The Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) server role needs Domain Name System (DNS) services to locate computers, domain controllers, member servers, and network services by name. The DNS Server role provides DNS name resolution services for TCP/IP-based networks by mapping names to IP addresses, which makes it possible for computers to locate network resources in an AD DS environment.

AD DS registers resource records in DNS zones so that DNS clients can locate domain controllers. You must configure DNS clients with the address of a DNS server that can refer to the required zone data. The DNS server must either host the required zones itself or be able to use forwarding or delegations to reach another DNS server that hosts the required zones.

Configure DNS support for AD DS

The following table lists the steps that you can take to configure DNS support for AD DS.

  Step Reference
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Review information about the DNS server role in Windows Server 2008.

DNS Server (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=93215)

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Configure DNS client settings.

Configuring TCP/IP and DNS Client Settings

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Create any necessary DNS delegation records.

Creating or Updating a DNS Delegation

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Configure forwarders.

Configure a DNS Server to Use Forwarders

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If your organization uses root hints for recursive name resolution, configure root hints on your DNS servers.

Update Root Hints on the DNS Server