Create a DNS Application Directory Partition

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008

You can store Domain Name System (DNS) zones in the domain or application directory partitions of Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). A partition is a data structure in AD DS that distinguishes data for different replication purposes. When you create an application directory partition for DNS and enlist other directory-integrated DNS servers in the partition, you can control the scope of replication for the zones that are stored in that partition.

You can use this procedure to create a DNS application directory partition with the dnscmd command-line tool.

Membership in Enterprise Admins, 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 create a DNS application directory partition

  1. Open a command prompt. To open an elevated Command Prompt window, click Start, point to All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.

  2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

    dnscmd <ServerName> /CreateDirectoryPartition <FQDN>
Parameter Description

dnscmd

The command-line tool for managing DNS servers.

<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 (.).

/CreateDirectoryPartition

Required. Creates a DNS application directory partition.

<FQDN>

Required. Specifies the name of the new DNS application directory partition. You must use a DNS fully qualified domain name (FQDN), for example, hqpartition.contoso.com.

To view the complete syntax for this command, at a command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

dnscmd /CreateDirectoryPartition /?

Additional references