Active Directory Cookbook

13.10. Scavenging Old Resource Records

Problem

You want to scavenge old resource records. DNS scavenging is the process whereby resource records are automatically removed if they are not updated after a period of time. Typically, this applies to only resource records that were added via DDNS, but you can also scavenge manually added, also referred to as static, records. DNS scavenging is a recommended practice so that your DNS zones are automatically kept clean of stale resource records.

Solution

The following solutions will show how to enable automatic scavenging on all AD-integrated zones.

Using a graphical user interface

1. Open the DNS Management snap-in.

2. If an entry for the DNS server you want to connect to does not exist, right-click on DNS in the left pane and select Connect to DNS Server. Select This computer or The following computer, enter the server you want to connect to (if applicable), and click OK.

3. Click on the server, right-click on it, and select Set Aging/Scavenging for all zones.

4. Check the box beside Scavenge stale resource records.

5. Configure the No-Refresh and Refresh intervals as necessary and click OK.

6. Check the box beside Apply these settings to the existing Active Directory-integrated zones and click OK.

7. Right-click on the server again and select Properties.

8. Select the Advanced tab.

9. Check the box beside Enable automatic scavenging of stale resource records.

10. Configure the scavenging period as necessary.

11. Click OK.

Using a command-line interface

> dnscmd <DNSServerName> /config ...