DNS: <Adapter name> must have configured DNS servers

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

Critical

Category

Configuration

Issue

Network interfaces must have configured DNS servers. The interfaces on the adapter do not have any DNS servers configured.

Impact

If DNS servers are not configured, the computer cannot resolve names or connect to network resources. Critical operations related to Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) might also fail.

Before you install AD DS and DNS on the first domain controller server in a new domain, make sure that the IP addresses of two DNS servers are configured in the TCP/IP settings properties so 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.