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I have a Debian 7 server that I just installed and configured. Linode is the provider. There is a file called /etc/resolv.conf that contains "members xx.xx.xx" and 2x "nameserver xx.xx.xx.xx" lines.

I do not have BIND installed on this machine and I am using DNS that is hosted elsewhere. Is resolv.conf still relevant to me some way? Should I keep the file in-tact the way it was provisioned (with the Linode DNS resolvers in place)?

What are "Linode DNS resolvers" and why are they in that file? How is this all relevant if my DNS zones are located elsewhere? I'm so confused!

Sam Levin
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    I feel like the answer to this question could have been easily discovered with a few minutes' research. – EEAA Oct 22 '13 at 05:17
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    "[Server Fault is a site for system and network administrators needing expert answers related to managing computer systems in a professional capacity.](http://serverfault.com/help/on-topic)" If you don't know the basics of how DNS works on end stations, you should not be managing networked computer systems in a professional capacity. – David Schwartz Oct 22 '13 at 06:26
  • Friends! I'm a software engineer of 17 years that is now learning the basics of network administration and architecture. I'm actually quite familiar with how DNS works. As you can see, I somewhat over complicated this for myself. Half of the confusion was due to the configuration itself - now that I think about it. Linode provides dedicated services for resolving names which prevents me from having to deal with that on my own machine with some service. No need to be so hostile! This is for a startup project that has many months to go before it's live – Sam Levin Oct 22 '13 at 17:29

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The contents of your resolv.conf have nothing to do with your DNS zones. Rather, they tell your server what DNS servers to use for resolving names.

So yes, unless you have a good reason for changing it, leave it as-is.

EEAA
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  • Thank you for replying with sensible and concise information that isn't condescending. Unlike David Schwartz above. Piece of work I'll tell ya – Sam Levin Oct 22 '13 at 17:30
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    @SamLevin - you're welcome. You need to understand where Mr. Schwartz is coming from...DNS (at this level) is *not* complicated, and like I mentioned in the comment above, you could have easily discovered the answer yourself with a [modicum of research](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resolv.conf). This is a site for professional systems administrators and as such, we have an expectation that people at least *try* and figure out things for themselves. That said, I'm glad my answer was helpful to you. Happy trails! – EEAA Oct 22 '13 at 18:02