HOW TO: Configure DNS for Use with Exchange Server

SUMMARY

This article describes the Domain Name System (DNS) requirements for a successful Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server installation in an Active Directory environment.

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Check DNS Configuration

If you have an incorrect DNS configuration, Exchange 2000 Server-related services may not start, and the following events may be logged in the application log of the Windows NT Event Viewer:
 

Date:     <date>          Source:   MSExchangeDSAccess
Time:     <time>          Category: None
Type:     Error           EventID: 2069  
User:     N/A
Computer: <computer name>

Description:
Process MAD.EXE (PID=2760). Dsaccess could not find any Global Catalog servers in the enterprise. Promote one or more of your Domain Controllers to a Global Catalog to allow DSAccess to function properly.  
For more information, click http://www.microsoft.com/contentredirect.asp. 
					

-and-
 

Date:     <date>          Source:   MSExchangeDSAccess
Time:     <time>          Category: None
Type:     Error           EventID: 2064  
User:     N/A
Computer: <computer name>

Description:
Process WINMGMT.EXE (PID=1052). All the remote DS Servers in use are not
responding.
 For more information, click http://www.microsoft.com/contentredirect.asp. 
					

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Check DNS Requirements

DNS must meet the following requirements in the Active Directory environment for the proper operation of Exchange 2000 Server:

• DNS servers must be Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) 8.1-compliant or later.
  You can use Microsoft Windows 2000 servers or Unix Bind 8.1 servers to meet this requirement.
• All of the DNS servers to which your Exchange 2000 Server computers point must contain a full copy of your Active Directory Zone. Because this information is of a sensitive nature, do not use external or publicly available DNS servers for this purpose.
• The DNS zone should allow dynamic updates. Although this is not a requirement, there are many DNS records that you must manually enter if your DNS zone is not configured to allow dynamic updates.

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Configure DNS Zone to Allow Dynamic Updates

1. Start the DNS snap-in. To do this, click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DNS.
2. Expand the DNS server, expand Forward Lookup Zones, and then expand your domain (for example, example.com).
3. Right-click your domain, and then click Properties.
4. In the Allow dynamic updates list, click Yes.
5. Click Apply, and then click OK.
6. Expand Reverse Lookup Zones, and then expand the IP address range for your domain. For example, expand 192.168.1.x Subnet, or, if you have selected Advanced on the View menu, expand 1.168.192.in-addr.arpa.
7. Right-click your IP address range, and then click Properties.
8. In the Allow dynamic updates list, click Yes.
9. Click Apply, and then click OK.
10. Quit the DNS snap-in.

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Configure DNS Servers for Proper Name Resolution

1. Install and turn on (enable) the DNS Server service. For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   308201 HOW TO: Create a New Zone on a DNS Server in Windows 2000

   237675 Setting Up the Domain Name System for Active Directory

   313563 HOW TO: Configure a Secondary Name Server in Windows 2000

   317590 HOW TO: Configure DNS Dynamic Update in Windows 2000

2. Configure DNS for dynamic updates.For additional information about how to do this, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   317590 HOW TO: Configure DNS Dynamic Update in Windows 2000

3. Update the domain controllers with the new DNS information. To do this, either restart each domain controller and member server, or run the Netdiag /fix command from each server in the domain. The Netdiag utility is included with the Microsoft Windows 2000 Support Tools.For additional information about the Windows 2000 Support Tools, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   301423 How to Install the Windows 2000 Support Tools

   219289 Description of the Netdiag /fix Switch

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