How to Configure DNS Forward & Reverse Lookup Zones in DNS

Configuring forward and reverse DNS zones is critial to your DNS.

A forward lookup zone is a DNS zone where in which the hostname to IP address relations are stored. When a computer requests the IP address of specific hostnames, the forward lookup is queried and the results are returned. If you have no DNS forwarder, the root will be publicly transmitted online, which can cause critical security issues if your internal DNS servers have private information on them. A reverse lookup zone does the opposite. When a computer requests the hostname of an IP address, the reverse lookup zone is queried and the results are returned.

Instructions

Configure DNS Forward

1. Login to your server. Select "Start," then choose "Administrative Tools."

2. Select the DNS option.

3. Right-click on the "Server Name" and choose the "Forwarders" tab.

4. Select your DNS domain. If your DNS domain is not listed, select "New" and type in the name of the DNS domain. Click the "Ok" button.

5. Type the IP address of the first DNS server you want to forward in the "Selected domain's forwarder IP address" box, then choose the "Add" button.

6. Repeat these steps to add additional DNS servers you want to forward.

Configure Reverse Lookup

1. Login to your server. Select "Start," then choose "Administrative Tools."

2. Select the DNS option. If the server is not displayed right-click DNS , then choose the "Connect to Computer" option. Follw the creation wizard on the screen to add the server.

3. Choose the server name from the list of servers.

4. Right-click the "Reverse Lookup Zones" folder. Choose "New Zone" and follow the configuration wizard.

References

• Microsoft: Adding a Reverse Lookup Zone
• Microsot: Adding forward Lookup Zone