DNS Servers

Question

Hello,

Im hopping someone can clarify best practices for DNS. We currently have 2 DC's in our domain (DC1, DC2) with DC1 being the primary. Is the proper IPv4 configuration for DC1 to use itself as the prefered DNS server or and DC2 as the Alternate DNS server or should it be DC2 as its prefered and itself as?

Current configuration

DC1 (x.x.x.1):

Prefered: x.x.x.1

Alternate: x.x.x.2

DC2 (x.x.x.2):

Prefered: x.x.x.1

Alternate: x.x.x.2

Thank you,

Adam

Answer 1

Hello Adam,

In a multi-DC (Domain Controller) environment, it is generally considered a best practice to avoid pointing the DCs to themselves as their preferred DNS servers. Instead, each DC should point to the other DC as its preferred DNS server. This setup ensures redundancy and helps prevent potential issues if a DC is unable to resolve DNS queries on its own.

Here is the recommended configuration for your setup:

DC1 (x.x.x.1):

• Preferred DNS server: x.x.x.2 (DC2)
• Alternate DNS server: 127.0.0.1 (or x.x.x.1 if you prefer to use the actual IP)

DC2 (x.x.x.2):

• Preferred DNS server: x.x.x.1 (DC1)
• Alternate DNS server: 127.0.0.1 (or x.x.x.2 if you prefer to use the actual IP)

This way, if one DC is down, the other can still handle DNS queries, and each DC can still resolve DNS queries locally using the loopback address.

Here are the steps to configure this:

1. Open the Network and Sharing Center on each DC.
2. Click on *Change adapter settings*.
3. Right-click on the network adapter and select *Properties*.
4. Select *Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)* and click *Properties*.
5. Configure the *Preferred DNS server* and *Alternate DNS server* according to the recommendations above.
6. Click *OK* to save the changes.

Following these steps will ensure your DNS configuration is robust and reliable.

Best regards,

Rosy