Migrating Zones to Windows Server 2003 DNS Servers

  • Article

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

You can migrate zones to DNS servers running Windows Server 2003 in one of two ways:

  • By using zone transfer.

  • By copying the zone files.

If you copy the zone files, you must manually verify the integrity of the zones. Regardless of the method that you use to migrate zones, you must decide whether to take the original DNS server offline, or to use it as a secondary server. If you determine that the original third-party DNS server causes interoperability problems on your network, or if you need to use that server hardware for another purpose, take the server offline. Otherwise, keep the server on you network to provide backup for your primary DNS server running Windows Server 2003.

For more information about using zone transfer, see "Initiate a zone transfer at a secondary server" in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.