Introduction to Administering DNS Operations

  • Article

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

This guide explains how to administer Microsoft Domain Name System (DNS). These activities are part of the operating phase of the information technology (IT) life cycle. If you are not familiar with this guide, review the following sections of this introduction.

When to Use This Guide

You should use this guide when:

  • You want to manage DNS servers.

  • You want to manage DNS clients.

This guide assumes a basic understanding of what DNS is, how it works, and why your organization uses it for name resolution. You should also have a thorough understanding of how DNS is deployed and managed in your organization. This includes an understanding of the mechanism that your organization uses to configure and manage DNS settings.

This guide can be used by organizations that have deployed Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1). It includes information that is relevant to different roles within an IT organization, including IT operations management and administrators. This guide contains high-level information that is required to plan a DNS operations environment, along with management-level knowledge of the DNS and IT processes that are required to operate it.

In addition, this guide contains more detailed procedures that are designed for operators who have varied levels of expertise and experience. Although the procedures provide operator guidance from start to finish, operators must have a basic proficiency with Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and snap-ins and know how to start administrative programs and access the command line. If operators are not familiar with DNS, it might be necessary for IT planners or managers to review the relevant operations in this guide and provide the operators with parameters or data that must be entered when the operations are performed.

How to Use This Guide

The operations areas are divided into the following types of content:

  • Objectives are high-level goals for managing, monitoring, optimizing, and securing DNS. Each objective consists of one or more high-level tasks that describe how the objective is accomplished. In this guide, Managing Domain Name System Servers is an example of an objective.

  • Tasks are used to group related procedures and provide general guidance for achieving the goals of an objective. In this guide, Modifying an Existing DNS Server is an example of a task.

  • Procedures provide step-by-step instructions for completing tasks. In this guide, Change the name-checking method of a DNS server is an example of a procedure.

If you are an IT manager who will be delegating tasks to operators in your organization, you will want to:

  • Read through the objectives and tasks to determine how to delegate permissions and whether you need to install tools before operators perform the procedures for each task.

  • Before assigning tasks to individual operators, ensure that you have all the tools installed where operators can use them.

  • When necessary, create “tear sheets” for each task that operators perform in your organization. Cut and paste the task and its related procedures into a separate document and then either print these documents or store them online, depending on the preference of your organization.