How DNS Works
Applies To: Windows Server 2008
Domain Name System (DNS) is the default name resolution service used in a Windows Server® 2008 network. DNS is part of the Windows Server 2008 TCP/IP protocol suite and all TCP/IP network connections are, by default, configured with the IP address of at least one DNS server in order to perform name resolution on the network. Windows Server 2008 components that require name resolution will attempt to use this DNS server before attempting to use the earlier default Windows name resolution service, Windows Internet Name Service (WINS).
Typically, Windows Server 2008 DNS is deployed in support of Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). In this environment, DNS namespaces mirror the Active Directory forests and domains used by an organization. Network hosts and services are configured with DNS names so that they can be located in the network, and they are also configured with DNS servers that resolve the names of Active Directory domain controllers.
Windows Server 2008 DNS is also commonly deployed as a non-Active Directory, or standard, Domain Name System solution, for the purposes of hosting the Internet presence of an organization, for example.
This section contains the following topics: