Name Server NightMare, Plz HELP!

[eckertc1]

im setting up a DNS for my domains to run on my own apache server. here is my zone file:

$TTL 86400

@ IN SOA mydomain.com. hostmaster.mydomail.com. (
00023
3H
15M
1W
1D
)

; Name Servers
IN NS ns1.mydomain.com.
IN NS ns2.mydomain.com.

; CNAME
www.mydomain.com. IN CNAME www.mydomain.com.

; Public
ns1 IN A 127.0.0.1
ns2 IN A 127.0.0.1
www IN A xx.x.xxx.xxx


well there is the file. now here is the log report:

loading configuration from '/etc/named.conf'
no IPv6 interfaces found
dns_master_load: mydomain.zone:20 www.mydomain.com: CNAME and other data
zone mydomain.com/IN: loading master file mydomain.zone: CNAME and other data

when i try to ping www.mydomain.com it returns this:

Ping: unknown host www.mydomain.com

any advice on this would be very helpfull, im at my witts end with this thing.

[swemic]

Ok I made a few changes to your SOA and NS definitions

$ORIGIN .
$TTL 86400
@ IN SOA mydomain.com. hostmaster.mydomain.com. (
   2005030401
   3H
   15M
   1W
   1D
)

; Name Servers
            NS ns1.mydomain.com.
            NS ns2.mydomain.com.

$ORIGIN mydomain.com.
; Public
ns1      A     nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn     <- Should be yout servers IP
ns2      A     nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn     <-  Should be your servers IP
www    A     xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

First of all, there is no point of creating a CNAME that is eq to the A record.
But more important, your nameserver can't be 127.0.0.1, how would the rest of the world find you? The IP should be your external IP.

A small suggestion, but it's just my $.05 oppinion, when you set the serial number of your SOA, keep a good numbering system so you really can trouble shoot your config in an easy maner. My principle is that I use the date of today, with a postfix of NN, which would representate the number of changes I made during this day.
Also make shure that you spell everything correctly, otherwise you will end up in trouble.

Finaly, how about your "/etc/named.conf" file?
How have you configured that one?

[eckertc1]

thank you VERY much for your input. im giving this a try right now and well see how it goes

[eckertc1]

ok i tried what was suggested and i got all kinds of out-of-zone errors.
then i removed the $ORIGIN tag and most went away, not sure why. anyway what i am left with is these three things in the log file:

1. no IPv6 interfaces found
2. zone mydomain.com/IN: loaded serial 1
3. zone insomniabox.com/IN: sending notifies (serial 1)

and i still cannot ping www.mydomain.com

any ideas?

[swemic]

Could you please cut and paste /etc/named.conf and your SOA file here
(usually /var/named/<your-own-file-name-defined-in-named.conf>)

[eckertc1]

sure, here is what i have at present.

(named.conf):

options {
directory "/var/named"; }

controls {
inet 127.0.0.1 allow { localhost; } keys { rndckey; };
};

zone "." IN {
type hint;
file "named.ca";
}

zone "localhost" IN {
type master;
file "localhost.zone";
allow-update { none; };
};

zone "mydomain.com" IN {
type master;
file "mydomain.zone";
allow-update { none; };
};

zone "0.0.127.in-addr.arpa" IN {
type master;
file "named.local";
allow-update { none; };
};

include "/etc/rndc.key";

and here is the other file
(mydomain.zone)

$TTL 86400 
$ORIGIN localhost.
@   SOA  mydomain.com. root.mydomain.com. (
 			       420012
				3H
				15M
				1W
				1D
                                      )
                        NS      ns1.mydomain.com.
			 NS      ns2.mydomain.com.
                        A       xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 
ftp                     CNAME   mydomain.com.
mail                    CNAME   mydomain.com.
ns                      CNAME   mydomain.com.
www                     CNAME   mydomain.com.

[swemic]

Ok! I did just answer this in another thread.
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/topic-35928.html
It do looks like you have it wuite correct, but try the changes I suggested in the other thread, and do the testings I suggested as well.

DNS as service is quite a distinct on how it works.
If your domain is not configured in Root DNS servers, you shall/should keep your domain as a local domain, and all client should point to your DNS server only!