# how to start named at boot?



## henksmets (Jun 5, 2002)

Hi, simple question: 

How can a let my DNS server start at boot?  

Should I start named and put it in some RC file?

thanks in advance, Henk


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## lethe (Jun 5, 2002)

first, add a line to /etc/hostconfig that looks like this: 
	
	



```
NAMESERVER=-YES-
```

then put this executable script at /Library/StartupItems/Named/Named


```
#!/bin/sh


# ---------------------------------------------------------------------
#  Include system wide configuration options
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------
. /etc/rc.common


# ---------------------------------------------------------------------
#  Start named
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------
if [ "${NAMESERVER:=-NO-}" = "-YES-" ]; then

        ConsoleMessage "Starting named"

        /usr/local/bin/named &

fi
```

you will want to use the path to named on your system there.  this is also the place to put some command line options.

there should also be a /Library/StartupItems/Named/StartupParameters.plist.  it should look something like this:


```
{
  Description   = "named dns server";
  Provides      = ("DNS");
  Requires      = ("Network");
  Preference    = "None";
  Messages =
  {
    start = "Starting named";
    stop  = "Stopping named";
  };
}
```

compare with other startup files located in /System/Library/StartupItems to see what options you can specify.  basically, you can give information to help the system decide what order to start things in.


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## henksmets (Jun 6, 2002)

thanks very much for the complete explanation and quick response,  alas it didn't worked, maybe I didn't edited the files correctly, but that doesn't matter anymore because I found a much easier way, stupid of me not to think about this first, sorry.  

When you start up DNS in SERVER ADMIN it automaticaly starts the server when rebooting!!

I learned the following things while editing the files:

the path to named on Mac OS X server (10.1.5) is /usr/sbin/named
(here you can manually start named, the DNS daemon)

/Library is the correct place to put all your own startup items and is the third place that Apple intend the system to look at startup. The order is: 
System/Library/StartupItems 
/Network/Library/StartupItems (not yet implemented) 
/Library/StartupItems

(http://discussions.info.apple.com/WebX?13@203.IwxEaIt3cZP^5@.2cd6dc6a/4)

a complete guide to customizing your boot procedure: 
http://developer.apple.com/techpubs...ew/BootingLogin/Customization_Techniques.html


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