Microsoft windows 2000 DNS manual Glossary

GLOSSARY	Using Automatic Configuration
	The Windows 2000 implementation of DNS offers a DNS Server Configuration
	wizard, which greatly simplifies the DNS server installation and configuration
	process. For example, it offers an elegant way of priming the root hints for a new
	DNS server.
	The Server Configuration Wizard sends to the computer’s preferred and (possibly
	alternative) DNS server(s) a NS query for the root, ".", node. The response is placed
	into the root hints of this new server. If no root servers are detected, then the wizard
	sends the same query to the DNS servers specified in the cache.dns file,
	corresponding to the root servers on the Internet. If again no root servers are
	detected, the wizard prompts the user to either make the server a root server (by
	simply choosing the appropriate option) or manually specify root hints.
	WINS Referral
	WINS filled the role of domain and machine locator service for previous versions of
	Windows NT. Windows 2000 will not require WINS in a NetBIOS-less environment.
	However, WINS will always be required in a mixed environment where
	Windows 2000-based machines interoperate with other systems such as
	Windows NT 4.0, Windows 9X, and Windows for Workgroups.
	WINS Referral is the recommended way for Windows 2000 DNS clients to address
	down-level machines registered in WINS. Because Windows 2000 resolvers are
	optimized to use DNS, they would be much more efficient looking up down-level
	clients in a DNS database as opposed to WINS database. To enable this kind of
	lookup, a WINS referral zone can be created in DNS that points to the WINS
	database.
	This zone does not perform any registrations or updates; it simply refers DNS
	lookups to WINS.
	Whenever Windows 2000-based clients send a query with the unqualified name (for
	example, ntservermydomain), the default domain name suffix will be tried first.
	Additional suffixes, however, can be supplied as part of the DHCP configuration. If
	the name of the WINS Referral zone is one of them, all WINS client names will be
	able to be resolved.

Windows 2000 White Paper

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