Showing posts with label DNS Server. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DNS Server. Show all posts

Thursday 5 January 2017

Migrating DNS Control Panel from Microsoft Office365 to Third Party DNS Service Provider.

Or, How to migrate DNS control panel from Microsoft Office365 to EasySpace or any third party DNS service provider?

Descriptions: We are planning to migrate our DNS control panel from Microsoft Office365 to EasySpace DNS/Domain service provider because of so many restrictions and limitations in Office365 DNS control panel. Technically, Its take 1-2 hrs approximately to copy all DNS records from Office365 DNS control panel to third party DNS control panel depending upon the number of DNS records you have in Office365 DNS control panel and overall migration activity can be completed within 3-4 hrs including global replications, but logically you should have at least 12-24 hrs of estimated downtime to get this activity completed successfully.

Some DNS provider even asks for 24-48 hrs of downtime for replicating DNS records globally. We will talk about all major steps we should be considering while/before migration of DNS control panel in detail.

Limitations in Office365 DNS Control Panel (I experienced):
1. You can't create multiple/additional MX record in Office365 DNS Control Panel.
2. Including multiple IP and domain keys in SPF record is not fully functional as its displays  duplicate entries sometime in SPF lookup.
3. You can't create sub-domain in Office365 DNS control panel.

Prerequisites:
1. Take backup of your existing DNS records from Office365 DNS control panel.
2. Check who is your Domain service provider and make sure you have admin access of the control       panel portal.
3. Check with your Third Party DNS Service provider for proper instructions, limitations and steps to
4. understand what all are the things you need to do at new DNS control panel before and after setting     up your NS records.
5. Record NS records entries of both DNS Service Providers (Office365 and Third Party).
6. Plan for a feasible downtime.

Sequence of tasks to be performed.
1. Pointing Name Server (NS) record to your domain service provider’s DNS control panel.
2. Performing migration steps on Office365 DNS Control Panel.
3. Creating and updating all DNS records on third party DNS control panel.
4. Verifying Services and functionalities.

Steps: Pointing Name Server (NS) record
As of now, my domain is being managed by Office365 DNS control panel, so the NS pointing is appearing like below:

















Change the Name Server Pointing address to your domain provider’s Name Server. In my case, its appearing below:















Wait for NS record pointers to be updated. It may take up to 1-2 hrs or more... Remember, you have already taken 12 hrs of downtime in advance…. So, don’t be panic, wait till it updates.

My NS record has been updated well and now I am able to see “Launch DNS Tool” option.














Note:  Once your name server is pointed to new DNS control panel. You can proceed with below steps on Office365 Server to transfer all the DNS management responsibility from Office365 to third party control panel.

Steps: Performing migration steps on Office365 DNS Control Panel
Login to Office365 Admin Console with Administrative rights
Go to Domains > Manage Domains > Select the yourdomainname.com (default) > Click on Domain Settings












You can see here; DNS Management is appearing as ‘DNS Managed by Office365’.

Click on “Click Here” hyperlink when you are ready to start.















Select the option “No, I have an existing website or prefer to manage my own DNS records” > Click Next














Select all the service you want > Click Next














Now you will be able to see many of DNS records (MX, CNAME, A, TXT, SRV etc..) that to be added in your third party DNS control panel for proper functioning of Office365 server.














Steps: Creating all DNS records on third party DNS control panel
Now, Login to your third party DNS control panel console and Create all the records recommended by MS by default one by one carefully.

These records are mandatory to be created first in your third party DNS control panel to make sure proper functioning of your Office365 Server emails and other services.

In my case, I am logged in in EasySpace DNS control panel and created all the required records appearing in final page of Office365 server DNS records lists including MX, A, CANAME, SRV, TXT(SPF) etc…









Once you are done with creating all the records in your third party DNS control panel, save it and go back to Office365 DNS control panel.

Click on Verify button in bottom left corner > verifying process will be initiated as appearing below:












That’s it… You’re all set up. Once the verification is completed, click on Finish button to close this migration wizard.

















Just to verify, if you will check the Domain Settings options again, it will show you that your DNS is now being managed outside Office365.








Cheers, please write me back if you have any query or feedback on this...

Friday 9 September 2016

How to update or modify SPF records in Office365 managed DNS Management portal?

Or, Modifying SPF records in Office365 DNS Management portal.
Or, Adding DKIM records in Office365 managed DNS management control panel.

