First, this is a not a production server. It's safe to play around with it and mess things up :).

I have windows server 2003 enterprise that I'd like to setup as a DC. I'm running into what I believe are DNS/DHCP issues.

We have DHCP being hosted from one linux server and DNS being hosted from another linux server. DHCP is on IP: X.147 DNS is on IP: X.133.

I can't ping the FQNS of the domain ie: testpdc.local from the workstations even if I do get them to join the Domain which is a 10 min login process. Even from the DC when I start nslookup I see this

"*** Can't find server name for address 192.168.0.3: Non-existent domain
Default Server: UnKnown
Address: 192.168.0.3"

When it should look like this

"Default Server: server01.testpdc.local
Address: 192.168.100.3"

So I'm wondering a few things.

1. Should I even have the server 2003 setup as a DNS and DHCP server?
2. If I do set it up as a DNS and/or DHCP server what setting do I need in order to point the server to the X.147 & X.133 IP addresses of the right DCHP & DNS servers?
3. What should my TCP/IP settings look like on the server?
4. What should my TCP/IP settings look like on the workstations?

Of course I can't have 2 servers running DNS and DHCP so I'm hoping there is a way to tell the windows server with AD running which servers to use so it can pass the right settings to the work stations & so it can resolve DN's.

You have no dhcp issues if the workstations are getting a ip. Dhcp doesn't relate to name resolution issues. DNS does.

By default Active Directory is built upon MS DNS. Usual ms dns config has workstations pointing to ms dns. You list the isp's dns servers in the forwarders tab.
This way workstation resolve the servers name. If resolving an internet address ms dns forwards the request to the listed isps dns servers.

#1. you must have dns configured on the ms server if you want to run active directory

#2. advantage of the ms server also doing dhcp is the autoupdate of dns host records. This is not required.

#3. Static ip with dns pointing to itself

#4. dhcp with the dhcp server giving the correct ms dns entry

Imagine the power of knowing how to internet search
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html

See also linux man pages on active directory integration.

I read it wrong and answer it wrong too. So get off my case you peanut.

DNS in linux for a Windows domain is a bad idea. Surf around wiki reading up on Dynamic DNS, its a Ms thing that linux doesn't play friendly with. You can still do DHCP on your linux computer just mark the windows DNS server on the linux DHCP config so that the workstations register their DNS etc...

I personally don't use DHCP on my linux box's. I prefer to leave that in the hands of windows as its too simple to get wrong. I don't do msras or ISA though for my routing. That i will do in linux over windows server. check out the linux IP and TC commands as well as nat.

~Zombie