Please note before you start with the installation you MUST configure the server with a static IP address, otherwise the installation wizard prompts you to configure the server with a static IP address during the installation process.

Installing DNS Server on windows Server 2003:

To install DNS server you may choose one of the two  following methods:

* Installing DNS Server through Control panel :

  1. Click Start ==> Setting ==> Control Panel ==> Add or Remove Programs.
  2. Click on Add/Remove Windows Components from Add or Remove Programs menu.
  3. On Windows Components click on “Networking Services” and then click Details.
  4. On Networking Services details select the Domain Name System (DNS) check box, click OK and then click Next.
  5. Click Finish once the installation finished.

You can configure the DNS server now through DNS snap in, Start ==> Programs ==> Administrative tools ==> DNS, right click on the server then click “Configure a DNS server”.

* Installing DNS Server through “Configure your server wizard”:

  1. Start ==> Programs ==> Administrative tools ==> Configure your server wizard
  2. On the “Welcome to configure your server” click Next
  3. Read the “preliminary Steps” and make sure that all steps have been taken care of then click next.
  4. Select DNS server from the menu and click Next. Once the installation done, DNS configuration wizards starts, click next.

Configuring DNS server:


  • On the Select Configuration Action page, select the Create a forward lookup zone and then click Next. (the configuration process can be start manually by using the DNS snap in as previously mentioned).

  • On the “primary Server location” click “This server Maintains the zone” then click Next.
  • Specify the name of the DNS zone for your network, and then click Next.

Note: The zone name is the same as the name of the DNS domain for the organization domain name eg. nj180degree.net or yourdomain.local or just a portion of the domain name Sydneybranch.nj180degree.net , and it’s NOT the name of the DNS server, A DNS zone can contain one or more contiguous domains and a DNS server can be authoritative for multiple DNS zones!!)

  • On the next window choose the best option for your case, and then click Next.

Note: in this window you’ll have three options to choose from:
- Allow only secure dynamic updates: available only for active dicrectory-integreated zone: This is an authoritative primary zone that stores its data in Active Directory
- Allow both nonsecure and secure dynamic updates.
- Do not allow dynamic updates: The records must update manually.

  • On Forwarders click “Yes, it should forward queries to DNS servers with the following IP addresses”: Add in here the IP addresses either if you have designated DNS server in your network to forward all queries for names outside of your network to the Internet, Or your ISP.
  • You may choose to go with “No, it should not forward queries” then you cannot forward name queries for names outside of your network to the Internet or other DNS servers. Click Next.
  • On “Completing the Configure a DNS Wizard” window Click Finish. “Configure the hosts that will use this DNS server to point to this DNS server for name resolution, verify name resolution using nslook up through run==>cmd==> nslookup  (check the end of this post). If you added new primary zone, add resource records to it for the hosts whose names need to be resolved by this DNS server”.

If you prompted with an error message like: The configure a DNS server wizard could not configure root hints.. etc then you may need to update the root hints manually using the DNS snap-in:
a. On Non-domain controlle

  1. Start ==> programs ==> Administrative Tools ==>DNS.
  2. Right-click the Server ==> Properties
  3. Click “Root Hints” tab, then click Add.
  4. Specify the (FQDN) and the IP address of the root server that you want to add, and then click OK.

b. On a domain controller

  1. Start ==> programs ==> Administrative Tools ==>DNS.
  2. Right-click the Server ==> Properties
  3. Click “Root Hints” tab, then click Add.
  4. You may do one of the following: Either Add a root server to the list. To do so, click Add, specify the FQDN and the IP address of the root server that you want to add, and then click OK, Or  Copy the root hints from another DNS server. click Copy from Server, specify the IP address of the DNS server where you want to copy the root hints from, and then click OK.
  5. Click OK.

Following up:

Network adaptor configuration (Microsoft Support tech)

  1. Right-click My Network Places, and then click Properties.
  2. Right-click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.
  3. Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties.
  4. Verify that the IP address in the Preferred DNS server box is the IP address of your internal DNS server, and then click OK two times.
  5. Right-click your external network connection, and then click Properties.
  6. Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties.
  7. Verify that the IP address in the Preferred DNS server box is the IP address of your internal DNS server.
  8. Click Advanced, click the DNS tab, click to clear the Register this connections address in DNS check box, and then click OK.
  9. In the Components checked are used by this connection list, click to clear the Client for Microsoft Networks check box, click to clear the Network Load Balancing check box, and then click to clear the File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks check box.
  10. Click OK.
  11. Right-click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.
  12. Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties.
  13. Click Advanced, and then click the DNS tab.
  14. In the DNS server addresses, in order of use list, make sure that your internal DNS server is at the top of the list, and any external DNS servers are at the bottom of the list.
  15. Click OK three times.
  16. Start Command Prompt. To do this, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK.
  17. Type the following commands, and press ENTER after each command:

ipconfig /flushdns , ipconfig /registerdns

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