Knowledge Base

Microsoft DNS Server Reverse Lookup Error Adding Host Record

Article ID: 166753

Article Last Modified on 2/23/2007

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q166753

SYMPTOMS

When adding a host record to Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Domain Name Service (DNS) Server, if you check "Create Associated PTR Record" and click Add, a dialog box appears with the message:

   Warning: Creation of the associated pointer record failed, probably
   because the referenced Reverse-Lookup zone could not be found.

NOTE: This error does not occur if the Reverse-Lookup zone already exists.

CAUSE

This record is caused by a missing or incorrectly defined reverse lookup zone.

RESOLUTION

For instructions on creating a DNS Reverse-lookup zone see the entry "Creating a Primary Zone in the in-addr.arpa domain" in the How To section of the online help for Microsoft Windows NT DNS Manager. The following list identifies some common problems and examples of invalid reverse-lookup zones and steps to correct them.

A reverse-lookup is not entered at all.

A zone name entered without a period between the address and the in-addr.arpa section of the name, or with a period instead of a hyphen between 'in' and 'addr':

      Incorrect:  6.10.10in-addr.arpa
      Incorrect:  6.10.10.in.addr.arpa

      Correct:    6.10.10.in-addr.arpa

The network number is not correctly entered, such as (assuming an IP address of 10.10.6.x):

      Incorrect:  10.10.6.in-addr.arpa

      Correct:    6.10.10.in-addr.arpa

A domain name is entered instead of in-addr.arpa.

      Incorrect:  6.10.10.test.domain.com

      Correct:    6.10.10.in-addr.arpa

An incorrectly subnetted reverse-lookup zone is entered.

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: 174419
TITLE : How to Configure a Subnetted Reverse Lookup Zone on Windows NT

Keywords: kberrmsg KB166753