DNS on Windows 2000 (Paperback)

~ Matt Larson (Author), Cricket Liu (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

That Microsoft likes to implement network services in its own way--some would call this innovation; others would say it's reinventing the wheel--is news to no one. The folks from Redmond have built Domain Name Service (DNS) capability into Windows 2000 Server, and sure enough, the implementation differs from all those that preceded it. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just unique, and DNS on Windows 2000 explains how. What's more, the book explains DNS generally, in both global and organizational terms. For that reason, the authors are correct to point out in their introduction that this is essentially the classic DNS and BIND (which Cricket Liu, one of this book's authors, also cowrote) for Windows 2000 instead of Unix.

This book does a good job of tying together all aspects of DNS provision for a network administrator. It's a complex undertaking, since DNS involves not only elaborately inter-operating machines in the organizational network, but also interactions with other networks' services and global authorities. Liu and Matt Larson explain the whole system, from starting and stopping a DNS service under Windows 2000 to establishing an organization's namespace in the global hierarchy. They rely on diagrams to clarify DNS conceptually, screen shots to set readers straight on how to configure servers, and plenty of annotated nslookup runs to demonstrate correct and incorrect server behavior. This book's your best bet if you need to implement DNS on a Windows 2000 network and have either no knowledge of DNS, or knowledge that's rooted in Unix implementations. --David Wall

Topics covered: The Domain Name System (DNS) in general, and means of implementing it under Microsoft Windows 2000 Server specifically. There are specific instructions for setting up Microsoft DNS Server instances in a number of configurations, and advice on how to set up zones, MX records, and subdomains. All aspects of the interaction between Windows 2000 and DNS--notably Active Directory--receive attention.

Product Description

DNS on Windows 2000 is a special Windows-oriented edition of the classic DNS and BIND. The Domain Name System (DNS) is one of the Internet's fundamental building blocks: the distributed host information database that's responsible for translating names into addresses, routing mail to its proper destination, and many other services. As the preface says, if you're using the Internet, you're already using DNS-- even if you don't know it. Besides covering general issues like installing, setting up, and maintaining the server, DNS on Windows 2000 tackles those specific to the Windows environment: integration between DNS and Active Directory, conversion from BIND to the Microsoft DNS server, and registry settings. It pays special attention to security issues, system tuning, caching, zone change notification, troubleshooting, and planning for growth. Suitable for both Windows administrators who use DNS daily, and users who want to grasp how the Internet works.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 2 edition (October 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596002300
• ISBN-13: 978-0596002305
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,259,311 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book! Technically usefull., December 4, 2001

By	Dimitri Koens (Alphen aan den Rijn, ZH Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This is a great book! I already own DNS and BIND, but that book is specifically for BIND. As a technical consultant on Microsoft networks (...) I regularly deal with DNS. With this book I'm learning a great deal about the special Microsoft differences with the Internet standard of DNS.

DNS isn't easy. Especially in dial-up and e-mail configurations, you must implement certain settings. This book really answers those questions. There's a whole chapter on configuring DNS for e-mail servers.

Technical depth is quite good. Good enough for most environments anyway. This book will not answer every technical bit, but than you would need a 1500+ pages book. In all other circumstances: GET THIS BOOK! Readability is excellent, and this book will certainly last another 5 years.

You will be vary satisfied with this book. I am.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars O'REILLY does it again! Great DNS Book!, June 24, 2002

By	"dsm1649" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

We needed to set up a Windows DNS server for our network, and all of my experience was with UNIX and BIND. This book has it all! What DNS is, how to plan your DNS structure, install a DNS server on Windows 2000, add forward/reverse zones, add additional DNS servers, and Active Directory integration!
I highly recomend this book to anyone who needs to set up a DNS server on a windows 2000 server!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, OS specific info, May 18, 2003

By	Rob Banzai (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

If you know nothing about DNS this book can help get you started in addition to providing very specific info on administering DNS under Win2k. This is about as easy as DNS under Win2k is going to get so it winds up highlighting just how confusing and sometimes byzantine Micro$oft's implementation of DNS can be.
It's best to use this book BEFORE you create a DNS server but in my case it helped me sort out a mess left behind by consultants, particularly the wild and wooly realm of reverse DNS entries. :)