The Domain Name System (DNS) is a staple of the public Internet and is the name resolution system of choice for both large and small networks. DNS is a directory of IP addresses and their corresponding hostnames, much like a phonebook in functionality. However, DNS is more complex than a phonebook and it stores many types of mappings as well as information on services provided by servers on your network.

Whereas Windows NT relied on the Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) and NetBIOS for name resolution, Windows Server 2008 depends on DNS. In fact, DNS is required for anyone that wants to use Active Directory—DNS lies at the heart of Active Directory, and they're inseparable. WINS is obsolesced, at least in terms of pure Windows infrastructure if you have an Active Directory network with all machines running Windows 2000 or later and DNS-aware applications.

In this chapter, I'll discuss the fundamentals of DNS, its structure, and the various types of data it supports and requires, and then I'll proceed through installing and configuring a Windows DNS server and describe how you can integrate it with Active Directory.

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