DNS on Windows Server 2003, 3rd Edition

What About Signals?

Those of you familiar with the BIND name server know that it’s possible to signal a running name server to perform certain tasks, such as rereading its configuration file or turning on debugging information. The Microsoft DNS Server has no exact analog to a BIND name server’s signals, but you can still make it perform certain tasks while running. We’ll go over the tasks possible using signals on a BIND name server and show how to accomplish the same thing (if possible) with the Microsoft DNS Server:

Restart the name server

You can signal a BIND name server to reread its configuration file and zone datafiles. There’s no comparable Microsoft DNS Server command. If the server obtains its configuration information from the Registry (the default mode), this command isn’t necessary: as you make configuration changes with the DNS console, they take effect immediately in the running name server. If the server is using a BIND-style boot file, you must stop and restart the server after making a change to the boot file. For more information on the server “boot method,” see Appendix B.

Dump a copy of the name server’s internal database to a file

A BIND server can dump its entire memory database of authoritative data, cached data, and root name server “hints” to a file. There’s no direct Microsoft DNS Server equivalent, but you can come close—all this information is visible in the DNS console. To see authoritative data, just select the appropriate zone. By selecting the ...