Although you can install and
configure DNS in various ways, the most straightforward and complete
process involves invoking the Add Roles Wizard and the subsequent
Configure a DNS Server Wizard. The process detailed in this section
illustrates the installation of a standard zone. Multiple variations of
the installation are possible, but this particular scenario is
illustrated to show the basics of DNS installation.
Note
It is recommended that DNS servers
be configured with static IPv4 addresses because if the IP address
changes, clients might be unable to contact the DNS server.
Installation of DNS on Windows Server 2012 is
straightforward, and no reboot is necessary. To install and configure
the DNS role on a Windows Server 2012 computer, follow these steps:
1. Launch Server Manager from a Windows 2012 server with a full GUI.
2. Select the Dashboard section and click the Add Roles and Features link.
3. Click Next on the Before You Begin page.
4. Leave the default selection Role-Based or Feature-Based Installation and click Next.
5. Select the server from the server pool to add the DNS role to and click Next.
6. Select the DNS Server Role check box and click Next.
Note
When the DNS Role box is checked, the Add
Roles and Features Wizard does a readiness check to ensure that the
target server is ready for the DNS role. For example, if a static IP
address is not set for the target server, a warning will pop up.
7. Click Next to skip the Features selection.
8. Click Next on the Introduction to DNS Server page.
9. Click Install on the Confirmation page to install the DNS role.
10. Click Close to exit the Add Roles and Features Wizard.
The DNS role can also be installed locally on a server core installation using PowerShell with the following command:
Install-WindowsFeature –Name DNS-Server-Full-Role
The DNS role has been installed on the
Windows Server 2012 server, but has not been configured. To configure
the role, complete the following steps:
1. Launch Server Manager from a Windows 2012 server with a full GUI.
2. Select the DNS section. The list of servers in the server pool with the DNS role installed will be shown.
3. Right-click the DNS server to configure and select DNS Manager.
4. Select the DNS server name to configure.
5. Select Action, Configure a DNS Server.
6. On the Welcome page for the Configure a DNS Server Wizard, click Next to continue.
7. Select Create Forward and Reverse Lookup Zones (Recommended for Large Networks), and then click Next.
8. Select Yes, Create a Forward Lookup Zone Now (Recommended), and then click Next.
9. Select the type of
zone to be created—in this case, choose Primary Zone—and click Next. If
the server is a writable domain controller, the Store the Zone in
Active Directory check box is available.
10. If storing the zone in Active Directory, select the replication scope and click Next.
11. Type the FQDN of the zone in the Zone Name box, and then click Next.
12. At this point, if
creating a non-AD-integrated zone, you can create a new zone text file
or import one from an existing zone file. In this case, choose Create a
New File with This File Name, and accept the default. Click Next to
continue.
13. The subsequent
page allows a zone to either accept or decline dynamic updates. For
this example, leave dynamic updates disabled by selecting the Do Not
Allow Dynamic Updates option button and clicking Next.
Note
Dynamic updates allow DNS clients to register
and update their own resource records in the DNS zone. When enabling
dynamic updates to be accepted by your DNS server, be sure you know the
sources of dynamic updated information. If the sources are not
reliable, you can potentially receive corrupt or invalid information
from a dynamic update.
14. The next page
allows for the creation of a reverse lookup zone. Here, select Yes,
Create a Reverse Lookup Zone Now, and then click Next.
15. Select Primary Zone for the reverse lookup zone type, and then click Next.
16. If storing the zone in Active Directory, select the replication scope and click Next.
17. Accept the default IPv4 Reverse Lookup Zone, and then click Next.
18. Type in the
network ID of the reverse lookup zone, and then click Next. (The
network ID is usually the first set of octets from an IP address in the
zone. If a Class A IP range of 10.1.0.0 with a subnet mask of
255.255.0.0 is in use on a network, you enter the values 10.1, as
illustrated in Figure 1.)
Figure 1. Reverse lookup zone creation.
19. Again, if
creating a non-AD-integrated zone, you are offered the option to create
a new zone file or to use an existing file. For this example, choose
Create a New File with This File Name, and click Next to continue.
20.
Again, you are presented the option for dynamic updates. For this
example, leave dynamic updates disabled by selecting the Do Not Allow
Dynamic Updates option button and clicking Next.
21. The next page deals with the setup of forwarders. In this example, choose No, It Should Not Forward Queries, and click Next to continue.
22. The final window
displays a summary of the changes that will be made and the zones that
will be added to the DNS database. Click Finish to finalize the changes
and create the zones.
Note
Depending on network connectivity, there
might be a pop-up dialog box between the two clicks to finish the DNS
changes in step 20. If you are not connected to a local-area network
(LAN), an error dialog box is displayed regarding searching for root
hints. Although the dialog box notes the root hint error, clicking OK
will still configure DNS successfully.
