Error message when you try to create a stub zone in a Domain Name System (DNS) server that is running Windows Server 2003: "The zone cannot be created" (914054)

SYMPTOMS

You try to create a stub zone in a Domain Name System (DNS) server that is running Microsoft Windows Server 2003.You click to select the To all Domain Controllers in the Active Directory Domain DNSServerExample check box in the New Zone Wizard dialog box. You may then receive the following error message:

The zone cannot be created. The request is not supported.

Note The term DNSServerExample is a placeholder for the domain name.

CAUSE

This issue occurs because the current domain functional level is not Windows Server 2003. You cannot store stub zones in the domain partition of the Active Directory database until you raise the domain functional level to Windows Server 2003.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, raise the domain functional level to Windows Server 2003. To do this, follow these steps:

Open Active Directory Domains and Trusts.
In the console tree, right-click the domain for which you want to raise functionality, and then click Raise Domain Functional Level.
In the Select an available domain functional level list, click Windows Server 2003, and then click Raise.

Note The following "Workaround" section describes how to store stub zones without raising the domain functional level to Windows Server 2003.

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue without raising the domain functional level to Windows Server 2003, use one of the following methods when you create a stub zone:

Click to select the To all DNS servers in the Active Directory Domain DNSServerExample check box in the New Zone Wizard dialog box to store stub zones in the DomainDNSZones application partition.
Click to select the To all DNS servers in the Active Directory Forest DNSServerExample check box in the New Zone Wizard dialog box to store stub zones in the ForestDNSZones application partition.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about DNS zone replication in Active Directory, visit the following Web site:

http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/Library/6c0515cf-1719-4bf4-a3c0-7e3514cef6581033.mspx

For more information about how to raise the domain functional level, visit the following Web site:

http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/Library/5084a49d-20bd-43f0-815d-88052c9e2d461033.mspx