New Server Config Question

[AuroraTech]

A small company I work with is finally retiring their old ASIP server currently used for hosting AFP and Windows shares for their 10.3 and XP clients. We’re replacing it with a G5 tower running OS X Server 10.4.x.

What I’d like to do is have their Linksys DSL router (currently handling DHCP/NAT/firewall) just handle the DSL connection and put the G5 in its place using the Gateway Setup Assistant to automate initial configuration of the firewall, VPN, DHCP, NAT, external/internal ethernet ports, etc.

Currently their web and email services are hosted externally. I’d like to keep the external hosting in place while I bring the server up and configure the other services (including AFP, SMB, Open Directory). Once the other services are functional, I’d like to migrate the web and email services in-house to the G5.

Here’s my question:

Apple’s documentation emphasizes the need for a DNS entry to be in place with the ISP when the server is configured. Is it possible/recommended to have my ISP create a DNS entry for the server’s static IP address with the FQDN of “myserver.mycompany.com” if the “mycompany.com” domain is still being used for web and mail services hosted elsewhere at the time the server is initially configured? Or will it make more sense to have the ISP’s DNS entry just point to “myserver” and not have it fully qualified until I bring the web and mail services in-house?

I don’t plan to run authoritative DNS for the web and email services when they do come in-house– probably just let the ISP do that, but I want to be sure that I get my hostname and DNS entry working right from the get-go.

Any suggestions or recommendations for how I should do this would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance,
Tim

[chiefgeek]

You can and should have your ISP create both an “A” record and a reverse entry for the FQDN of your server. As long as you don’t change the MX record or the WWW record in DNS, your services will continue to fxn.

Once you have the server configured and ready to provide web and mail, then have your ISP change the appropriate entries such that they point to your new server.

(The above assumes you have a static / public IP address assigned and routed to your server.)

[Author]

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