Workstation DNS

jfhoffman3 · 04-16-2009, 09:14 PM

I am running windows XP Pro on all of my client machines and I have a domain controller setup that all of my clients log onto. We are using static IP addressing, should all of my client machines point to the DNS server as the Primary DNS or to the ISP DNS?

All of these units are spead out accross 8 locations which all connect via VPN connection to our main location. They all have different internet service providers. And I want them to go out through there pipe for normal internet traffice but come through our pipe obviously for file and printer sharing. Could I use wins for file and printer sharing and point there clients to there IP's DNS?

asgley · 04-17-2009, 12:22 PM

Active Directory, NT4 Domain or something like Open LDAP?

skowal · 04-20-2009, 03:22 PM

You should give each location it's own network, this way you can use a routing protocol (or default gateway) to send Internet traffic out through a non-VPN route. Of course, this means that each site would need a router.

For DNS, you can have a DNS server on your DC and point all of your workstations to that DNS (DC) server. Remember that your Windows clients need to access your AD's DNS in order to find the DC. In your DC's DNS config, you can forward any Internet DNS requests to be resolved by the ISP of the site for your DC. A disadantage would be that if your intersite VPN links went down then you would not be able to resolve Internet names.

04-16-2009, 09:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
jfhoffman3 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 14 OS: XP Pro SP3	Workstation DNS I am running windows XP Pro on all of my client machines and I have a domain controller setup that all of my clients log onto. We are using static IP addressing, should all of my client machines point to the DNS server as the Primary DNS or to the ISP DNS? All of these units are spead out accross 8 locations which all connect via VPN connection to our main location. They all have different internet service providers. And I want them to go out through there pipe for normal internet traffice but come through our pipe obviously for file and printer sharing. Could I use wins for file and printer sharing and point there clients to there IP's DNS?

04-17-2009, 12:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
asgley Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 105 OS: xp32, vista64, gentoo, rhle4, rhel 5 64, centos 64, debian, solaris, 2k3, 2k8	Re: Workstation DNS Active Directory, NT4 Domain or something like Open LDAP?

04-20-2009, 03:22 PM	#3 (permalink)
skowal Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 4 OS: Linux Ubuntu	Re: Workstation DNS You should give each location it's own network, this way you can use a routing protocol (or default gateway) to send Internet traffic out through a non-VPN route. Of course, this means that each site would need a router. For DNS, you can have a DNS server on your DC and point all of your workstations to that DNS (DC) server. Remember that your Windows clients need to access your AD's DNS in order to find the DC. In your DC's DNS config, you can forward any Internet DNS requests to be resolved by the ISP of the site for your DC. A disadantage would be that if your intersite VPN links went down then you would not be able to resolve Internet names.