DNS Registry Parameter - AddressAnswerLimit

ID: Q164300

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.

SYMPTOMS

The Windows 95 Domain Name Service (DNS) resolver may have a problem when receiving a DNS response packet that contains greater than 28 addresses. For example, if you have 29 A records with the same host name, but different IP addresses, and a Windows 95 client attempts to resolve that name, the query will fail with the following error message:

Bad IP Address


RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 or later. For information about how to obtain the latest service pack, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

ARTICLE-ID: Q152734
TITLE : How To Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 introduced a new new registry value that lets you limit the number of A records returned for a DNS query to between five and twenty eight.

To implement this change, do the following:

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.
  1. Install Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 or later.


  2. Click the Start button, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then


    3. double-click the Services icon.
  3. Select Microsoft DNS Server Service, and then click Stop. Or from an MS-DOS command prompt type:


    4. net stop DNS
  4. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) and go to the following subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
    \DNS\Parameters

    NOTE: The above registry key is one path; it has been wrapped for readability.


  5. On the Edit menu, click Add Value.


  6. Type the following values:


    7. Value Name: AddressAnswerLimit
    Data Type: REG_DWORD
    Value: A value between 5 and 28
  7. Close Registry Editor.


  8. Click the Start button, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the Services icon. Select the Microsoft DNS Server Service, and then click Start. Or from an MS-DOS command prompt type:


    9. net start DNS

Keywords : kbnetwork kbbug4.00 nttcp NTSrv
Version : WinNT:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug


Last Reviewed: February 10, 1999
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