Resolving Slow DNS Zone Transfer to non-Microsoft DNS Servers

Slow DNS zone transfers may occur when your secondary DNS server is a non-Microsoft DNS server. By default, the Microsoft DNS server performs zone transfers to non-Microsoft DNS secondaries by sending one resource record per message. This behavior enables Microsoft DNS server to work with DNS servers running under an implementation of BIND earlier than BIND version 4.9.4. (Only BIND version 4.9.4 and later use a faster, high compression method that allows multiple resource records to be sent per message.)

If you are running a secondary non-Microsoft DNS server under BIND version 4.9.4 or higher, you can increase the speed of the zone transfer by creating a new parameter BindSecondaries of type DWORD with Value=0 in the following Registry key:


\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DNS\Parameters

To add the BindSecondaries parameter

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In Open, type regedit, and then click OK.

3. Open the following key folder:


\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DNS\Parameters

4. On the Edit menu, click New, and then click Key.

5. Type BindSecondaries, and then press enter.

6. On the Edit menu, click New, and then click DWORD Value.

7. Type 0 or 1 in the value box, and press enter.

Note

Use value = 0 if you have no BIND secondaries or if all BIND secondaries are running under BIND version 4.9.4 or later. Use value = 1 if you have BIND secondaries running under a BIND implementation earlier than BIND version 4.9.4.

8. Stop and restart the Microsoft DNS server by using Services in Control Panel.

Note

Zone transfers between computers running Microsoft DNS server are automatically performed using the faster, high compression transfer method and are not affected by the BindSecondaries parameter.