DNS Records Registered by Windows 2000 Domain Controllers

PSS ID Number: Q178169

Article Last Modified on 08-6-2002

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional

Summary

As a function of the Netlogon service, Windows 2000 domain controllers can register one or more DNS records. When you view the properties for records that are prefixed with "_ldap", note that these entries are Service Location (SRV) records, that are used in identifying an available service on a host.In the following descriptions, DnsDomainName refers to the DNS domain name used during promotion of the server when the domain tree is joined or created. DnsTreeName refers to the DNS domain name of the root domain. To identify the correct DNS entries that should exist for the Windows 2000 installation, locate and open the Netlogon.dns text file in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder.

More Information

Windows 2000 domain controllers can register the following DNS records:

• _ldap._tcp. DnsDomainName
  This record allows a client to find a Windows 2000 domain controller in the domain named by DnsDomainName. For example, a client looking for a domain controller in the PSS domain would query _ldap._tcp.pss.microsoft.com. Each domain controller registers this record.



• _ldap._tcp. SiteName._sites. DnsDomainName
  This record allows a client to find a Windows 2000 domain controller in the domain named by DnsDomainName and is also in the site named by SiteName. For example, a client looking for a domain controller in the PSS domain in the Charlotte site would query _ldap._tcp.charlotte._sites.pss.microsoft.com. Each domain controller registers this record for the appropriate site.



• _ldap._tcp.pdc._msdcs. DnsDomainName
  This record allows a client to find the primary domain controller (PDC) emulator named by DnsDomainName. Only the PDC emulator of the domain registers this record. The PDC emulator is also responsible for unregistering any other registrations of this record.



• _ldap._tcp.gc._msdcs. DnsTreeName
  This record allows a client to find a Global Catalog (GC) server. Only domain controllers serving as GC servers for the tree named by DnsTreeName register this name. For example, this could be ldap._tcp.gc._msdcs.microsoft.com. Should the domain controller acting as a GC server cease to be a GC server, the server automatically unregisters this record.



• _ldap._tcp. SiteName._sites.gc._msdcs. DnsTreeName
  This record allows a client to find a GC server that is in the site named by SiteName. Only domain controllers serving as GC servers for the tree named by DnsTreeName register this name. For example, a registration could be _ldap._tcp.charlotte._sites.gc._msdcs.microsoft.com.



• _ldap._tcp. DomainGuid.domains._msdcs. DnsTreeName
  This record allows a client to find a domain controller in a domain based on its Globally Unique Identifier (GUID). A GUID is a 128-bit (or 8-byte) number that is automatically generated for referencing objects in Active Directory (in this case, the domain). For example, a client might query for _ldap._tcp.4f904480-7c78-11cf-b057- 00aa006b4f8f.domains._msdcs.microsoft.com.

Additional query words:

Keywords: kbenv
Issue Type: kbinfo
Technology: kbwin2000Serv kbwin2000ServSearch kbwin2000Search kbwin2000ProSearch kbwin2000Pro