System
System Overview
The system screens can help you configure general ZyWALL information, the system time and the console port connection speed for a terminal emulation program. The screens also allow you to configure DNS settings and determine which services/protocols can access which ZyWALL zones (if any) from which computers.
Host Name
A host name is the unique name by which a device is known on a network.
Time and Date
For effective scheduling and logging, the ZyWALL system time must be accurate. The ZyWALL's Real Time Chip (RTC) keeps track of the time and date. There is also a software mechanism to set the time manually or get the current time and date from an external server.
Pre-defined NTP Time Servers List
When you turn on the ZyWALL for the first time, the date and time start at 2003-01-01 00:00:00. The ZyWALL then attempts to synchronize with one of the following pre-defined list of Network Time Protocol (NTP) time servers.
The ZyWALL continues to use the following pre-defined list of NTP time servers if you do not specify a time server or it cannot synchronize with the time server you specified.
When the ZyWALL uses the pre-defined list of NTP time servers, it randomly selects one server and tries to synchronize with it. If the synchronization fails, then the ZyWALL goes through the rest of the list in order from the first one tried until either it is successful or all the pre-defined NTP time servers have been tried.
Time Server Synchronization
Click the Synchronize Now button to get the time and date from the time server you specified in the Time Server Address field.
The Current Time and Current Date fields will display the appropriate settings if the synchronization is successful.
If the synchronization was not successful, a log displays in the View Log screen. Try reconfiguring the Date/Time screen.
To manually set the ZyWALL date and time.
- Click System > Date/Time.
- Select Manual under Time and Date Setup.
- Enter the ZyWALL's time in the New Time field.
- Enter the ZyWALL's date in the New Date field.
- Under Time Zone Setup, select your Time Zone from the list.
- As an option you can select the Enable Daylight Saving check box to adjust the ZyWALL clock for daylight savings.
- Click Apply.
To get the ZyWALL date and time from a time server
- Click System > Date/Time.
- Select Get from Time Server under Time and Date Setup.
- Under Time Zone Setup, select your Time Zone from the list.
- As an option you can select the Enable Daylight Saving check box to adjust the ZyWALL clock for daylight savings.
- Under Time and Date Setup, enter a Time Server Address (Default Time Servers).
- Click Apply.
Console Port Speed
This section shows you how to set the console port speed when you connect to the ZyWALL via the console port using a terminal emulation program.
DNS Overview
DNS (Domain Name System) is for mapping a domain name to its corresponding IP address and vice versa. The DNS server is extremely important because without it, you must know the IP address of a machine before you can access it.
DNS Server Address Assignment
The ZyWALL can get the DNS server addresses in the following ways.
- The ISP tells you the DNS server addresses, usually in the form of an information sheet, when you sign up. If your ISP gives you DNS server addresses, manually enter them in the DNS server fields.
- If your ISP dynamically assigns the DNS server IP addresses (along with the ZyWALL's WAN IP address), set the DNS server fields to get the DNS server address from the ISP.
- You can manually enter the IP addresses of other DNS servers.
DNS Servers
Use the DNS screen to configure the ZyWALL to use a DNS server to resolve domain names for ZyWALL system features like VPN, DDNS and the time server. You can also configure the ZyWALL to accept or discard DNS queries. Use the Network > Interface screens to configure the DNS server information that the ZyWALL sends to the specified DHCP client devices.
