Registry Settings for the Microsoft DNS Server

• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0

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. Not 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.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DNS\Parameters

   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: Lists IP Addresses that the DNS Server will listen
      on. (On a Multihomed computer you can configure the DNS server
      to only listen to queries on listed IP addresses.)

   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, 3 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 8 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.)