Creating an Internet DNS Domain Name

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

If you are deploying a new Windows Server 2003 DNS infrastructure that is connected to the Internet, you must create an Internet DNS domain name for your organization. Because all of the nodes in your network that require name resolution are assigned a DNS name that includes the Internet DNS domain name for your organization, it is important to select an Internet DNS domain name that is short and easy to remember. Because DNS is hierarchical, DNS domain names grow when you add subdomains to your organization. Short domain names result in computer names that are easy to remember, facilitating resource access.

A DNS namespace that is connected to the Internet must be a subdomain of a top-level or second-level domain of the Internet DNS namespace. If you are deploying a new Windows Server 2003 DNS namespace, you must select a top-level Internet DNS domain in which to register your Internet DNS domain name. For example, you can register your domain as a subdomain of .com, .org, or .net, or as a subdomain of the domain name that is assigned to your country/region, such as .au (Australia), .fr (France) or .ca (Canada).

When you have selected your Internet DNS domain name and identified the top-level domain for which your DNS domain is a subdomain, complete the following steps to register your DNS domain name:

  1. Search the Internet to confirm that the DNS domain name that you selected for your organization is not registered to another organization. If the DNS domain name that you selected is owned by another organization, you can attempt to buy it from that organization, or select a different DNS domain name.

  2. Configure at least one authoritative DNS server to host the DNS zone for your domain name. This DNS server might be located on your network or on the network of your ISP.

  3. Register your DNS domain name with an Internet registrar, and supply the registrar with the DNS name and IP address of at least one DNS server that is authoritative for your DNS domain name. For a list of Internet registrars, see the ICANN link on the Web Resources page at https://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources.

The Internet domain name registration process varies according to the design of your DNS namespace. Table 3.6 lists the domain names that you need to register for each type of DNS namespace design.

Table 3.6   Internet DNS Domain Name Registration

Namespace Design Domain Name Registration Example

The internal domain name is a subdomain of the external domain.

Register only the external domain name.

The domain name contoso.com is used for the external namespace.

The domain name corp.contoso.com is used for the internal namespace.

The internal and external domain names are different from each other.

Register the external domain name, and then, if you want the internal domain to be publicly accessible, also register the internal domain name.

The domain name contoso.com is used for the external namespace.

The domain name corp.contoso.com is used for the internal namespace.

When you register your DNS domain name, the Internet registrar creates a delegation in the DNS zone that is authoritative for the top-level domain that you selected. This is the top-level domain for the DNS servers that are authoritative for your organization’s Internet DNS domain name.

Note

  • If a domain name that you want to register is not available in one top-level domain, such as .com, and you register the same domain name in another top-level domain, such as .net, then people who are searching for your domain name on the Internet might assume that computers and services in the wrong top-level domain belong to your company.