How do you reset a 2003 zone serial number to a lower number?

[Ray]

We're converting from Linux master DNS servers to Windows Server 2003 (no
Active Directory in place) and I need to reset the zone serial number from
the CCYYMMDDNN format to just 1 because of the seemingly automatic
incrementing done by Windows.

I converted one of the Windows servers from a secondary to the primary but I
can't make the zone serial number change stick. Every time I reload the
zone, the old serial number comes back.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Ray

 

[Herb Martin]

We're converting from Linux master DNS servers to Windows Server 2003 (no
Active Directory in place) and I need to reset the zone serial number from
the CCYYMMDDNN format to just 1 because of the seemingly automatic
incrementing done by Windows.

I converted one of the Windows servers from a secondary to the primary but
I can't make the zone serial number change stick. Every time I reload the
zone, the old serial number comes back.

Probably due to additional AD Integrated copies of the zone?

Is this a SINGLE Primary or the only AD Integrated Zone?
(at this point)

You can still use the CCYYMMDDNN format, just make it higher
and allow it to increment afterwards so the meaning is lost and it
becomes just a number over time.

 

[Ray]

Hi Herb,

There is no Active Directory at all. We don't use it. I know I can keep it
as is, but it is very confusing because of the auto-increment and I'd rather
just show it as a number or people are going to get confused.

Ray

 

[Herb Martin]

Hi Herb,

There is no Active Directory at all. We don't use it. I know I can keep it
as is, but it is very confusing because of the auto-increment and I'd
rather just show it as a number or people are going to get confused.

Ok, then you have a single Primary that doesn't replicate from anywhere
else -- this means that it will NOT arbitrarily change its zone serial
number.

(Unless you still have it set at Secondary but that would make no sense.)

If it changes, this is due to dynamic updates incrementing it and that is
both normal and necessary.

 

[Ray]

Hi Herb,

I have a single primary with multiple secondary's. Dynamic updates are
disabled. It does change itself. The zone serial number when I switched it
from a secondary to primary went from 2007041801 to 2007041820 while I was
testing the transfers to another secondary and all I was doing was reloading
the zone.

I can manually set it to 1 but as soon as I reload the zone, it goes back to
the old serial number.

All I need to do is somehow change it to start at 1 instead of a huge number
that will be confusing to people because it looks like a date. I plan on
deleting all secondary zones and re-adding them so they start at the new
serial number.

Thanks for your time,

Ray

 

[Herb Martin]

Hi Herb,

I have a single primary with multiple secondary's. Dynamic updates are
disabled. It does change itself. The zone serial number when I switched it
from a secondary to primary went from 2007041801 to 2007041820 while I was
testing the transfers to another secondary and all I was doing was
reloading the zone.

I can manually set it to 1 but as soon as I reload the zone, it goes back
to the old serial number.

The serial number must be HIGHER on the Master than on any Secondary
transferring from that Master.

Secondaries which use another Secondary as master will get the number
from that master.

 

[Ray]

Hi Herb,

The serial number must be HIGHER on the Master than on any Secondary
transferring from that Master.

Yeah, I know. It doesn't have any secondary's yet.

I've been administering DNS servers for a decade or so, just not Windows
ones. I'm leaving this company, which is why I have to make it simple for my
replacement, who doesn't know DNS and only knows Windows. I think I'm going
to try resetting the master from

2004041820

to

3000000001

and see what happens. At least that way it won't look like a date any more.

Take care,

Ray

 

[Herb Martin]

Hi Herb,


Yeah, I know. It doesn't have any secondary's yet.

I've been administering DNS servers for a decade or so, just not Windows
ones. I'm leaving this company, which is why I have to make it simple for
my replacement, who doesn't know DNS and only knows Windows. I think I'm
going to try resetting the master from

2004041820

to

3000000001

It's arbitrary so that is fine.

 

[Ray]

And it even worked!

Thanks again,

Ray

It's arbitrary so that is fine.