Installation of DNS server:

• Open Server Manager -> Manage (Top right corner) -> Add Roles and Features -> Role-based or feature-based installation -> Select the server from the pool -> Check the feature “DNS Server” and click Next, then Install.

After installation, do a restart on the server. When comes back on, go back to Server Manager -> Tools -> DNS

Starting the configuration. If you never had the DNS configured will open an empty page.

• Right click on DNS and choose Connect to a DNS Server. For options, you can choose “This computer” or type the name of a DNS server and click OK.

• After choosing the DNS server (current or other server) will open up the settings for that server.

• Check the settings for the server – forward lookup zones and reverse lookup zones. You can edit/delete or add new zones.

• To Add a new zone into Forward Lookup Zones, right click on Forward Lookup Zones. By default is Primary zone, but you can change it if you want a Secondary/Stub zone.

• Next step is for Replication Scope, default is for all DNS servers running in this domain.

• On the next step you need to choose a name for your new zone.

• Next step is for Dynamic Update. For Active Directory is recommended to leave default. In this case, every time you change a computer in Active Directory will update it also in DNS. If you want to manually edit the records, choose the last option “Do not allow dynamic updates”.

• Confirmation page, click on Finish if everything is correct.

• After the zone was created will show up under Forward Lookup Zones.

• Since the new zone is empty, you can start to add Hosts/Aliases/Mail Exchange/Other records.

• After the new forward zone was added is recommended to Add a Reverse Lookup Zone. Similar steps from Forward zone. Right click on Reverse Lookup Zones and choose New Zone.

• Select the same Primary zone default.

• Similar to Forward Zone, choose the default option: All Dns servers running on domain controllers in this domain.

• Next step is to choose IPv4 or IPv6 Reverse Lookup zone. If you don’t know your IPv6, just leave default, but still you need to know the IPv4 for your server.

• With the next step you need to know the Network ID. Enter the Network ID and it will create the reverse lookup zone.

• Next step, similar to Forward Zone, you can leave default to Dynamic Updates.

• Again, last step is the confirmation. Click on Finish.

• After the zone is created the same like the Forward zone, you can add new records: Pointer/Alias.

• After the new zones were created, you will see them in Forward/Reverse Lookup Zones.

• If you want to Add a new Host to a zone, right click on the zone and select New Host (A or AAAA). Similar steps to add Aliases/Mail Exchanges records.

• Choose a Name and add the IP. If you leave checked the option “Create associated pointer record” will add the host into the Reverse Lookup Zone. If you unchecked then you need to manually add the record into the Reverse Lookup Zones. Click on Add Host and the new record will be added into Forward/Reverse Lookup Zones.

• If you want to Delete a zone/record from Forward / Reverse Lookup Zones, right click on the zone/record and choose Delete.

• If you want to Edit a zone/record from Forward / Reverse Lookup Zones, right click on the zone/record and choose Properties. For Reverse Lookup Zones you cannot edit Host IP Address.