Install a Caching-Only DNS Server

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

You can use this procedure to install a caching-only DNS server. Caching-only DNS servers do not host any zones, and they are not authoritative for a particular domain. They build a local server cache of names that they accumulate while they perform recursive queries on behalf of their clients. This information is then available from the server's cache when it answers subsequent client queries. See Adding a Caching-Only DNS Server for more information about caching-only servers.

Installing a caching-only server simply requires you to install a DNS server but not configure it to host any zones.

Membership in Administrators, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).

To install a caching-only DNS server

  1. Install a DNS server on the server computer. For more information, see Install a DNS Server. Do not configure the DNS server (as you might normally) to load any zones.

  2. Verify that server root hints are configured or updated correctly. For more information, see Managing Root Hints.

Additional considerations

  • To open DNS Manager, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DNS.

  • We strongly recommend that, when you operate a computer as a DNS server, you manually configure TCP/IP and use a static IP address.

Additional references

Adding a Caching-Only DNS Server