Prerequisites

To install a Microsoft DNS Server successfully, you have to consider some issues listed below.

IP Address

The server providing the DNS Service must have a static IP address. You should not use the address assigned by a DHCP Server.

Important 

This IP address can be changed if needed, even if the DNS server is running on a domain controller. (However, this is not a normal practice!) In such a case, you also have to change the preferred DNS settings on all domain clients and domain controllers and update registration of all DNS resource records.

Primary DNS Suffix

Before installing DNS service, you must check the primary DNS suffix for the server (see "Setting the DNS Suffix" section). This is especially important if this server is also going to be a domain controller. In that case, you can either set the DNS suffix to be the same as the DNS name of the domain that the domain controller will belong to, or first promote the server and then install the DNS service. In any configuration, you must be sure that all names — the computer name (that includes the primary DNS suffix), the domain name of a member server or domain controller, and the name(s) of authoritative zone(s) stored on the DNS server — are consistent.

Planning DNS

Microsoft DNS Server can operate as:

• Caching server

• Primary server

• Secondary server

A DNS server can perform all listed roles at the same time (for example, it can be the primary server for one zone and the secondary server for another zone). In addition, each zone can be stored in a standard text file or in Active Directory. Therefore, you need first to carefully plan the DNS namespace and any questions related to DNS (see details in the previous chapter).