DOCUMENT:Q164488 09-AUG-2001 [winnt] TITLE :HOWTO: Registry Settings for the Microsoft DNS Server PRODUCT :Microsoft Windows NT PROD/VER:winnt:4.0 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:kb3rdparty kbenv kbnetwork kbSample kbsetup kbASP kbSQLServ kbATM ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe. SUMMARY ======= This article describes settings for the Microsoft Domain Name Service (DNS) Server. You can modify most settings using the DNSADMIN tool, although some settings can only be altered using Registry Editor. MORE INFORMATION ================ WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. To change these parameters, use the following procedure: 1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe). 2. From the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree, go to the following key: \SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services 3. From the Edit menu, click Add Value and add a value to the key described in the appropriate entry below. Type in the value, and using the Data Type checkbox to set the value type. 4. Click OK. 5. Quit Registry Editor. 6. Restart the DNS Server for the above changes to take affect. All of the DNS parameters are registry values located under subkeys of: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ Services\DNS\Parameters NOTE: The previous registry key is one path; it has been wrapped for readability. ------------------------------------------------------------------ EnableRegistryBoot 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 Key: DNS\Parameters
Value Type: REG_BINARY - Binary list of ip addresses.
Default: none
Description: IP address(es) of Forwarder(s).
ForwardingTimeout 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.) Additional query words: dns ====================================================================== Keywords : kb3rdparty kbenv kbnetwork kbSample kbsetup kbASP kbSQLServ kbATM Technology : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNT400search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400 Version : winnt:4.0 Issue type : kbhowto ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2001.