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On the other hand, this doesn't necessarily mean that you have to set up and run zones by yourself for yourself. If you have only a handful of hosts, you may be able to find an existing zone to become part of (see Chapter 3, "Where Do I Start?" ). Or you may be able to find someone else to host your zones for you. If you pay an Internet service provider for your Internet connectivity, ask if they'll host your zone for you, too. Even if you aren't already a customer, there are companies who will help out, for a price.
If you have a little more than a handful of hosts, or a lot more, then you'll probably want your own zone. And if you want direct control over your zone and your name servers, then you'll want to manage it yourself. Read on!
If your internet is basically homogeneous and your hosts don't need DNS (say you have a big DECnet or OSI internet), then you may be able to do without it. But if you've got a variety of hosts, and especially if some of those run some variety of Unix, you'll want DNS. It'll simplify the distribution of host information and rid you of any kludgy host table distribution schemes you may have cooked up.
But if you need distributed administration or have trouble maintaining the consistency of data on your network, DNS may be for you. And if your network is likely to be connected to another network soon, like your corporate internet or the Internet itself, you'd be wise to set up your zones now.