new to DNS 3

[dzon]

Hi,

I have a win2k server with DHCP and DNS set-up. Could somebody please help me understand DNS structure as I having some long logon/off issues.

Now since setting up the server I have not touch DNS at all, I let windows set it up.

In server TCP properties I have dns pointing to router and I can access net from the server. Now I thought I understood that on the XP PRO workstations the dns should point to the server, if i do this i get no internet. If I change the workstation dns to that of the router i get Internet.

I think maybe I should enter ISP DNS into our server DNS somehow. Is this correct - how i do this?

I notice in DNS i have forward / reverse lookup, what does this mean?

Thank very much in advance

Dzon

 

[devastator]

in short your workstations should point to your local dns server (windows 2000 server), your windows 2000 server should point to itself, in DNS on the 2000 server configure forwarders to forward Internet requests to your ISP's DNS Servers, use forward and reverse zones to resolve workstations on your network from name to ip and ip to name.

 

[lb63640]

Devastator, that was the best nutshell explanation I've ever seen! It answered a question that I had also, so you get a star!

 

[devastator]

thx lb.

also to add if you don't want to use recursion (root hints) under forwarders you can check off "don't use recursion". this will make the dns server only use the forwarders and if it can't resolve than it will stop there. if you don't check this option than if the forwarders fail the dns server will try and resolve through root hints. if your isp dns servers go down for some reason this could play into dns failures obviously.

I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve. ~ Baggins

 

[dzon]

Devastator,

exellent - thank you.Two things. How do i create this forwarder to isp.

secondly, i type in our website from work it does not work. but works from home. I have website on domain controller, which is same server dns is on. I imagine i need to do something to get this working internal. :O)

any help or links much grateful

Dzon

 

[devastator]

thx dzon,

first your forward and reverse lookup zone should be your local domain / reverse IPs for workstation / server resolution.
Forwarders for you ISP's dns servers are set if you right click on the server under DNS and go into properties, forwarders tab.

for the second question you need to create a

http://www record

and point it to your web server / web sites IP address.

how i have it set up here we host our web site offsite. Our domain is for internal resolution is a local domain. So say domain.local for internal use.
What i ended up doing is just creating another forward lookup zone called domain.com and added the

http://www record

there. No MX (mail exchange) or anything else since our host handles all that.
Depending on how you have your domain and web site setup (local or offsite) will be the deciding factor on how you configure dns for your web site resolution for internal pc's.

I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve. ~ Baggins

 

[dzon]

Just got back from hols!

thanks for help!

Dzon

 

[dzon]

slight problem,

Currently dns address on server is pointing to router. Internet works. If I change the dns address to itself Internet no longer works.

I right-click server name in DNS, choose properties, forwarders and it says forwarders are not available because it's a root server. Boxes are greyed.


Any ideas?

Cheers,

Dzon

 

[devastator]

yes you have to delete the root zone / server.

see this article.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;291382

I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve. ~ Baggins

 

[dzon]

Thanks very much. All problems fixed.

Cheers,

Dzon