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Reset Aging and Scavenging Properties for a Specified Resource Record

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

The DNS Server service supports aging and scavenging features. These features are provided as a mechanism for performing cleanup and removal of stale resource records, which can accumulate in zone data over time. You can use this procedure to change how a specific resource record is scavenged.

Membership in the Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).

Resetting aging and scavenging properties for a specified resource record

  • Using the Windows interface

  • Using a command line

To reset aging and scavenging properties for a specified resource record using the Windows interface

  1. Open DNS Manager.

  2. In the console tree, click the applicable zone.

  3. In the details pane, double-click the resource record for which you want to reset aging and scavenging properties.

  4. Depending on the how the resource record was originally added to the zone, do one of the following:

    • If the record was added dynamically using dynamic update, clear the Delete this record when it becomes stale check box to prevent its aging or potential removal during the scavenging process. If dynamic updates to this record continue to occur, the Domain Name System (DNS) server will always reset this check box so that the dynamically updated record can be deleted.

    • If you added the record statically, select the Delete this record when it becomes stale check box to permit its aging or potential removal during the scavenging process.

Additional considerations

  • To open DNS Manager, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DNS.

  • This procedure is necessary only for resource records that are dynamically registered. For records that you add to a zone manually, a time stamp value of zero always applies to the record, which excludes it from the scavenging process.

  • Aging and Scavenging properties for name server (NS) resource records and start of authority (SOA) resource records are reset in the properties for the zone, not in the properties of the resource record.

To reset aging and scavenging properties for a specified resource record using a command line

  1. Open a command prompt.

  2. Type the following command, and then press ENTER:

    dnscmd <ServerName> /Config {<ZoneName>|..AllZones} /ScavengingInterval <Value>
Parameter Description

dnscmd

The command-line tool for managing DNS servers.

<ServerName>

Required. Specifies the DNS host name of the DNS server. You can also type the IP address of the DNS server. To specify the DNS server on the local computer, you can also type a period (.)

/Config

Required. Configures the specified zone.

<ZoneName>|..AllZones

Required. Specifies the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the zone. To configure all zones that are hosted on the specified DNS server to allow dynamic updates, type ..AllZones.

/ScavengingInterval

Required. Sets the scavenging interval.

<Value>

Required. The new value for the scavenging interval, specified in hours. The default is 168 (one week).

To view the complete syntax for this command, at a command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

dnscmd /Config /help

Additional considerations

  • To open an elevated Command Prompt window, click Start, point to All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.

Additional references