Microsoft DNS Fails to Acquire Zone Transfer from BIND Primary

• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

Changes made to a BIND primary DNS zone file are not being seen by a Microsoft DNS server configured as a secondary.

CAUSE

BIND does not automatically update the serial number in the SOA record. DNS secondaries determine if a zone transfer (AXFR) is required by querying for the SOA from the primary zone. If the serial number in the primary's SOA is identical to the serial number in the secondary, the zone data is assumed not to have changed and a zone transfer is not requested.

RESOLUTION

With a BIND primary, it will be necessary to manually update the SOA serial number (sometimes called the magic number) so that automatic zone transfers can be performed between the BIND server and a Microsoft DNS server.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information, see RFC1034 paragraph 4.3.5: Zone Maintenance and Transfers.

Additional query words: DNS Bind zone

Keywords : kbnetwork
Version : WinNT:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb