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When you select the Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically option, the network’s Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server will provide the IP address of a DNS server to the client.
If you select Use The Following DNS Server Addresses, you will manually list the IP address of the Preferred DNS Server and the optional Alternate DNS Server address that you want the client to use.
You can also click on the Advanced button and enter these values and other settings.
You can set the client’s DNS server addresses in the upper box and arrange them in order of use from top to bottom (the first two entries of which will be any settings you provided on the main TCP/IP page) by entering them with the Add button and using the arrows on the right side to change their order.
Other sections on this property page offer opportunities for more settings to be configured. The Append Primary And Connection Specific DNS Suffixes option is selected by default. This setting tells the DNS resolver to append the client name to the primary domain name, as well as the domain name defined in the DNS Domain Name field. The resolver then searches for the Fully Qualified Domain Name. If the search for the Fully Qualified Domain Name fails, the DNS resolver will use the entry (if any) supplied in the DNS Suffix for This Connection text box.
If the DHCP server has been enabled to configure this connection and you do not specify a DNS suffix, the connection is assigned by the DHCP server. If you specify a DNS suffix, it is used instead.
The Append Parent Suffixes of the Primary DNS Suffix check box is also enabled by default. This configuration causes the DNS resolver to drop the leftmost portion of the primary DNS suffix and attempt to use the resulting domain name. If this fails, it continues dropping the next leftmost name and repeats this process until only two names, such as 2000Trainers and COM remain. Rather than do this, you might opt to set the Append These DNS Suffixes (in Order) radio button, which will allow you to specify a list of domains for the DNS resolver to try.
The DNS resolver will attempt each one of these suffixes, one at a time and in the order specified in the text box. Any attempts are limited to the domains listed here.
You can also select the Register This Connection’s Addresses in DNS check box, which will cause the client itself to attempt to dynamically register the IP addresses via DNS with its full computer name, as shown on the Computer Name tab of the System properties page.
The last available option to set from this property page is the Use This Connection’s DNS Suffix in DNS Registration check box, which uses DNS dynamic updates to register the IP addresses and the connection-specific domain name. The connection-specific name is the computer name (the first label of the full computer name specified in the Computer Name tab) and the DNS suffix of this connection. If the Register This Connection’s Addresses in DNS check box is selected, this registration enabled here is in addition to the DNS registration of the full computer name.
Well, that wraps up this section of ‘Learn Windows XP Professional in 15 Minutes a Week.’ I hope you found it informative and plan to return for the next installment.
If you have any questions, comments or even constructive criticism, please feel free to drop me a note. I want to write solid technical articles that appeal to a large range of readers and skill levels and I can only be sure of that through your feedback.
Until next time, best of luck in your studies and remember:
I remember how my mother taught me RELIGION — “You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”
