Installing a DNS server in Windows Server 2008
Start by launching the Server Manager console (type servermanager.msc in the search box and press Enter or click Start -> Administrative tools -> Server Manager). Select Roles from the left pane and click Add roles:
Under Server roles, select DNS server
Click Next, then Next again and click the Install button to confirm
When you see the “Installation succeeded” message, click the Close button to exit the Wizard
DNS configuration
Click Start -> Administrative tools -> DNS in order to open the DNS console
– The Forward lookup zone is the DNS zone, where the hostname to IP address relations are stored; forward lookup resolves hostnames to IP addresses
– Reverse lookup resolves IP addresses to hostnames; the Reverse lookup zone is not required
Right click on the computer name and select Configure a DNS server
Click Next, then click Create a forward lookup zone (selected by default), click Next again.
Click This server maintains the zone (selected by default), click Next.
Enter your domain name and click Next
Click Next again
Select No, it should not forward queries and click Next
Complete the Wizard by clicking Finish
If you want to add a Reverse lookup zone at some later stage, start by launching the DNS manager, right click on Reverse Lookup Zones and click New Zone
Click Next, click Primary zone
Click Next, select IPv4 or IPv6, click Next and enter the first three octets of the computer IP address
Finish the Wizard by keeping the default options in the remaining steps.
Managing the DNS records
Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DNS_record_types for the full list of DNS records along with their description and functions. In this tutorial, I will cover adding some of the most commonly used DNS records to the DNS zones.
Name Servers – to add Name Servers, launch the DNS console, expand the Forward Lookup Zones, select the domain, right click on it and click Properties
Click the Name Servers tab, click Add, type in the absolute domain name (the FQDN) and the IP address and click OK.
Start of authority records – if you want to make any changes to the SOA records, launch the DNS console, expand the Forward Lookup Zones, right click on your domain name, click Properties, open the SOA tab and make the changes
Host A records – launch the DNS console, expand the Forward Lookup Zones, right click on your domain name, and click Select New Host. Type name for the Host, type in the IP address and click Add Host.
CNAME (Alias / Canonical Records) – to add CNAME record, launch the DNS console, expand the Forward Lookup Zones, right click on your domain name, and click Select New Alias (CNAME)
MX (Mail Exchange) record – launch the DNS console, expand the Forward Lookup Zones, right click on your domain name, and click New Mail Exchanger. Enter host or child domain, FQDN of the mail server, and the mail server priority and click OK.
Adding more records – for more options, launch the DNS console, expand the Forward Lookup Zones, right click on your domain name, and click Other New Records. Now, you can click any of the listed records, read their description, and if you want to add a record, click the Create Record button and enter the necessary values.
