You can migrate a DNS server by upgrading a DNS server running an earlier version of Windows to Windows Server 2008, moving zone files from an existing DNS server running another DNS server implementation, or migrating zones using master-secondary zone transfer to DNS servers running Windows Server 2008. Migrating a Domain Name System (DNS) server can improve the performance, security, and reliability of your DNS infrastructure by giving you access to the advanced features that are available in Windows Server 2008.
- Upgrading a DNS
server
- Moving zone
files
- Migrating zones
from BIND servers
- Migrating zones from
Windows-based DNS servers
Upgrading a DNS server
| Task | Reference |
|---|---|
|
Any zones or server configuration files and parameters that are created and stored using the Windows Server 2003 version of the DNS Server service are stored in the same system folder locations. There is no conversion of data required during the process of upgrading from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008. |
|
Moving zone files
| Task | Reference |
|---|---|
|
Copy any zone or boot files that were created with Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) that you intend to use with the DNS Server service to the %systemroot%\System32\DNS folder on the server running Windows Server 2008. |
|
|
If you continue to use a BIND boot file to provide the initial configuration settings that are used by the DNS Server service when it is started, change the boot method that is used by the DNS Server service. Or, rename the zone files from the BIND naming convention to the convention that is used by DNS servers running under the DNS Server service that is provided in Windows operating systems. |
|
|
If you do not migrate the BIND boot file or specify the BIND name when you create the zones using DNS Manager, you will have to rename these zones:
For a reverse lookup zone, BIND uses a convention of noting reverse domain names as a forward notation of the mapped IP network, such as db.192.1.168 for a reverse lookup zone that is created for an example IP network address of 192.168.1.0. DNS servers running Windows Server 2008, however, use the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for the zone, which includes the in-addr.arpa domain, to complete the file name. In this example, the correct name to use for the same zone in Windows Server 2008 DNS is 168.1.192.in-addr.arpa.dns when you copy and rename the file. |
|
Additional considerations
- If you are using the BIND boot file with the
DNS Server service after migration, there are other limitations
that apply to the use of this file by the DNS Server service. For
example, some BIND boot directives are not supported—in particular,
xfrnets and other directives that are provided with versions
of BIND, such as version 8.1.1 or later. For more information, see
articles Q194513 and Q234144 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=4441).
- If you are accustomed to manually editing DNS
zone files, be aware that the DNS Server service uses Request for
Comments (RFC)-compliant notation for its supported resource
records. In most cases, the DNS Server service interprets and loads
resource records from zone files that were originally created for
BIND-based DNS servers, without any need for file changes. If,
however, you have used nonstandard record formatting, the DNS
Server service can detect these edits and interpret them as bad
zone data.
Migrating zones from BIND servers
| Task | Reference |
|---|---|
|
Configure the BIND servers as the master servers for each of the zones that you want to migrate. |
|
|
On the server running the DNS Server service, add secondary zones for all of your existing zones that are hosted at the BIND-based DNS servers. |
|
|
If necessary, create reverse lookup zones for all of your existing reverse lookup zones that are hosted at the BIND-based DNS servers. |
|
|
After completing the zone transfers, convert any of the secondary zones to primary zones for the zones that were obtained from primary zones at the BIND servers. |
|
|
Optional: If the DNS server running Windows Server 2008 is a domain controller, store the zone in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). |
|
|
Configure the previous primary servers to be secondary servers for the migrated zones, or demote the previous primary servers. |
|
|
For the other secondary zones that remain, update the master servers for those zones to use the new primary DNS servers running Windows Server 2008. |
|
Migrating zones from Windows-based DNS servers
These tasks are necessary only if the zones that you are migrating are hosted on Windows-based servers and not stored in AD DS.
| Task | Reference |
|---|---|
|
On the server running Windows Server 2008, create secondary zones for all of your existing zones that are hosted at the Windows-based DNS servers. |
|
|
If necessary, create reverse lookup zones for all of your existing reverse lookup zones that are hosted at the Windows-based DNS servers. |
|
|
After you complete the zone transfers, convert the secondary zones to primary zones for the zones that were migrated. |
|
|
Optional: If the DNS server running Windows Server 2008 is a domain controller, store the zone in AD DS. |
|
|
Optional: To continue using the previous master servers as DNS servers, convert the migrated zones on the previous master servers to secondary zones. |