DNS on Windows 2000, Second Edition

Resolver Configuration

So, what exactly does the resolver allow you to configure? Most resolvers let you configure at least three aspects of their behavior: the DNS suffix,^[20] the search list, and the name server(s) that the resolver queries.

DNS Suffix

The DNS suffix is the DNS domain in which a system resides. Under certain circumstances, the resolver uses the DNS suffix to generate the search list (which we discuss next). Don’t confuse the DNS suffix, which is obviously a DNS domain name, with the name of the Active Directory domain of which the system is a member. The two values are usually the same because the DNS suffix defaults to a host’s Active Directory domain, but they don’t have to be. As we’ll see in a moment, you can configure a host’s DNS suffix to be different from the Active Directory domain of which it’s a member. We’re going to talk much more about domain names—both DNS and Active Directory—in Chapter 11. For now, though, it’s not necessary to know anything more about Active Directory domains to understand resolver configuration.

All configuration options for the Windows NT 4.0 resolver were found in a single window. The Windows 2000 resolver configuration settings, however, are located on three separate windows. The first of these windows is where you change a host’s DNS suffix. To get there, open the Control Panel and double-click on System, then click the Network Identification tab to display the window shown in Figure 6-1.

Figure 6-1. Network Identification ...