DNS: More than one forwarding server should be configured
Updated: October 15, 2010
Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012
This topic is intended to address a specific issue identified by a Microsoft Baseline Configuration Analyzer or Best Practices Analyzer scan. You should apply the information in this topic only to computers that have had the DNS Microsoft Baseline Configuration Analyzer or DNS Best Practices Analyzer run against them and are experiencing the issue addressed by this topic. For more information about best practices and scans, see Best Practices Analyzer.
Operating System |
Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 |
Product/Feature |
DNS |
Severity |
Warning |
Category |
Configuration |
Issue
There is only one forwarder configured on the DNS server.
To provide redundancy, more than one DNS server should be configured in the list of forwarders.
Impact
The forwarder is a single point of failure.
If a single forwarder fails to respond, DNS clients might be unable to resolve DNS queries.
Resolution
Configure additional forwarders on the DNS server.
To repair this condition, add additional DNS servers to the list of forwarders.
Membership in Administrators, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete these procedures. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).
To configure the list of forwarders
Click Start, click Run, type dnsmgmt.msc, and then press ENTER. The DNS Manager console will open.
In the console tree, right-click the DNS server and then click Properties.
On the Forwarders tab, click Edit.
In the Edit Forwarders dialog box, under IP Address, type the IP address of a DNS server that you wish to use as a forwarder. Each forwarder in the list should display as OK under Validated. Click OK to finish editing forwarders.
Click OK to close the DNS server properties dialog box.