From configuring and deploying a DNS server to diagnosing and troubleshooting DNS difficulties, this collection of tips, tutorials and tools explains how DNS works and shows how to configure it for optimal Exchange Server availability and performance.
TIPS AND TUTORIALS
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Properly
formatting local DNS entries
Learn about common mistakes administrators make when creating internal DNS names and how they can
affect Exchange Server functionality.
End
reverse DNS lookups
Is your Exchange server slow, especially when dealing with Internet email? Learn how to disable
reverse DNS, a common cause of a sluggish server, to remedy the problem.
Tutorial:
A primer on DNS and MX records
One of the major components that helps an email message reach its intended recipient is a Mail
Exchanger DNS record -- better known as an MX record. This four-part tutorial explains what
MX records are and how they work. It then describes how to create an MX record and Host record on
your own DNS server
Common
Exchange Server mail delivery issues
Learn how to determine whether your MTA Stacks service, link failure or improper DNS configuration
is the cause of your Exchange Server mail delivery problems.
Getting
inside DNS
With the emergence of Active Directory, having a properly deployed DNS is a must to keep your
network running correctly (or at all). Expert Laura E. Hunter breaks down the mechanics of DNS and
explains how DNS clients and servers work together to resolve human-readable DNS names into IP
addresses.
Excessive
Exchange Server NDRs destroy DNS
A common side effect of spam is bogus non-delivery reports, which can create major problems on your
DNS server. This tip explains three troubleshooting options for this issue.
Multiple
domain names congregate to one server
You can aggregate multiple Domain Name System names so they point to the same Exchange server.
Here's a tip that explains how.
TOOLS
Tools to
automate DNS tasks
The less manual work you have to do with DNS zone files or the DNS interface, the better -- and
there are a bunch of tools (some free) designed to automate most of the process of dealing with
DNS.
DNS
Dump: Free script for importing/exporting DNS information
DNS Dump is a free command-line batch file that imports and exports DNS information to a structured
file, so you can move the DNS entries from site to site.
BL-Monitor:
Optimize your DNS blacklists with BL-Monitor
BL-Monitor is a free utility that queries a customizable list of DNS blacklist servers at regular
intervals and returns detailed, graphically formatted statistics about how well each blacklist
server is performing.
Setspn:
ActiveSync and front-end DNS aliases
Sometimes ActiveSync will not work if an SSL certificate is using the front-end server's DNS
alias.
This was first published in March 2007