Microsoft KB Archive/164488

= HOWTO: Registry Settings for the Microsoft DNS Server =

PSS ID Number: 164488

Article Last Modified on 2/27/2003

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0

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This article was previously published under Q164488



IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry



SUMMARY
This article describes settings for a Microsoft Domain Name Service (DNS) server. You can modify most settings by using the Dnsadmin tool, although some settings can only be changed by using Registry Editor.



MORE INFORMATION
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To change these parameters, use the following procedure:  Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe). From the  subtree, go to the following key:

 On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add a value to the key that is described in the appropriate entry below. Type the value, and use the Data Type check box to set the value type. Click OK. Quit Registry Editor. Restart the DNS server for the changes to take affect.</li></ol>

All of the DNS parameters are registry values located under subkeys of:

The DNS Parameters
EnableRegistryBoot <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_DWORD - Boolean Default: 0 (False) Valid Range: 0,1 (False, True) Description: Configure the DNS server to read information about Zones either from a Bind style boot file or from the Registry.

NOTE: If you return to using a boot file, ALL changes to zone information, including new zones, made through the DNS Manager will be lost. Forwarders <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_BINARY - Binary list of ip addresses. Default: none Description: IP address(es) of Forwarder(s). ForwardingTimeout <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_DWORD - Time in seconds Default: 5 Description: Timeout in seconds until a forwarded query is regarded as unsuccessful. IsSlave <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_DWORD - Boolean Default: 0 (False) Valid Range: 0,1 (False, True) Description: Configures the DNS server to be a Slave server. Can only be used when the DNS server is configured to use Forwarder(s). ListenAddresses <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_BINARY - Binary list of ip addresses. Default: none Description: The ListenAddresses key is a list of IP addresses for the DNS server to listen on. The list is not dotted IP strings, but a counted array of raw addresses in net byte order. It should be configured through the ServerProperties\Interfaces dialog box in the admin tool. Editing the rekey is discouraged. If the ListenAddresses key does not exist, the DNS server attempts to bind to every IP address on the computer. This is in general desirable behavior. BindSecondaries <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_DWORD - Boolean Default: 1 Bind compatibility Enabled. Valid Range: 0,1 (False, True) Description: Disables (old) Bind compatible Zone Transfer. Prior to BIND version 4.9.4, implementations of DNS would send one resource record per message to secondary servers. For this reason, Windows NT defaults to this standard when sending messages to a non-Microsoft secondary DNS server.

If the DNS secondary servers are running BIND version 4.9.4 or later, it will be able to send multiple resource records at a time. CleanupInterval <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_DWORD - Time in seconds Default: 900 (15 minutes) Valid Range: 600 - 86400 (ten minutes - one day) Description: Specifies how often the DNS server will clean up the database from expired entries. The DNS server will also verify that it can find root servers at this interval. If no root servers can be found using cached information, the DNS server will reload the cache file.

NOTE: The DNS server will normally only update any cached NS and corresponding A entries if current time-to-live (TTL) is less than CleanupInterval. (that is, if the entry risks to be removed from the cache before next CleanupInterval) DisableAutoReverseZones <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_DWORD - Boolean Default: 0 (Create AutoreverseZones Enabled.) Valid Range: 0,1 (False, True) Description: By default, when the DNS server is started, three zones are always created (In Memory only). These zones are used for localhost lookups and they should always exist on the DNS server.

0.in-addr.arpa 127.in-addr.arpa 255.in-addr.arpa

You should normally never disable this because, if they do not exist, lookup to any of these zones will be sent to a root server.

As these zones are only created in memory and not stored in any zone files, if you need to modify the localhost reverse lookup zone, then you need to manually create it. The correct name for that zone is: 0.0.127.in-addr.arpa NoRecursion <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_DWORD - Boolean Default: 0 (Recursion Enabled.) Valid Range: 0,1 (False, True) Description: Enables/disables if the DNS server should do recursive lookups to other DNS servers. RecursionRetry <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_DWORD - Time in seconds Default: 2 Description: Specifies number of seconds that the DNS server waits for a recursive query to another DNS server to return. RecursionTimeout <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_DWORD - Time in seconds Default: 15 Description: Specifies maximum number of seconds that the DNS server waits before returning an unsuccessful answer to the client.

If RecursionTimeout is set to 15 and RecursionRetry is set to 2, then if every query is unsuccessful, the DNS server will make up to eight queries to other DNS servers before returning an unsuccessful response to the resolver (client).

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DNS\Zones
Holds information of every configured zone. Every zone has a registry key under the Zones key. There will always be a key with the name ".". This key will either refer to the cache file, or if the server is a root server, the zone file for the root domain. The DNS server loads the cache from this file when started. The DNS Server will never respond to a query from the cache file. It is used internally in the DNS server to find root name servers.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DNS\Zones\(ZoneName)\
DatabaseFile <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Zones\(ZoneName)\ Value Type: REG_SZ - String that holds File name. Default: (zone.dns i.e. microsoft.com -> microsoft.com.dns) Description: Name of the database file. The file is stored in Winnt\System32\DNS Type <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Zones\(ZoneName)\ Value Type: REG_DWORD - Number 0-2 Default: Valid Range: 0,1,2 Description: Type of Zone/Database. 0=Cache file, 1=Primary Zone, 2=Secondary Zone.

NOTE: If the server is configured as a root server, then the Type of the Zone file of the "." domain will be set to 1. And the format of the file has to be the same as any other zone file.

NOTE: A root server does not cache resolved queries. It will always respond from the zone file. MasterServers <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_BINARY - Binary list of ip addresses. Default: none Description: IP addresses of Master servers. This entry is only available for secondary zones. The DNS server will contact servers listed here to request a zone transfer. SecondaryServers <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_BINARY - Binary list of IP addresses. Default: none Description: IP addresses of secondary servers to be notified about changes to the zone. This list is also used if you configure the DNS server to only allow specific servers to request a zone transfer (SecureSecondaries). SecureSecondaries <pre class="fixed_text"> Key: DNS\Parameters Value Type: REG_DWORD - Boolean Default: 0 Valid Range: 0,1 (False, True) Description: Allow ONLY in SecondaryServers listed servers to function as secondary servers.(Request ZoneTransfer.)

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