Newbie windows 2003 standard server questions

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

Hi
I just bought a windows 2003 standard server.I am a lab manager with 10
windows xp computers and 10 windows 2000 computers.I bought windows 2003
server hoping i could manage these 20 computers better with it.Now , i found
that AD cannot run without DNS.Do i need to talk to my network administrator
for this.Does it have anything to do with the current DNS servers at all?
can't i just install windows 2003 server standard and AD and DNS and
configure it as DC and start using it to manage the 20 clients.
why do i need a domain name? Isn't a netbios name enough?
Thanks a lot for whatever help you can provide.
moglee
 
for this.Does it have anything to do with the current DNS servers at all?

Not necessarily. You can set up DNS for the AD domain and forward to the
existing DNS server.
Or

If the existing DNS server supports SRV records and your admin will let you
use it you can use that one. In most situations that I've heard about where
there is a DNS admin, *most* of the time they will allow forwarding to their
servers but they have a problem with letting servers register themselves in
their DNS server. See:
Setting Up the Domain Name System for Active Directory

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;237675

For Internet access see:
How to: Configure DNS for Internet Access In Windows 2000

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;300202


If the existing DNS server resolves queries to the Internet, you can use the
above article and where configures forwarders to point to the ISP, you can
use your existing DNS server. You could also just forward to your ISP and
bypass your existing DNS server, if there is nothing in that zone that is
needed by your AD users.
why do i need a domain name?
Click to expand...

You need the correct naming structure. You don't have to register a domain
name. You need the naming structure of domainname.com or domainname.loc, or
you could use domainname.pri. It is expecting the correct structure of
XXXX.XXX.


hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE
,
 
Mr.Sanders
Thanks a lot for reply.I apologise for the late reply.
Now, will the server check to see if there is any conflict for the DNS name
that i select?
What basic information will i need at hand before i set up DNS on my server?
The computers i am going to manage from my server are already connected to
internet and receive ip addr throught dhcp.will it be a problem if my server
also gets its ip through dhcp or should i get a static ip for my server.?
what caveats do you have for such a set up?
Thank You
 
AD's DNS is only for internal usage. You can use any name, for example
we do use root.local for forest root and then apn.au for Australia,
apn.nz for NZ.

So, you will need only desired domain name to proceed. Let dcpromo to
install and configure DNS for your server.

Never use DHCP address for your server. Also, you will probably need
to configure DHCP server to update zone files with PCs addresses (as
well as you can just configure each PC IP properties as "register this
connection in DNS" under advanced conf. sheet).

Make sure that all your clients use domain DNS. Configure forwarding
to allow your new DNS to resolve Internet DNS names.
 
Hello Mr.Byelyakov,
Thank you for your reply.It is getting interesting.Now, the clients are
getting their ip by dhcp.What you are saying is ...i addition to setting the
clients to login to my domain i should give my server address as DNS in the
TCP/IP configuration of the clients.So does that mean i should select "Obtain
an IP address automatically" and "Use the following DNS server addresses" in
LAN properties of the clients.?
Thank You
 
....i addition to setting the
clients to login to my domain i should give my server address as DNS in the
TCP/IP configuration of the clients.
Click to expand...

Yes as long as this server houses the DNS zone for the domain.


So does that mean i should select "Obtain
an IP address automatically" and "Use the following DNS server addresses" in
LAN properties of the clients.?
Click to expand...


When setting up DHCP you can add an entry for DNS that will be pushed out to
your clients along with their IP address, or you can manually add it to each
client.


Basically point the DNS server to itself for DNS in the properties of TCP/IP
(manually), this will allow the DC to regester the SRV records your AD
clients were searching for when they took so long to log on. They must find
these SRV records associated with the AD domain in order to "find" the
domain. That is also why AD needs a DNS server for AD. The DCs in an AD
domain must register their SRV records and *most* ISP will not allow this
nor do you want your AD DNS records registered to an ISP for all to use.
This is after all your private internal domain.

Point all AD clients to the DNS server set up for the AD domain ONLY. For
Internet access you can configure forwarders or use root hints.
The 2 articles I sent in the first post explain it all.

hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE
 
Hello Mr.Sanders
Thanks a lot for the information.I will definitely check out the links you
mentioned.I did visit one of them already before posting.
Once again , thank you for your time.
I just installed win23k standard. Now i will install the roles starting with
DNS.
Thank You
 
Hello Friends
I just finished installing DC role on my server.It went smoothly.
Now, I will start using my server to remotely manage my computer lab.
Thank You all for your help.
 
Back
Top