Integrating DNS Zones with Active Directory
If you have set up Active Directory, integrating zones with Active Directory is a no-brainer. You can select Active Directory-integrated as the type when you create a zone, or you can change the zone type as follows:
Open the DNS console and browse the object tree to locate the zone to be modified.
Right-click the zone name and select Properties from the context menu.
Select the General properties tab and click the Change button.
Click the Active Directory-integrated radio button in the Change Zone Type dialog box.
Click OK.
Repeat these steps for all the name servers that host primary or secondary copies of the zone. The zone is now integrated with Active Directory.
The most significant operational difference you will observe is that the distinction between primary and secondary zones disappears. All Active Directory-integrated zones function identically, obtaining their data from Active Directory.
Active Directory itself has a significant impact on the zone database because it creates Service Location resource records (abbreviated SRV) and a very elaborate domain structure. Figure 3.49 shows a DNS zone that supports Active Directory. I drilled down through the domains to show you an example of a Service Location resource record.
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Figure 3.49 This domain contains an Active Directory Service Location resource record.
The Service Location domain and resource record structure isn't designed for direct human meddling. Everything is maintained automatically by Active Directory, so look but don't touch. Set up the DNS servers needed by your organization, configure zone support, and sit back. Active Directory will take care of most of the day-to-day maintenance. For example, Windows 2000 Servers operating within the domain will automatically register and deregister their services.
Optionally, you can configure DHCP to dynamically update Host Address resource records as host IP addresses are assigned and revoked. That's a topic for Chapter 5.
You might, of course, need to manually configure some resource records. You will need to intervene if you want to enable round robin addressing, for example, or if you want to have static Host Address RRs for some of your hosts.