To
fully understand the capabilities that Windows Server 2008 R2 offers
for DNS, the product should be installed in a lab environment.
Installing DNS Using the Add Roles Wizard
Although there are various
ways to install and configure DNS, the most straightforward and
complete process involves invoking the Add Roles Wizard and the
subsequent Configure a DNS Server Wizard. The process detailed in this
section illustrates the installation of a standard zone. Multiple
variations of the installation are possible, but this particular
scenario is illustrated to show the basics of DNS installation.
Note
It
is recommended that DNS servers are configured with static IPv4
addresses because if the IP address changes, clients might be unable to
contact the DNS server.
Installation of DNS on
Windows Server 2008 R2 is straightforward, and no reboot is necessary.
To install and configure the DNS service on a Windows Server 2008 R2
computer, follow these steps:
1. | Launch Server Manager.
| 2. | Select the Roles node and click the Add Roles link.
| 3. | Click Next on the Before You Begin page.
| 4. | Select the DNS Server role check box and click Next.
| 5. | Click Next on the Introduction to DNS Server page.
| 6. | Click Install on the Confirmation page to install the DNS role.
| 7. | Click Close to exit the Add Roles Wizard.
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The DNS role has been
installed on the Windows Server 2008 R2 server, but has not been
configured. To configure the role, execute the following steps:
1. | Launch Server Manager.
| 2. | Expand the Roles, DNS Server, DNS nodes, and then select the DNS server name.
| 3. | Select Action, Configure a DNS Server.
| 4. | On the Welcome page for the Configure a DNS Server Wizard, click Next to continue.
| 5. | Select Create Forward and Reverse Lookup Zones (Recommended for Large Networks), and click Next.
| 6. | Select Yes, Create a Forward Lookup Zone Now (Recommended), and click Next.
| 7. | Select
the type of zone to be created—in this case, choose Primary Zone—and
click Next. If the server is a writable domain controller, the Store the
Zone in Active Directory check box is available.
| 8. | If storing the zone in Active Directory, select the replication scope and click Next.
| 9. | Type the FQDN of the zone in the Zone Name box, and click Next.
| 10. | At
this point, if creating a non-AD-integrated zone, you can create a new
zone text file or import one from an existing zone file. In this case,
choose Create a New File with This File Name, and accept the default.
Click Next to continue.
| 11. | The
subsequent page allows a zone to either accept or decline dynamic
updates. For this example, enable dynamic updates by selecting the Allow
Both Nonsecure and Secure Updates option button and clicking Next.
Note
Dynamic
updates allow DNS clients to register and update their own resource
records in the DNS zone. When enabling dynamic updates to be accepted by
your DNS server, be sure you know the sources of dynamic updated
information. If the sources are not reliable, you can potentially
receive corrupt or invalid information from a dynamic update.
| 12. | The
next page allows for the creation of a reverse lookup zone. Here,
select Yes, Create a Reverse Lookup Zone Now, and click Next.
| 13. | Select Primary Zone for the reverse lookup zone type, and click Next.
| 14. | If storing the zone in Active Directory, select the replication scope and click Next.
| 15. | Accept the default IPv4 Reverse Lookup Zone, and click Next.
| 16. | Type
in the network ID of the reverse lookup zone, and click Next. (The
network ID is typically the first set of octets from an IP address in
the zone. If a Class C IP range of 192.168.3.0/24 is in use on a
network, you would enter the values 192.168.3, as illustrated in Figure 1.)
| 17. | Again,
if creating a non-AD-integrated zone, you are offered the option to
create a new zone file or to utilize an existing file. For this example,
choose Create a New File with This File Name, and click Next to
continue.
| 18. | Again,
you are presented the option for dynamic updates. For this example,
select Allow Both Nonsecure and Secure Updates, and click Next to
continue.
| 19. | The next page deals with the setup of forwarders. In this example, choose No, It Should Not Forward Queries, and click Next to continue.
| 20. | The
final window displays a summary of the changes that will be made and
the zones that will be added to the DNS database. Click Finish to
finalize the changes and create the zones.
|
Note
Depending on network
connectivity, there might be a pop-up dialog box between the two clicks
to finish the DNS changes in step 20. If you are not connected to a
local area network (LAN), an error dialog box is displayed regarding
searching for root hints. Although the dialog box notes the root hint
error, clicking OK will still configure DNS successfully.
Configuring DNS Server to Point to Itself
One subtask that should be
accomplished after the installation is configuring the DNS server
address in the TCP/IP settings to point to itself for DNS resolution,
unless there is a specific reason not to do so. To accomplish this task,
perform the following steps:
1. | Launch Server Manager.
| 2. | Click the View Network Connections link.
| 3. | While in Network Connections, right-click the Local Area Connection icon and select Properties.
| 4. | Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
| 5. | In
the DNS Server boxes, make sure that Use the Following DNS Server
Addresses is selected and then type the IP address of the DNS server
into the Preferred DNS Server box.
| 6. | If you have another DNS server, you can enter it into the Alternate DNS Server box.
| 7. | Click OK twice to complete the changes.
|
Note
Previous
recommendations for Windows 2000 stipulated that a root DNS server point
to another DNS server as the primary name server. This recommendation
was made in response to what is known as the “island” problem in Windows
DNS. Administrators will take heart in the fact that Windows Server
2003 and higher (including Windows Server 2008 R2) are no longer subject
to this problem, and it is now recommended that you configure a DNS
server to point to itself in most cases.
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