Specify other DNS servers as authoritative for a zone

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

To specify other DNS servers as authoritative for a zone

  • Using the Windows interface

  • Using a command line

Using the Windows interface

  1. Open DNS.

  2. In the console tree, right-click the applicable zone, and then click Properties.

  3. Click the Name Servers tab.

  4. Click Add.

  5. Specify additional DNS servers by their names and IP addresses, and then click Add to add them to the list.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.

  • To open DNS, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click DNS.

  • To add a name server to the list of authoritative servers for the zone, you must specify both the server's IP address and its DNS name. When entering names, click Resolve to resolve the name to its IP address prior to adding it to the list.

  • DNS servers specified using this procedure are added to those server IP addresses already present for the existing name server (NS) resource record for the zone. Typically, you might only need to perform this procedure at the primary zone when adding DNS servers to act as secondary servers and also to specify that these servers are known to be authoritative when answering queries for zone data.

  • DNS servers automatically add and perform initial configuration of the NS resource record for each new primary zone added to the server.

Using a command line

  1. Open Command Prompt.

  2. Type: dnscmd ServerName /RecordAdd ZoneNameNodeName [/Aging] [/OpenAcl] [Ttl] NS {HostName|DomainName}

Value Description

dnscmd

Specifies the name of the command-line tool.

ServerName

Required. Specifies the DNS host name of the DNS server. You can also type the IP address of the DNS server. To specify the DNS server on the local computer, you can also type a period (.)

/RecordAdd

Required. Specifies the command to add a resource record.

ZoneName

Required. Specifies the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the zone.

NodeName

Required. Specifies the FQDN of the node in the DNS namespace for which the SOA record is added. You can also type the node name relative to the ZoneName or @, which specifies the zone's root node.

/Aging

If this command is used, this resource record is able to be aged and scavenged. If this command is not used, the resource record remains in the DNS database unless it is manually updated or removed.

/OpenAcl

Specifies that new records are open to modification by any user. Without this parameter, only administrators may modify the new record.

Ttl

Specifies the Time-To-Live (TTL) setting for the resource record. (The default TTL is defined in SOA resource record).

NS

Required. Specifies that you are adding a name server (NS) resource record to the zone specified in ZoneName.

HostName|FQDN

Required. Specifies the host name or FQDN of the new authoritative server.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.

  • To open a command prompt, click Start, point to All programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command prompt.

  • This procedure requires the Dnscmd Windows support tool. For information about installing Windows support tools, see Related Topics.

  • To view the complete syntax for this command, at a command prompt, type:

    dnscmd/RecordAdd/help

  • DNS servers specified using this procedure are added to those server IP addresses already present for the existing name server (NS) resource record for the zone. Typically, you might only need to perform this procedure at the primary zone when adding DNS servers to act as secondary servers and also to specify that these servers are known to be authoritative when answering queries for zone data.

  • DNS servers automatically add and perform initial configuration of the NS resource record for each new primary type added to the server.

Formatting legend

Format Meaning

Italic

Information that the user must supply

Bold

Elements that the user must type exactly as shown

Ellipsis (...)

Parameter that can be repeated several times in a command line

Between brackets ([])

Optional items

Between braces ({}); choices separated by pipe (|). Example: {even|odd}

Set of choices from which the user must choose only one

Courier font

Code or program output

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

Add a secondary server for an existing zone
Using secondary servers
Install Windows Support Tools