Managing DNS Servers

The DNS console is the tool you'll use to manage local and remote DNS servers. As shown in Figure 20-3, the DNS console's main window is divided into two panes. The left pane allows you to access DNS servers and their zones. The right pane shows the details for the currently selected item. You can work with the DNS console in several ways:

• Double-click an entry in the left pane to expand the list of files for the entry.

• Select an entry in the left pane to display details such as zone status and domain records in the right pane.

• Right-click an entry to display a context menu with available options.

Figure 20-3. Manage domains and subnets through the Forward Lookup Zones and Reverse Lookup Zones folders.

The Forward Lookup Zones and Reverse Lookup Zones folders provide access to the domains and subnets configured for use on this server. When you select domain or subnet folders in the left pane, you can manage DNS records for the domain or subnet.

Adding Remote Servers to the DNS Console

You can manage servers running DNS from the DNS console by completing the following steps:

1. Right-click DNS in the console tree and then select Connect To DNS Server. This opens the dialog box shown in Figure 20-4.

   Figure 20-4. Connect to a local or remote server through the Connect To DNS Server dialog box.

   

2. If you're trying to connect to the local computer, select This Computer. Otherwise , select The Following Computer and then type the IP address or fully qualified host name of the remote computer to which you want to connect.

3. Click OK. Windows Server 2003 attempts to contact the server, and if it does, it adds the server to the console.

Note

If a server is offline or otherwise inaccessible due to security restrictions or problems with the remote procedure call (RPC) service, the connection will fail. You can still add the server to the console by clicking Yes when prompted.

Removing a Server from the DNS Console

In the DNS console, you can delete a server by selecting its entry and then pressing Delete. When prompted, click OK to confirm the deletion. Deleting a server only removes it from the server list in the console tree. It doesn't actually delete the server.

Starting and Stopping a DNS Server

To manage DNS servers, you use the DNS Server service. You can start, stop, pause, resume, and restart the DNS Server service in the Services node of Computer Management or from the command line. You can also manage the DNS Server service in the DNS console. Right-click the server you want to manage in the DNS console, choose All Tasks, and then select Start, Stop, Pause, Resume, or Restart, as appropriate.

Note

In the Computer Management console, under the Services And Applications node, right-click DNS, choose All Tasks, and then select Start, Stop, Pause, Resume, or Restart, as appropriate.

Creating Child Domains Within Zones

Using the DNS console, you can create child domains within a zone. For example, if you created the primary zone microsoft.com, you could create hr.microsoft.com and mis.microsoft.com subdomains for the zone. You create child domains by completing the following steps:

1. In the DNS console, expand the Forward Lookup Zones folder for the server you want to work with.

2. Right-click the parent domain entry, and then, from the shortcut menu, select New Domain.

3. Enter the name of the new domain, and then click OK. For hr.microsoft.com, you'd enter hr . For mis.microsoft.com, you'd enter mis .

Creating Child Domains in Separate Zones

As your organization grows, you might want to organize the DNS name space into separate zones. At the corporate headquarters you could have a zone for the parent domain microsoft.com . At branch offices you could have zones for each office, such as memphis.microsoft.com, newyork.microsoft.com, and la.microsoft.com.

You create child domains in separate zones by completing the following steps:

1. Install a DNS server in each child domain, and then create the necessary forward and reverse lookup zones for the child domain as described earlier in this chapter in the section entitled "Installing DNS Servers."

2. On the authoritative DNS server for the parent domain, you delegate authority to each child domain. Delegating authority allows the child domain to resolve and respond to DNS queries from computers inside and outside the local subnet.

You delegate authority to a child domain by completing the following steps:

1. In the DNS console, expand the Forward Lookup Zones folder for the server you want to work with.

2. Right-click the parent domain entry and then, from the shortcut menu, select New Delegation. This starts the New Delegation Wizard. Click Next.

3. As shown in Figure 20-5, type the name of the delegated domain, such as ts , and then click Next. The name you enter updates the value in the Fully Qualified Domain Name field. Click Next.

   Figure 20-5. Entering the name of the delegated domain sets the fully qualified domain name (FQDN).

   

4. Click Add. In the Server name field, type the fully qualified host name of a DNS server for the child domain, such as corpserver01.memphis.adatum.com.

5. In the IP Address field, type the primary IP address for the server. Click Add. Repeat this process to specify additional IP addresses for this server. The order of the entries determines which IP address is used first. Change the order as necessary using the Up and Down buttons .

   Note

   If the server is reachable on the network, you can type the name in the Server name field and then click Resolve. If the server is reachable , the IP address is then entered in the IP Address field and added automatically.

   
   

6. Click OK and then repeat steps 3 “5 to specify other authoritative DNS servers for the child domain.

7. Click Next and then click Finish to complete the process.

Deleting a Domain or Subnet

Deleting a domain or subnet permanently removes it from the DNS server. To delete a domain or subnet, follow these steps:

1. In the DNS console, right-click the domain or subnet entry.

2. From the shortcut menu, select Delete, and then confirm the action by clicking Yes.

Note

Deleting a domain or subnet deletes all DNS records in a zone file but doesn't actually delete the zone file on a primary or secondary server that isn't integrated with Active Directory. You'll find that the actual zone file remains in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Dns directory. You can delete this file after you have deleted the zones from the DNS console.