Configuring DNS
System > DNS
Label Description Address/PTR Record This record specifies the mapping of a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) to an IP address. An FQDN consists of a host and domain name. For example, www.zyxel.com.tw is a fully qualified domain name, where "www" is the host, "zyxel" is the third-level domain, "com" is the second-level domain, and "tw" is the top level domain. # This is the index number of the address/PTR record. FQDN This is a host's fully qualified domain name. IP Address This is the IP address of a host. Add icon Click the Add icon in the heading row to open a screen where you can add a new address/PTR record. Refer to System > DNS > Address/PTR Record Edit for information on the fields.Click the Edit icon to go to the screen where you can edit the record.Click the Delete icon to remove an existing record. A window display asking you to confirm that you want to delete the record. Note that subsequent records move up by one when you take this action. Domain Zone Forwarder This specifies a DNS server's IP address. The ZyWALL can query the DNS server to resolve domain zones for features like VPN, DDNS and the time server.When the ZyWALL needs to resolve a domain zone, it checks it against the domain zone forwarder entries in the order that they appear in this list. # This is the index number of the domain zone forwarder record. The ordering of your rules is important as rules are applied in sequence. Domain Zone A domain zone is a fully qualified domain name without the host. For example, zyxel.com.tw is the domain zone for the www.zyxel.com.tw fully qualified domain name.A "*" means all domain zones. The default record is not configurable. The ZyWALL uses this default record if the domain zone that needs to be resolved does not match any of the other domain zone forwarder records. From This displays whether the DNS server IP address is assigned by the ISP dynamically through a specified interface or configured manually. DNS Server This is the IP address of a DNS server. This field displays N/A if you have the ZyWALL get a DNS server IP address from the ISP dynamically but the specified interface is not active. Add icon Click the Add icon in the heading row to open a screen where you can add a new domain zone forwarder record. Refer to System > DNS > Domain Zone Forwarder Edit for information on the fields.Click the Edit icon to go to the screen where you can edit the record.Click the Add icon in an entry to add a record below the current entry.Click the Delete icon to remove an existing record. A window display asking you to confirm that you want to delete the record. Note that subsequent records move up by one when you take this action.Click the Move to N icon to display a field to type a number for where you want to put that record and press [ENTER] to move the record to the number that you typed. MX Record (for My FQDN) A MX (Mail eXchange) record identifies a mail server that handles the mail for a particular domain. # This is the index number of the MX record. Domain Name This is the domain name where the mail is destined for. IP/FQDN This is the IP address or fully qualified domain name of a mail server that handles the mail for the domain specified in the field above. Add icon Click the Add icon in the heading row to open a screen where you can add a new MX record. Refer to System > DNS > MX Record Edit for information on the fields.Click the Edit icon to go to the screen where you can edit the record.Click the Delete icon to remove an existing record. A window display asking you to confirm that you want to delete the record. Note that subsequent records move up by one when you take this action. Service Control This specifies from which computers and zones you can send DNS queries to the ZyWALL. # This the index number of the service control rule. The ordering of your rules is important as rules are applied in sequence. Zone This is the zone on the ZyWALL the user is allowed or denied to access. Address This is the object name of the IP address(es) with which the computer is allowed or denied to send DNS queries. Action This displays whether the ZyWALL accepts DNS queries from the computer with the IP address specified above through the specified zone (Accept) or discards them (Deny). Add icon Click the Add icon in the heading row to open a screen where you can add a new rule. Refer to System > DNS > Service Control Rule Edit for information on the fields.Click the Edit icon to go to the screen where you can edit the rule.Click the Add icon in an entry to add a rule below the current entry.Click the Delete icon to remove an existing rule. A window display asking you to confirm that you want to delete the rule. Note that subsequent rules move up by one when you take this action.Click the Move to N icon to display a field to type a number for where you want to put that rule and press [ENTER] to move the rule to the number that you typed. Apply Click Apply to save your customized settings. Reset Click Reset to begin configuring this screen afresh.
Address Record
An address record contains the mapping of a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) to an IP address. An FQDN consists of a host and domain name. For example, www.zyxel.com is a fully qualified domain name, where "www" is the host, "zyxel" is the second-level domain, and "com" is the top level domain. mail.myZyXEL.com.tw is also a FQDN, where "mail" is the host, "myZyXEL" is the third-level domain, "com" is the second-level domain, and "tw" is the top level domain.
The ZyWALL allows you to configure address records about the ZyWALL itself or another device. This way you can keep a record of DNS names and addresses that people on your network may use frequently. If the ZyWALL receives a DNS query for an FQDN for which the ZyWALL has an address record, the ZyWALL can send the IP address in a DNS response without having to query a DNS name server.
PTR Record
A PTR (pointer) record is also called a reverse record or a reverse lookup record. It is a mapping of an IP address to a domain name.
Adding an Address/PTR Record
Domain Zone Forwarder
A domain zone forwarder contains a DNS server's IP address. The ZyWALL can query the DNS server to resolve domain zones for features like VPN, DDNS and the time server. A domain zone is a fully qualified domain name without the host. For example, zyxel.com.tw is the domain zone for the www.zyxel.com.tw fully qualified domain name.
Adding a Domain Zone Forwarder
MX Record
A MX (Mail eXchange) record indicates which host is responsible for the mail for a particular domain, that is, controls where mail is sent for that domain. If you do not configure proper MX records for your domain or other domain, external e-mail from other mail servers will not be able to be delivered to your mail server and vice versa. Each host or domain can have only one MX record, that is, one domain is mapping to one host.
Adding a MX Record
DNS Service Control