How to Install and Configure DNS Service and Appropriate Zones in Windows Server 2003

Step 1
Our first quest would to be to istall the DNS Service so that it can be used as a service on our system. Open the configure your Server option located inside the Control Panel in the Administrative Tools section.

Step2
This will basically start a Wizard to better assist you in the installing of the DNS Service to your computer.

Step3
When the wizard starts, it will Welcome you with a warm greeting. Just click next to prosper onto the next screen to begin installing the DNS Service.
Next you will see a server Role List, click the DNS Server option and then click next.
Now you will see a summary page displaying to you the options that you have chosen to install on out computer. Click Next to continue.
PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY BE PROMPTED FOR YOUR WINDOWS SERVER 2003 CD TO COMPLETE THE INSTALLATION PROCESS.

Step4
It is recommended that you have a static i.p. address before completing the next step, unless you have DHCP enabled on your computer. Click Next to continue. Most static i.p. addresses can be obtained by your ISP.

Step5
Now that we have installed DNS as a service we need to configure the system as a DNS Server. The DNS Server Wizard will automatically appear. Click Next to transfer past the Welcome screen.

Step6
The first step to configuring our DNS Server is to create forward and reverse lookup zones, find the radio button associated with this option and then click next. If you tend to just create a caching only DNS Server, you can select the option to Configure Root Hints only option. Otherwise click next.

Step7
Click Yes afterwards to create a forward lookup zone and click next to continue.
Select the Primary Zone option if your DNS Server already has a domain controller installed. You should select the store the zone in the active directory option. Click Next. Since we already have a domain controller that we are using we need to select the Primary Zone Option, click next.

Step8
Enter a new zone name in the zone name field and click next to continue.

Step9
Leave the default zone name filename so you can get an idea afterwards where the file is located and what the file contains. When you have made your corrections, click next.

Step10
Select the dynamic updates radio button and click next. The reason for the dynamic updates is for example is so you can update a webpage of your website in the active directory then overwrite the existing file to be automatically updated through the web. Therefore this makes for seamless integration into your website.

Step11
Select no, Don’t create a reverse lookup zone now and click next to continue.

Step12
For now since we are just configuring our service, we don’t need to configure the server to forward queries radio button, so click next to continue