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How To Integrate DNS with Existing DNS Infrastructure If Active Directory Is Enabled in Windows 2000

Article ID: 301191 - View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q301191

SUMMARY

This step-by-step article describes how to install and configure a new Windows 2000 Domain Name Services (DNS) server within an existing DNS server environment with Active Directory enabled. The new Windows 2000 DNS server provides local name resolution services for Windows 2000 clients and servers, while working effectively with the existing DNS server environment.

To Add a Windows 2000 DNS Server to Your Existing Environment

To create a new Windows 2000 DNS Server, you must install Windows 2000 Server or Advanced Server on a server that is attached to your network. Because DNS is not installed by default during installation of Windows 2000 Server or Advanced Server, you have to install DNS on the server. You can install the Windows 2000 DNS service either during the installation of Windows 2000 Server or Advanced Server, or after the initial installation.

To Install the Windows 2000 DNS Service on an Existing Windows 2000 Server

Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click Add/Remove Programs and then click Add/Remove Windows Components.b
In the Windows Component Wizard, click Networking Services from the Components list, and then click Details.
In the Networking Services dialog box, click to select the Domain Name System (DNS) check box if it is not already selected, and then click OK.
In the Windows Components Wizard, click Next to start Windows 2000 Setup. Insert the Windows 2000 Advanced Server CD into the CD-ROM drive if you are prompted. Setup copies the DNS server and tool files to your computer.
When the installation is complete, click Finish.

To Integrate Windows 2000 DNS into Your Existing DNS Domain

If your existing environment already has a DNS domain and an existing DNS infrastructure, and Active Directory is enabled, you can delegate a sub-domain of your existing DNS domain to the Windows 2000 domain. The Windows 2000 DNS server must already be installed to complete the following step.

To Create a Delegated Sub-Domain for Your Windows 2000 DNS Domain

With an existing DNS domain, you can delegate a sub-domain from the existing DNS server to the Windows 2000 DNS server. For example, if your domain name is mycompany.com, you can create a sub-domain with the name windows2000.mycompany.com. The Windows 2000 DNS server has authority over that sub-domain.

To create the sub-domain, configure the DNS server to use one of the organization's main DNS servers as a forwarder. A forwarder provides recursive lookups for any queries that the DNS server receives that it cannot answer based on its local zones. After you set up the forwarder, the Windows 2000 DNS server is responsible for resolving any queries for computers or resources that are contained within its own local domain. Any queries beyond this range, however, are forwarded directly to the organization's main DNS servers for resolution.

To Add the Organization's Main DNS Servers to the List of Forwarders on the Windows 2000 Server

Click Start, point to Programs, click Administrative Tools, and then click DNS to open the DNS Management Console.
Right-click the DNS Server object for your server, and then click Properties.
On the Forwarders tab, click to select the Enable Forwarders check box.
Type the IP address of the DNS server to which you want to forward non-local queries, and then click Add.
Continue adding the IP addresses of any additional DNS servers to be used as forwarders until you have added all forwarders.
Click OK to save the settings and return to the DNS Management Console.

Troubleshooting

This section describes how to troubleshoot some of the issues that you may have.

Options to Configure Root Hints or Forwarders Are Unavailable

If no DNS servers were detected during the initial configuration of Windows 2000 DNS, the system will typically designate the new DNS server as a "root server", which is the ultimate authority for all naming resolution activities. As a result, the new DNS server will not be able to forward any name resolution queries that it is unable to resolve to another server or to the root servers on the Internet. Consequently, a Windows 2000 DNS server that has been configured as a root server disables the options to add forwarders automatically.

If, at a later date, you decide that this DNS server should be integrated into a larger DNS environment such as the Internet, you will need to remove the "root" forward lookup zone.

To remove the root forward lookup zone:

Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DNS to start the DNS Management Console.
Click the DNS Server object for your server in the left pane of the console, and click the (+) PLUS sign next to the server object to expand the tree.
Click the (+) PLUS sign next to Forward Lookup Zones to expand it.
Click the zone that is marked with a (.) period , and then press DELETE.
Click OK to confirm that you want to delete the zone.

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REFERENCES

For more information about DNS, refer to the following resources:

TCP/IP Core Networking Guide in the Windows 2000 Resource Kit, Chapters 5, and 6.
MCSE Training Kit Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure Administration [MS Press], Chapters 7, and 8.

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