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Change a Zone File Name

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008

For Domain Name System (DNS) zones that are not integrated with Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), you can use this procedure to change the file where the DNS Server service stores data for a zone.

The zone file name is not used for Active Directory–integrated zones because these zones store zone data in the Active Directory database, not in a text file on the DNS server computer.

When you use this procedure, the name of the zone file changes, not the name of the zone. You can use Windows Explorer to view or verify the new zone file name.

Membership in Administrators, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).

To change a zone file name

  1. Open DNS Manager. To open DNS Manager, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click DNS.

  2. In the console tree, right click the zone that you want to manage, and then click Properties.

  3. On the General tab, in the Zone file name text box, type the new file name for this zone.

  4. Click OK when you finish entering the new zone file name.