DNS: <Adapter name> should be configured to use both a preferred and an alternate DNS server

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012

This topic is intended to address a specific issue identified by a Microsoft Baseline Configuration Analyzer or Best Practices Analyzer scan. You should apply the information in this topic only to computers that have had the DNS Microsoft Baseline Configuration Analyzer or DNS Best Practices Analyzer run against them and are experiencing the issue addressed by this topic. For more information about best practices and scans, see Best Practices Analyzer.

Operating System

Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012

Product/Feature

DNS

Severity

Not Critical

Category

Configuration

Issue

Network interfaces should be configured to use both a preferred and an alternate DNS server. The interfaces on the adapter have only the preferred DNS server configured.

Impact

The use of a single DNS server per interface does not allow for redundancy and failover. If the configured DNS server becomes unavailable, the computer cannot resolve names and will not connect to other resources.

Before you install Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) and DNS on the first domain controller server in a new domain, ensure that the IP addresses of two DNS servers are configured in the TCP/IP settings properties to ensure that they can be located reliably.

Resolution

Configure at least two DNS servers per interface.

We recommend that you configure the computer to use a static IP address and at least two DNS servers. If the DNS server is configured to use DHCP-assigned dynamic addresses, when the DHCP server assigns a new IP address to the DNS server, the DNS clients that are configured to use that DNS server's previous IP address will not be able to resolve the previous IP address and locate the DNS server.

To configure primary and secondary DNS IPv4 addresses

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet, click Network and Sharing Center, click Change Adapter settings, double-click the network connection you want to change, and then click Properties.

  2. Click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then click Properties.

  3. Click Use the following DNS server addresses.

  4. In Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server, type the primary and secondary DNS server addresses.

To configure primary and secondary DNS IPv6 addresses

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet, click Network and Sharing Center, click Change Adapter settings, double-click the network connection you want to change, and then click Properties.

  2. Click Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6), and then click Properties.

  3. Click Use the following DNS server addresses.

  4. In Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server, type the primary and secondary DNS server addresses.