Two DNS servers on same domain...

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centre21

This is a simple question (I hope) - I have a domain that has two DNS
servers, one Win2000 and one Win2003. The Win2K box doesn't have any
FLZ or RLZ configured on it at all. If I were to configure these zones,
would they have to match the zones on the Win2003 server? Is it even
necessary to have two DNS servers (I'm guessing the 2000 box was the
first DNS server and was "retired" when the 2003 server came into the
picture)?
 
The answer depends on a few things. If there is only one domain controller
and it goes down, another DNS server won't help you much except to resolve
Internet names. If you have more than one DC, having one of them as a spare
DNS server will keep your AD running while you get the other server back on
line, provided.your clients list both servers in their TCP/IP Properties or
get them via DHCP. If the 2000 server is not a DC (as I suspect), you'll
need to configure the zones a secondaries to the primary or ADI zones on the
2K3 server. Be sure to allow zone transfers to the 2K server from the 2K3.

....kurt
 
centre21 said:
This is a simple question (I hope) - I have a domain that has two DNS
servers, one Win2000 and one Win2003. The Win2K box doesn't have any
FLZ or RLZ configured on it at all.
Click to expand...

What is it's purpose? As a caching only DNS server
your INTERNAL Client machines must NOT use this
(neither instead of NOR in addition to your actual internal
DNS server.)

Usually such caching only DNS servers are intended to
handle Internet lookups (only) when the actual internal
DNS servers (e.g., for AD) FORWARD to it.
If I were to configure these zones,
would they have to match the zones on the Win2003 server?
Click to expand...

IF this is just an additional internal server you really
MUST configure the zones your internal clients need
or it is pretty much worthless.

You would generally make this a SECONDARY DNS
for each zone on your primary DNS server (or perhaps
AD Integrated if these are both on a DC.)
Is it even
necessary to have two DNS servers (I'm guessing the 2000 box was the
first DNS server and was "retired" when the 2003 server came into the
picture)?
Click to expand...

Obviously it is not "necessary" if you are surviving without
it doing anything but it is a VERY GOOD idea to have
fault tolerance for both your AD DC and your internal DNS.
 
centre21 said:
This is a simple question (I hope) - I have a domain that has two DNS
servers, one Win2000 and one Win2003. The Win2K box doesn't have any
FLZ or RLZ configured on it at all. If I were to configure these
zones, would they have to match the zones on the Win2003 server? Is
it even necessary to have two DNS servers (I'm guessing the 2000 box
was the first DNS server and was "retired" when the 2003 server came
into the picture)?
Click to expand...

Or if they are both DCs, someone moved the zones in AD on the Win2k3 to
replication partitions that don't exist on the Win2k DC. (ForestDNSZones &
DomainDNSZones) Win2k only has the MicrosoftDNS partition, if you want both
DCs to have the zones use the Win2k3 DC to change the replication on the
zone to "All Domain Controllers in the Active Directory domain <ADDomain>"

--
Best regards,
Kevin D. Goodknecht Sr. [MVP]
Hope This Helps
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