2.2. Testing your install

After installing, it is a good idea to test the basic functionality of the software before configuring database backends. For this purpose, PowerDNS contains the 'bindbackend' which has a domain built in example.com, which is officially reserved for testing. To test, edit pdns.conf and add the following if not already present:

	  launch=bind
	  bind-example-zones
	
This configures powerdns to 'launch' the bindbackend, and enable the example zones. To fire up PDNS in testing mode, execute: /etc/init.d/pdns monitor, where you may have to substitute the location of your SysV init.d location you specified earlier. In monitor mode, the pdns process runs in the foreground and is very verbose, which is perfect for testing your install. If everything went all right, you can query the example.com domain like this:
	  host www.example.com 127.0.0.1
	
www.example.com should now have IP address 1.2.3.4. The host command can usually be found in the dnsutils package of your operating system. Alternate command is: dig www.example.com A @127.0.0.1 or even nslookup www.example.com 127.0.0.1, although nslookup is not advised for DNS diagnostics.

When satisfied that basic functionality is there, type QUIT to exit the monitor mode. The adventurous may also type SHOW * to see some internal statistics. In case of problems, you will want to read the following section.

2.2.1. Typical errors

At this point some things may have gone wrong. Typical errors include: