Re: [IMail Forum] OT: DNS for dummies question

[Dave Doherty]

Title: Message

Hi Sharyn-   Here's a script that I wrote a while back that automates the process for you:   http://www.skywaves.com/utils/dns_autosecondary.txt   It loads a copy of your primary DNS server's boot file onto your secondary DNS server. The boot file, cache.dns and dns.log are all you need to have on the seconday. The script does the rest.  Install it an obvious place like C:\program files\utils and run it from there.   Please note that you will have to m ake a couple of minor mods under "OPTIONS" to insert your actual server names and paths. And you will neeed to create a share called "DNS" on the secondary's c:\winnt\system32\dns directory.   After the inital run, the only reason you need to run the script is if you add or delete a zone file. If you do this more or less regularly, set the script to run as a scheduled task so the changes happen automatically several times a day. Once it is installed, you can run it as a scheduled task so you only need to make changes on the primary DNS server and the changes will propagate to the secondary(ies). This is how we've run our collection of DNS servers for years. Note that changes to zone files will propagate automatically with or wirthout the script as long as you update the zone file serial number, which should be a date token and two digit servial number, ie: today's first zone file update is 2006022701.   Alternatively, if all you want to do is set up a new primary DNS, then copy the boot file and the zone files, stop and restart the DNS service on your new primary, and you're done. -Dave Doherty  Skywaves, Inc.       ----- Original Message ----- From: Sharyn Schmidt To: Imail_Forum@list.ipswitch.com Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 11:47 AM Subject: RE: [IMail Forum] OT: DNS for dummies question Hi Darin,    thanks...do I just export/import the registry key or do I actually have to copy the files found in the DNS folder to the new machine as well?   The last time I did this, I was setting up brand new zones and a brand new primary name server and did everything from scratch.   Sharyn       Zone files and registry settings under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DNS does it, but another way to migrate DNS other than copying zone files is to set up the new server as a secondary, pulling the zone files from the primary.  Then you can switch the zones on the new server to primary and the old one to secondary, if you like.