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Configure a Stub Zone for Local Master Servers

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

When a Domain Name System (DNS) server loads a stub zone, such as widgets.tailspintoys.com, it queries the master servers, which can be in different locations, for the necessary resource records of the authoritative servers for the zone widgets.tailspintoys.com. The list of master servers may contain a single server or multiple servers, and you can change the list anytime. For a stub zone that is integrated with Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), you can use this procedure to specify a local list of master servers rather than the list of master servers that is stored in AD DS.

To complete this procedure, you can use either the DNS Manager snap-in or the dnscmd command-line tool.

Membership in DnsAdmins or Domain Admins, 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).

Configuring a stub zone to use local master servers

  • Using the Windows interface

  • Using a command line

To configure a stub zone to use local master servers using the Windows interface

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

  2. In the console tree, right-click the stub zone, and then click Properties.

  3. On the General tab, under IP address, modify the list to display the IP addresses of the local master servers that you want the DNS server to use when it loads and updates the stub zone.

    Ensure that the IP addresses of the local master servers are for only those authoritative DNS servers that should be queried to update the records of the stub zone on this server.

  4. Select the Use the list above as a local list of masters check box, and then click OK.

Additional considerations

  • If the local list of master servers is cleared at a later date, the master servers list from AD DS is applied and the local list of master servers is deleted.

  • When modifications to the master servers list are made and applied on a domain controller that hosts the stub zone, the list of master servers for the stub zone is updated in AD DS.

  • The DNS server keeps the master servers list from AD DS stored in memory.

To configure a stub zone to use local master servers using a command line

  1. Open a command prompt. 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.

  2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

    dnscmd <ServerName> /ZoneResetMasters <ZoneName> [/Local] [<MasterIPaddress...>]
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 (.)

<ZoneName>

Required. Specifies the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the zone.

/Local

Configures the local master list for Active Directory–integrated zones.

<MasterIPaddress...>

The list of one or more IP addresses of master servers for this zone. Master servers may include the server that hosts the primary zone or servers that host other secondary copies for the zone. To clear the local list of masters, type the command without entering any IP addresses. Ensure that the IP addresses of the local master servers are for only those authoritative DNS servers that should be queried to update the records of the stub zone on this server.

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

dnscmd /ZoneResetMasters /help

Additional considerations

  • If the local list of master servers is cleared at a later date, the master servers list from AD DS is applied and the local list of master servers is deleted.

  • When modifications to the master servers list are made and applied on the domain controller that hosts the stub zone, the list of master servers for the stub zone is updated in AD DS.

  • The DNS server keeps the master servers list from AD DS stored in memory.