DNS for idiots
Discussion
I am setting up a server running W2K Server with 3 clients running XP Pro.
The clients take ages to log on and ages to browse the network. I am thinking that this is a DNS problem (because all the red marks in the event log mention DNS!) and I don't know where to start in setting up DNS properly on the server.
The IP address of the server network card is 192.168.0.1 I have a router with IP address 192.168.0.100. The server is called Server-home, and it is a Domain Controller.
Can any body explain what settings I need to put where on the server, or point me in the direction of somewhere that explains the setting up procedure in simple language?
Many thanks
The clients take ages to log on and ages to browse the network. I am thinking that this is a DNS problem (because all the red marks in the event log mention DNS!) and I don't know where to start in setting up DNS properly on the server.
The IP address of the server network card is 192.168.0.1 I have a router with IP address 192.168.0.100. The server is called Server-home, and it is a Domain Controller.
Can any body explain what settings I need to put where on the server, or point me in the direction of somewhere that explains the setting up procedure in simple language?
Many thanks
JamieBeeston said:
Network Connections
Local Area Network
TCP/IP Properties
DNS Servers
use one provided by your ISP (or worst case use one of my public ones 91.151.208.10)
J
Local Area Network
TCP/IP Properties
DNS Servers
use one provided by your ISP (or worst case use one of my public ones 91.151.208.10)
J
That will get your web name resolved, but it sounds like welsh blackbird needs local names on his LAN to be resolved.
Sounds to me like you need to get a DNS service running on the Win2k Server box and tell each client PC that its primary DNS server is your Win2k Server. Never done that on a Win2k box, but I assume if you tell it it is a domain controller it'll run the appropriate service and their will be wizards available to help you configure the thing. I'd look for a "Configure my server" or "Domain Controller" option in the control panel and take it from there.
Right, here we go....
When your server was set up as a DC it *should* have had DNS set up and the domain name should have been something like companyname.local, not companyname.co.uk and which matches the AD namespace.
Start programs administrative tools DNS. If you drill down you'll (hopefully) see the domain and all the various records.
What should then happen is the DC (Your primary DNS for your client machines) will forward requests for anything outside of companyname.local to the DNS supplied by your ISP.
If you right click the server in the DNS console and look at the properties of your server it should have an entry on the forwarders tab which will be either your router's IP address (if it acts as a DNS server) or your ISP's DNS servers.
So, your client PC's will use your DC as the primary DNS 192.168.0.1 and they'll be in the same DNS domain on the advanced settings tab. If you go to a command prompt and type ipconfig /all from a client machine it'll show you all the settings.
In theory your clients query the DC and it resolves all the local IP addresses and anything it doesn't know about gets forwarded to an external DNS server.
It's harder to explain it than it is to set it up!
When your server was set up as a DC it *should* have had DNS set up and the domain name should have been something like companyname.local, not companyname.co.uk and which matches the AD namespace.
Start programs administrative tools DNS. If you drill down you'll (hopefully) see the domain and all the various records.
What should then happen is the DC (Your primary DNS for your client machines) will forward requests for anything outside of companyname.local to the DNS supplied by your ISP.
If you right click the server in the DNS console and look at the properties of your server it should have an entry on the forwarders tab which will be either your router's IP address (if it acts as a DNS server) or your ISP's DNS servers.
So, your client PC's will use your DC as the primary DNS 192.168.0.1 and they'll be in the same DNS domain on the advanced settings tab. If you go to a command prompt and type ipconfig /all from a client machine it'll show you all the settings.
In theory your clients query the DC and it resolves all the local IP addresses and anything it doesn't know about gets forwarded to an external DNS server.
It's harder to explain it than it is to set it up!
If its the only domain controller the server should be running DNS itself - you need to set a fowarder option in the DNS server properties to your ISP sever for resolution of any non local addresses. That should take care of name resolution beyond your network. The XP machines need to be pointing at your server for DNS as this is how they locate a Domain controller to process logons otherwise they take ages as you found out.
There is also a DNS test in the monitoring tab of the DNS server which should show 2 passes when you test it.
Should find the DNS mmc applet in Start -> Admins tools if remember right.
some faster typists about
There is also a DNS test in the monitoring tab of the DNS server which should show 2 passes when you test it.
Should find the DNS mmc applet in Start -> Admins tools if remember right.
some faster typists about
Edited by malman on Thursday 26th April 15:00
Thing to do is disable dhcp on the router, install it on the server. configure the scope options to assign 192.168.0.1 as the dns server on the clients and the routers address as the, erm, router. dns setting on the server should also point to it's self.
You will now find that you log in quick but 'tinternet doesn't work. Hurray. Now go into admin tools on the server, DNS, server properties - set the 'forwarder' as either the routers address or the ISP's dns settings (second way should be a tiny bit quicker).
Untill you sort dns out, you'll also find that login scripts and group policy don't work...
Edited by SneakyNeil on Thursday 26th April 18:13
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