TABLE OF CONTENTS One of the most common sources of trouble on any Windows network whether it's a Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows Server 2003 network is faulty name resolution. When name resolution (the process of finding the IP addresses associated with computer names and services running on those computers) is not working perfectly, a multitude of problems can arise, including (but not limited to) the following:
Users might not be able to log on to the network.
Users might not be able to connect to applications and services residing on remoter computers.
Domain controllers might not be able to communicate with each other.
In fact, problems with name resolution are so common that a typical first step in troubleshooting problems on a Windows network is to ensure that name resolution is working flawlessly. A common mantra that reflects this situation is the following: "The problem is irrelevant. The answer is DNS." Although this is a gross oversimplification of the problems that can arise on a Windows network, it does contain a germ of truth.
Planning for host name resolution on a Windows Server 2003 network means developing and implementing a fault-tolerant and secure strategy, whereby host computers on the network are always able to resolve computer names to IP addresses and locate services running on the network in a timely manner. On a Windows Server 2003 network, the primary mechanism for locating the domain controllers is host name resolution through DNS.
Distributing DNS Resource...
