The steps to configure the DNS server on Windows Server are as follows: 1. Install the DNS role, add the DNS server role through the "Server Manager" or use the PowerShell command; 2. Configure the forward search zone to resolve the domain name to the IP address, and create the reverse search zone as needed; 3. Add the A record to map the host name to the IPv4 address, and optionally use the PTR record to implement IP search host name; 4. Set the forwarder to forward unknown requests to external DNS, improve resolution efficiency and avoid possible problems with root prompts.

It is actually not difficult to configure a DNS server on Windows Server, but many users tend to ignore some key points when operating for the first time. This article will talk about how to complete the setup step by step to ensure that your internal network or domain name resolution can run normally.

Install DNS role

The first step is to add a DNS service role to your Windows Server. This step is very basic, but it is also the easiest to be skipped or incompletely installed.

• Open "Server Manager" and click "Add Roles and Features"
• Select "Role-based or Feature-based Installation" in the wizard
• Check the "DNS Server" role and continue to the next step until the installation is completed
• After the installation is completed, you can see the "DNS" option in the "Tools" menu.

Note: If you are using Minimal Server Interface or Core mode, you may need to use the PowerShell command to install:

 Add-WindowsFeature DNS -IncludeManagementTools

Configure forward and reverse search areas

After installing the DNS role, the next step is to create a search area. Generally, we will first configure the forward search area , that is, resolve the domain name into an IP address.

1. Open DNS Manager, right-click "Forward Search Zone" → "New Zone"
2. Follow the wizard to select "Main Region" and enter the domain name you want to parse, such as example.com
3. Next, you can choose whether to allow dynamic updates, which are usually used in the internal environment of the enterprise.

For reverse searches (checking hostnames via IP), you can temporarily skip unless you have special needs, such as mail server verification.

Tip: If you are building an internal testing environment, it is recommended to set the region name to a fake domain name, such as local.test , to avoid conflicts with public domain names.

Add A record and PTR record

The most commonly used record type is the A record, which is responsible for mapping the host name to the IP address.

• Right-click in the corresponding area → “Create a new host (A or AAAA) record”
• Enter the host name (such as webserver) and the corresponding IPv4 address

If you want others to find the host name through the IP address, you need to add a PTR record:

• Enter the "Reverse Search Area" → Right-click the corresponding network segment → "New Pointer (PTR) Record"
• Enter the host name and FQDN corresponding to the IP (fullly qualified domain name)

If you are just doing internal tests, you can only use A records. But if more complete parsing capabilities are required, especially when used with Active Directory, PTR and SRV records must not be missing.

Set forwarder and root prompt (optional)

If your DNS server is not used to provide public network resolution, it is best to set up a forwarder to transfer unrecognized requests to external DNS, such as Google's 8.8.8.8 or the company's main DNS inside the company.

• Open DNS Manager, right-click the server name → "Properties" → Switch to the "Forwarder" tab
• Add the DNS address you want to forward, so that when the local DNS cannot be resolved, they will be automatically asked.

If the forwarder is not set, the system will use the "root prompt" by default to find the top-level domain name server. However, in some network environments (such as firewall restrictions), the root prompt may not work properly, so it is recommended to use a forwarder first.

Basically that's it. The whole process seems to be a lot of steps, but it is not complicated to configure a basically available DNS server in order. It should be noted that permissions, network policies, and firewall rules may have an impact on DNS work, so don't forget to check these details when encountering problems.

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