Installing Zimbra Mail Server on SLES 11 SP1 64 bit in less than 30 Minutes-Part 2

Previous tutorial : “Installing Zimbra Mail Server on SLES 11 SP1 64 bit in less than 30 Minutes-Part 1″

Note : I’m using YaST for openSUSE screenshot because I already have it. However, there should no significant difference between a screenshot with YAST configuration on SLES

IV. CONFIGURING LOCAL DNS SERVER

Estimated time : 3 minutes

Zimbra need an A & MX records that pointing to it’s IP Address. We could use/modify existing DNS records to meet with our requirement but I would prefer to installing local DNS server for it’s flexibility. If you’re currently using an existing & running mail server and need to replace it with Zimbra, you should not change any MX entry before completing and testing the configuration. Incomplete configuration on production mail server may impact to bounce mail, so, we need a local DNS server to prevent the impact and to do a full test before activating mail server for production use.

Setting up a DNS server on openSUSE for Zimbra requirement should be easy by using YAST. Below is a step by step, please change the IP and host name to meet with your environment on previous tutorial.

1. Type : yast dns-server on the console/terminal
2. Click Next on first configuration wizard : Forwarder List

   DNS Server wizard : Initial Windows

3. Add a new Zone. Typing your domain name on Zone name, choose Masteron type of zone and then click Add (ALT+A)

   Add DNS Zone

4. Press ALT+I (Edit) to modify your zone
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5. Just leave the first tab (Basics) as is. Press ALT+D to move to the second tab :NS Records
6. Write ns1 on Name Server to Add option and then press ALT+A to add the records. YAST will be smart enough to autocompleting the entry and give a fully qualified domain name to the records
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7. Press ALT+X to move to the third tab, MX Records. Fill in mail as Zimbra host name (see your configuration on first tutorial) on Address option, Give it a priority number (lower means highest priority) and then Press ALT+A to add MX records. Again, YAST will be smart enough to autocompleting the entry and give a fully qualified domain name to the MX records
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8. Leave the fourth tab as is, except you need to modify to SOA option
9. Move to final tab. Type : ns1 on Record key, choose A (Address Records) as records type and write Zimbra IP on records value and then press ALT+A to Add the records. Still on the final tab (Records), create the second Address Records for Zimbra hostname. Type mail on Record key, choose A (Address Records) as records type and write Zimbra IP on records value and then press ALT+A to add the mail Address Records
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10. Press ALT+O (OK)
11. Press ALT+N to go to the next wizard
12. Press ALT+S to Choose On : Start up now and When Booting and then press ALT+F  to completing DNS configuration. This will ensure that DNS service will be active on start up
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13. Restarting DNS Service by running the command : service named restart on console/terminal
14. Testing the DNS records using dig and nslookup : nslookup ns1.domain.tld and nslookup mail.domain.tld. if the setting is done correctly, DNS Server will respond with the Zimbra IP.
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15. Here is my DNS server configurations that can be accessed on the file/var/lib/named/master/vavai.net
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Continue to the third part : Installing Zimbra Mail Server on SLES 11 SP1 64 bit in less than 30 Minutes-Part 3