Newbie question - Changing domain name from .local

Question

Hi, I'm trying to change my domain name from dns.local to dns.domain.edu. Can someone help me with this. The server was already set up and some places it has:
dns.local and other places is has dns.domain.edu. when i type in dns.domain.edu into a browser it works. when i type in dns.local i get an error.

Answer 1

Leave the .local alone. That is your Bonjour access name.
Bonjour is also known as ZeroConf in the Unix world, and is how your Mac discovers other Macs, Mac file servers, and Mac print servers on your local network (also know as a subnet).
You can add search domains via
System Preferences -> Network -> Advanced -> DNS -> Search Domains -> [+]
A search domain is where you can enter 'fred' and the name lookup will look for fred.local, fred.domain.edu assuming both .local and .domain.edu are provied as search domains.
As to other people finding your via dns.domain.edu, that is up to the domain.edu name servers, and their administrators. Your Mac does not establish that, unless they have a dynamic DNS updating service.
To have a DNS name in a domain, your DNS name must be registered with the domain server that owns that domain name. That is not automatic.
In this case if you have not already been assigned dns.domain.edu by the domain name and fixed IP address by the owners of domain.edu, then you cannot just take the name dns.domain.edu. If you have been assigned the name dns.domain.edu and a fixed IP address, then you would set that up in System Preferences -> Network -> Advanced -> TCP/IP
At best, if domain.edu allows the DHCP servers on campus to both assign an IP address and also create a dynamic DNS name in domain.edu, then you might get a name like
college-name-192-168-27-232-subnet-12-dorm-name.domain.edu
A very creative and memorable name
If you cannot get the domain.edu administrators to give you dns.domain.edu as an addressable name, you can go ahead and get a dynamic DNS name from a service such as No-IP.com or DynDNS.org (free ones are available), and just run one of their dynamic DNS updating utilities on your Mac so that when your DHCP IP address changes, your dynamic DNS name is updated with the new IP address as well.
A dynamic DNS name service such as the 2 I just mentioned, will give you a fixed name such as fred.dynamicDNSnameService.net that will not change, and when you run an updating utility on your Mac, the dynamic DNS service will keep the fred.dynamicDNSnameService.net updated with the every changing DHCP assigned IP address.