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I am running DNP 2.1, 50 domain license, on a standalone virtual server with Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition SP2. This is a single box solution, 1 network card with 4 IP addresses. Active Directory is installed, machine name is in format my-host.mydomain.com.au. When setting up DNS I followed the document at http://files.ibiss.be/public/docs/dotnetpanel/Microsoft DNS Service Installation and Configuration Guide.pdf.

I have DNP setup fairly well and can access it externally via www.mydomain.com:9001 without any trouble. I have my domain setup, obviously, and can access that also, which would suggest to me that my DNS is setup ok, but I'm starting to wonder now. I have just created my first user in DNP and it's all setup waiting for the domain to be repointed to it (it's already up and running on another host). The problem is that when I went into my domain management with the company that delegates the domain and specified the new nameservers, I get an error saying that they don't exist. I don't get it. I can ping ns1.mydomain.com.au, I can ping 117.xx.xx.41 which is the ip of ns1, I can do both of these for ns2.mydomain.com.au and 117.xx.xx.42 respectively. And I know the nameservers are working because otherwise I wouldn't be able to browse to www.mydomain.com.au from anywhere, right?

I was just wondering if someone could look over my DNS setup below and tell me if it looks ok...

Here's an export of my DNS setup for the primary domain. Both IP's exist on the one network card in the machine:

(same as parent folder) Mail Exchanger (MX) [10]  mail.mydomain.com.au.
(same as parent folder) Name Server (NS) ns1.mydomain.com.au.
(same as parent folder) Name Server (NS) ns2.mydomain.com.au.
(same as parent folder) Start of Authority (SOA) [2007081409], ns1.mydomain.com.au., hostmaster.mydomain.com.au.
(same as parent folder) Text (TXT) v=spf1 a mx -all
* Host (A) 117.xx.xx.41
ftp Host (A) 117.xx.xx.41
mail Host (A) 117.xx.xx.41
ns1 Host (A) 117.xx.xx.41
ns2 Host (A) 117.xx.xx42
www Host (A) 117.xx.xx.41

...and this is the reverse lookup zone:

Name Type Data
97.xx.xx.41 Pointer (PTR) ns1.mydomain.com.au.
97.xx.xx.42 Pointer (PTR) ns2.mydomain.com.au.
(same as parent folder) Name Server (NS) ns2.mydomain.com.au.
(same as parent folder) Start of Authority (SOA) [2007081501], my-host.mydomain.com.au, hostmaster.mydomain.com.au

any thoughts or suggestions on how I can troubleshoot this would be greatly appreciated.

I have been battling with this for days. I don't get it. I followed the article at http://files.ibiss.be/public/docs/dotnetpanel/Microsoft DNS Service Installation and Configuration Guide.pdf, but domain registrars think my nameservers don't exist. How can this be when I can ping them and nslookup them? Has anyone else followed this article? Successes? Problems? What other tests can I do to pinpoint any problems?

You have to create name servers at your registrar. There should be a tab/menu somewhere with your registrar where you can add ns1.domin.com.au and ns2.domain.com.au as actual nameserver names (assuming .com.au can be used for nameserver names), then you can use them. If you cannot find where to do that then contact your registrar for information.

But that is my very problem - adding the nameservers with the registrar. When I enter ns1.mydomain.com and click 'Add', it comes back with "Error: ns1.mydomain.com does not exist." I have looked at the report for my domain at www.dnsstuff.com and it tells me the following problems:

Single Point of Failure - because my two nameservers are indeed on the same host machine, but apparently that's no real dealbreaker

Reverse DNS entries for MX records - This I suspect might be my problem.

If I do a reverse dns lookup on my domain using nslookup, ie 'nslookup 117.x.x.41', I get "*** unknown can't find 117.x.x.41 - non-existant domain". A lookup on the domain name comes back fine. But I don't get it because in DNS server, under reverse lookup zones I have a zone called "x.x.117.x Subnet" (where the first 2 x's are hidden just for this post). And under that zone I have two PTR records for the two IP addresses, for which the host names are ns1 and ns2. I also have an A record for mail.mydomain.com.

Does this sound like an ok reverse dns setup?

The single point of failure is not a deal breaker and in fact DNSStuff test has not worked in many months now. You can have 20 DNS servers throughout the world and it still fails you. I have been complaining to them for months to remove the test or fix it.

Typically you will go into a control panel and add name server name and associated IP address. That name must be one of your names registered with the same registrar. If that is the case then check their help files and/or contact them directly. if you get no help, find a new registrar. Who is the registrar?

Reverse DNS also is normally set up at the owner of the IP, most of the time this is the datacenter where your server is leased or co-located. You can add rDNS zones till your blue in the face in MS DNS but they will do nothing unless you control has been delegated to you (very unlikely). The only important rDNS entry is for your mail server. IE "mail.yourdomain.com.au". There is no need to have rDNS entries for the nameservers but it certainly won't hurt anything.

Thanks very much for your reply. Can you please describe the correct way to add the RDNS entry for a mail server in MS DNS?

You don't. You only need to setup forwarding zones. Contact your server provider or datacenter to have them add the rDNS for you. They should do it readily and in most cases without charge to you. If this is a home based server on a business DSL or cable connection you will have to contact your ISP. If it is residential you will not have that option.

I just re-read the whole post and you indicate you are on a VPS. Your VPS provider will be able to set that up for you.

Ok, now I'm getting a bit confused. This server of mine is completely under my control. I built it from the ground up. Basically I was given four IP addresses to go with it and two dns server addresses for looking out. I've been told by them that there's nothing they could be doing / not doing to create any dns problems for me. They have dozens of other users that have setup similar servers and host out of them with no dns problems. I'm the first to admit that this is a new area of windows administration for me, but what they're saying does stand to reason. If everyone else had these problems then they wouldn't last in business very long. According to them I am completely on my own. Basically I've just bought a virtual server; what I do with it is up to me.

A VPS will be completely under your control and you can do with it whatever you want provided it doesn't break any of the terms. Your concern is with their responsibility for the network. The IPs must resolve to your VPS and they are responsible for setting up your reverse DNS.

Do your IPs resolve to your server?

You also will get no further running your own DNS until your name servers are registered with your registrar.

I wish I could be of more help.

My primary domain is up and running. The nameservers are registered with my registrar. This is why I am baffled. If trying to do my first customers domain now and that is registered with a different registrar - smartyhost.com.au. Coincidentally they are the people who provide me with my virtual server as well. But their domain self-management system refuses to recognise the nameservers as valid.

"nslookup mydomain.com.au" returns the entries I would expect, but "nslookup 17.x.x.41" returns "non-existent domain"

I have done some research into rDNS entries in Windows 2003 and it turns out that I did have a problem. When I setup the reverse zone I actually reversed the first three octets of the ip address, but you're not meant to do that, so I've corrected it now and am waiting on propogation.