===== Overview =====
The local DNS server does two things for your ClearOS network:

  * it associates local IP addresses with hostnames
  * it provides a caching DNS service for your local network

===== Configuration =====
A host is defined as any system with an IP address -- desktop, laptop, printer, media device, etc.  Each host can have a hostname, along with any number of aliases.  For example, you could add a hostname for a file server on your network with the following settings:

  * IP Address: 192.168.1.10
  * Hostname: fileserver.example.com

After adding the hostname, you are given an opportunity to add additional aliases (or hostnames) for the given host.  If we were using the file server as a backup server, we could add **backup.example.com** to the list of aliases.

===== Tips and Tricks =====
You may have noticed that a default alias is added whenever you add a hostname.  For example, adding the hostname **fileserver.example.com** will also add the default alias **fileserver**.  This alias can be used as a shortcut on your network.  How?  If you use the ClearOS [[DHCP Server]], you can specify a default domain name.  Staying with our example, our default domain name should be set to **example.com**.  Any system using DHCP could then access other systems on the network using the alias (fileserver) instead of the full hostname (fileserver.example.com).