How To Integrate Windows Server 2003 DNS with an Existing DNS Infrastructure in Windows Server 2003

This step-by-step article describes how to install and how to configure a new Windows Server 2003 Domain Name Services (DNS) server in a DNS server environment where Active Directory is not turned on. The new Windows Server 2003 DNS server provides local name resolution services for clients and servers in Windows Server 2003, while it works effectively with the DNS server environment that already exists.

Add a Windows Server 2003 DNS Server to Your Environment

To create a new Windows Server 2003 DNS Server, you must install Windows Server 2003 on a server that is attached to your network. By default, DNS is not installed during the installation of Windows Server 2003. You have to install DNS on the server. You can install the Windows Server 2003 DNS service either during the installation of products in Windows Server 2003, or after the initial installation.

Install the Windows Server 2003 DNS Service on a Server Running Windows Server 2003

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs, and then click Add/Remove Windows Components.
3. In the Windows Component Wizard, click Networking Services in the Components list, and then click Details.
4. In Networking Services, click to select the Domain Name System (DNS) check box if it is not already selected, and then click OK.
5. In the Windows Components Wizard, click Next. Insert the Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM into the computer's CD-ROM drive, if you are prompted to do so. Setup copies the DNS server and the tool files to your computer.
6. When the installation is complete, click Finish.

Integrate Windows Server 2003 DNS into Your DNS Domain

If your environment already has a DNS domain and a DNS infrastructure, and Active Directory is not turned on, you can use the DNS domain that exists, and you can delegate certain zones to this server. Use the existing DNS domain if, for example, the computer runs programs that require DNS lookups that your DNS servers cannot support, such as DNS lookups of Service (SRV) records. To complete the next step, you must first have the Windows Server 2003 DNS server installed.

If the DNS servers in your organization cannot look up SRV records (and cannot be upgraded to do so), you can integrate a Windows Server 2003 DNS server directly into the DNS zone that exists. To do so, you can delegate certain zones to the Windows Server 2003 DNS server. Additional steps include the creation of new zones on the Windows Server 2003 DNS server for specific zones on the other DNS servers, and turning on the new zones for dynamic updates.

Use the Configure DNS Server Wizard to Delegate Zones to the DNS Server

1. Click Start, point to Programs, click Administrative Tools, and then click DNS.
2. Click the DNS Server object for your server in the left pane of the console, and then expand the server object to expand the tree.
3. Right-click the server object, and then click Configure a DNS Server to start the Configure a DNS Server Wizard. Click Next.
4. Click Create a forward lookup zone (recommended for small networks), and then click Next.
5. Click An ISP maintains the zone, and a read-only secondary copy resides on this server.
6. In the Zone Name dialog box, type the name of the zone (for example, microsoft.com or newzone.microsoft.com).
7. In the Master DNS Servers dialog box, type the IP address of a known DNS server. Click Next.
8. Click No, it should not forward queries, and then click Next.
9. Click Finish to save the new configuration and to configure the DNS server.

Because this DNS server is responsible to support only zones that support SRV records and dynamic updates, certain zones on the other DNS servers must be delegated to this server. These zones include:

• _tcp.DNS Domain Name (for example: _tcp.mycompany.com)
• _udp.DNS Domain Name (for example: _udp.mycompany.com)
• _msdcs.DNS Domain Name ( for example: _msdcs.mycompany.com)
• _sites.DNS Directory Domain Name (for example: _sites.mycompany.com)

You must repeat the following two sections for each zone that you create. After you delegate the zones to the DNS server, create a zone for each of the zones in the list of steps on the Windows Server 2003 DNS server.

Create a New Zone for the Zones on the Windows Server 2003 DNS Server

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DNS.
2. Click the DNS Server object for your server in the left pane of the console, and then expand the server object to expand the tree.
3. Right-click Forward Lookup Zones, and then click New Zone. Click Next.
4. Click Primary zone to create a master copy of the new zone. Click Next.
5. Type the name of the new zone (for example,_tcp.mycompany.com), and then click Next.
6. Click Accept to accept the default file name for the new zone file, and then click Next.
7. Click Allow any dynamic updates, and then click Next.
8. Click Finish.

Turn On the New Zone for Dynamic Updates

1. In the DNS Management Console, click the DNS Server object for your server in the left pane of the console, and then expand the server object to expand the tree.
2. Right-click the server object, and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, click the Allow dynamic updates drop-down box, and then click Yes. Click OK.

Repeat the steps in the Create a New Zone for the Zones on the Windows Server 2003 DNS Server section of this article, and then repeat the steps in the Turn On the New Zone for Dynamic Updates section of this article, for each zone that you create on the Windows Server 2003 DNS Server.

Troubleshooting

The following section describes how to troubleshoot problems.

Options to Configure Root Hints or Forwarders If They Are Unavailable

If no DNS servers are detected in the initial configuration of Windows Server 2003 DNS, the system typically designates the new DNS server as a "root server", which is the ultimate authority for all name resolution activities. As a result, the new DNS server cannot forward any name resolution queries that it cannot resolve to another server or to the root servers on the Internet. As a result, a Windows Server 2003 DNS server that has been configured as a root server turns off the options to automatically add forwarders.

Later date, if you decide that this DNS server must be integrated into a larger DNS environment such as the Internet, you must remove the "root" forward lookup zone.

To remove the root forward lookup zone, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DNS.
2. Click the DNS Server object for your server in the left pane of the console, and then expand the server object to expand the tree.
3. Click Forward Lookup Zones to expand it.
4. Click the zone that is marked with a period, and then press DELETE.
5. Click OK to confirm that you want to delete the zone.