Multiple Windows Active Directory Servers on different locations: best practice configuring DNS servers on server NIC?

carmik

9/1/24, 11:34 AM

Assume a wide area single domain/single forest AD, having more than one DC installed at each geographical location. I am seeking advice, a best current practice if that exists, for configuring each server's networking with regard to DNS settings. That is, to which (AD) DNS server should DNS queries be sent to, and with which DNS server order (ie which DNS server should be contacted first, which second etc).

A TechNet article provides clear information on how to go about this when you have up to two DCs, but the information provided for more is vague. Simplifying my question: assuming 3 locations, A, B and C, and 2 servers on each, having ip addresses say ipA1/ipA2 (on A), ipB1/ipB2 (on B) and ipC1/ipC2 (on C), how would you configure the DNS asking order on the ipA1 network card, to maximize good availability and performance?

So far, I've thought of the following, but have no idea if they are actually on the right path:

primary: ipA2 (the other DC on the same geographical location), secondary: ipA1 (the server's own ip address), tertiary: 127.0.0.1 (recommended by MS, see article above), or
primary: ipA2 (the other DC on the same geographical location), secondary: ipB1 (server of one from the other sites, tertiary: ipC1 (also server of one from the other sites), quaternary: ipA1 (the server's own ip address) and finally the localhost entry 127.0.0.1

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Jan

9/1/24, 2:02 PM

In my experience it legit does not matter. Both proposed scenarios are valid if you ask me. I already ran domain controllers that point to themselves as the primary DNS server. And I usually don't even include 127.0.0.1 in that case. Most important are the forwarders that you configure in the DNS server (not NIC), because this is what gets used when the lookup cannot be found in the own DNS

Greg Askew

9/1/24, 8:49 PM

There could be query timeouts with more than three DNS servers. That's usually a red flag for an invalid/untested configuration. This is a simple topology so nothing should require more than three servers. Even if it didn't time out performance would be hideous.

Elon Musk

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