Windows XP DNS on Windows 2003 server

[Whistler001]

Greetings...

We have an HP G5 blade server running Windows 2003 Standard.

We want to set up a DNS server for our general network which doesn't run Active Directory.

I looked into setting this up yet most references I have come across involve adding a linux box or having Active Directory up and running.

The role is essentially to locally cache commonly used sites or to pass on the unresolved request to a DNS server on the net.

We have no domain name.

I did find the following post yet the answer covered the second role and not the first...

"

Re: Setting up DNS server without Active Directory
> I am setting up a WIN2K server that will not have AD.
> I'm having a problem with the DNS. How do I make it so
> everyone in the world can resolve my domains from the DNS
> server. I have the zones set up, but I don't think the
> public can get to it. There aren't any root hints or
> anything like that. How do I make it a real DNS server?

[Best is to NOT setup DNS -- but let your registrar, e.g.,
Register.Com hold your DNS for you.]

Ok, first thing, "root hints" and such have NOTHING to
do with the world finding and using YOUR server to resolve
the Zones it holds.

Key concept: DNS [color=blue ! important][color=blue ! important]servers[/color][/color] perform in two major roles which
are best thought of separately when setting up or troubleshooting
them:

1) Helping your users resolve (all) names
2) Helping the (rest of) the world resolve YOUR names

Sure, many do both, but some only do one -- and sometimes
only one of these jobs is broken so that really helps to narrow
the search when troubleshooting DNS servers.

Ok, you want #2 to work (maybe number #1 also but your
question is about #2.)

For the world to resolve your names these things must be true:

1) Your DNS server must be register with the PARENT zone
for each zone your DNS holds -- the world searches from
the ROOT DOWN
2) Your DNS server must have a PUBLIC address and generally
this must be a STATIC address (It could be through a NAT but
that is not the normal practice and is just another complication
that
isn't worth the effort in most cases.)
3) Routing and [color=blue ! important][color=blue ! important]IP[/color][/color]
stuff from and to the [color=blue ! important][color=blue ! important]Internet[/color][/color] must work to this
server, etc...

That's it -- when you purchase your Zone they ask for TWO DNS
servers; that's where you give them your DNS server addresses
and the registrar sends it to the PARENT for your zone(s)..."



The set-up in Windows 2003 is somewhat circuitous... any help sorting through this would be appreciated.