DHCP dishing out your routers IP for DNS or your server? Are you attempting to query a local name? You can configure DNS to either forward requests to another resolver (such as your ISPs DNS / OpenDNS /Google) or your can get it to go straight to root resolvers. If your server has your ADSL router set as it's forwarder and you have tried to resolve a non local address, then this seems to be working correctly.​

 

[RimBlock]

Is DHCP dishing out your routers IP for DNS or your server? Are you attempting to query a local name? You can configure DNS to either forward requests to another resolver (such as your ISPs DNS / OpenDNS /Google) or your can get it to go straight to root resolvers. If your server has your ADSL router set as it's forwarder and you have tried to resolve a non local address, then this seems to be working correctly.

The routers lan IP is static as are all my infrastructure devices (server, managed switch, wifi router etc).

I will do another test when home and confirm what is going on. I am aiming to bypass my router and ISP DNS servers due to blocking of certain sites/speed issues and just use the Google DNS servers.

Thanks PP

RB

 

[Penguin]

could you not use the x.homeserver.com domain for remote access that you can enable within WHS2011. They even give you a SSL cert I believe

 

[RimBlock]

could you not use the x.homeserver.com domain for remote access that you can enable within WHS2011. They even give you a SSL cert I believe

I have a dyndns domain and a TLD with SSL cert already paid from GoDaddy hence wanting to get it all working .

Here is the DNS config and results of NSLookup. Probably something obvious missing .

Thanks
RB

 

[RimBlock]

Ok, a little better now.

Lookups for machines assigned IP addresses via DHCP (same server is doing DHCP) fail.

How to set the server name and so get rid of the "UnKnown" in the nslookup ?

RB