Descriptions:
I must say, it was one of the easiest and completed task for me to find it out where are the SPF and DKIM records of my Office365 server. After reading too many articles and many calls follow-ups with MS Support guys, I decided to put it on my blog in better and easy way so that the one who is even not aware of these features of MS Office365 can navigate these options easily.

Guys one thing to note here is, it’s always best to have a separate DNS Management Control Panel for managing your all DNS records. If you are still running your domain/email domain or Office365 online exchange server with all DNS records created inside Office365 portal itself, you must try to take a downtime and point your NS record to your DNS management control panel portal keeping your manageability and administrative future a peaceful journey.

You may check with MS Support and your DNS service providers also on this to plan it in a better way to reduce overall downtime.

If I am taking about Downtime, it’s not that your email services are going to be down for next 24 hrs.. but it may take approx. 24 hrs to replicate and update your DNS records across the globe. Because, when you migrate your DNS records from Office365 Server to your DNS service provider, you may need to delete all the required records at MS Office365 portal and re-create it at your DNS Service provider’s DNS control panel.

I realized it’s good to explain about the technical background what we are going to do, where we are staying and what should be the next plan of action. Let’s come to the point now.
Please follow the below steps for navigating or modifying the SPF records created under Office365 DNS management Portal.

Steps:

Login to Office365 Portal with Administrative privilege > Go to Settings > Click on Domains





















Click on Default highlighted your email domain, in my case it is techiessphere.com (default)
















Click on Exchange Online to expand it















Here you have your SPF(TXT) record > to modify or update it, Click on Edit option











Once you Click on Edit option, the next pop-up windows will appear like below


















Update your required SPF record here. In my case I had added mailcot.org in my exiting SPF record. Please make sure you do enter additional entries behind < -all > sign and in the format

< include:yourSPFrecord.xyz > etc…

Click on Save after you are done with modifying the SPF record.


















Upon successful completion of the SPF record update, the below message will appear, saying “Custom Record Saved Successfully”.










For creating DKIM records, you just need to create a CNAME record with the value and key ID that you may have already received from your service provider.
Stay tuned, will post another article specially for adding DKIM record under Office365 DNS management Portal.

Cheers Guys, please write me back for any feedback, suggestion or corrections. 

Tuesday 12 July 2016

Error While Joining Windows server to Domain

Or, Unable to connect an Active Directory Domain Controller while domain joining.

Many of us we face this kind of error’s in our day to day IT Operation Services. There are many reasons for this error like, network Connectivity, Wrong VLAN, Wrong Domain Name, Domain is Down etc. So Today I will take you to one of the reason of this error.


Below is Error Screenshot:

















Reason/Solution: I have investigated and Found one reason, I am able to ping IP address but when I am trying to ping with Domain name” Request Timed Out” error coming and host IP address is configured manually. So I checked and Found IP address details for DNS Server is not mentioned.

























So Now I have given DNS Server IP Address.

























So Domain name is now reachable I can Join that server in domain now. Only Domain Admin user id and password required to join into “Techiessphere.com” Domain.

Sunday 10 July 2016

How to Configure DNS server in Windows Server 2012?

Or, Configure DNS Server in Server 2012?

Steps:

1. To configure DNS Server, Open Administrative Tools > Click on DNS.

















2. Now I will Configure DNS Server. The way I’ll configure DNS Will run or Resolve requested query






















3. DNS Server configure wizard will open, Click “Next” to continue.



















4. We can choose any of the three types of DNS Zone According to network infrastructure setup;-
Forward lookup Zone – This DNS zone helps to FQDN or Hostname resolve to IP address resolution.
Reverse Lookup Zone – this DNS Zone helps to resolve IP address to FQDN or Hostname.
Root Hints Only          - Root hints only will not create a database of name records for lookups.




















5. So We have to make sure that this server will maintain the DNS Zone. So Select “The Server Maintain the Zone”. After click on “Next”




















6. Give your Domain Name like “ techiessphare.com



















7. We have done a Active Directory Setup. So We need Dynamic Updated in Windows Infrastructure for DNS. To full fill this requirement we have to select “Allow only Secure Dynamic Updates”



















8. If DNS server gets a query and its having no records. So If DNS Query forwarder is configured here then It will be forwarded to another resolver.
For Example I am put resolver1.opendns.com for Internet based query
Note – In below figure unable to resolve error coming, because internet connection not active.



















9. So Now DNS Server is configured for Techiessphere.com


















How to install DNS Server role in Windows 2012

Or, Installing DNS Server role in Windows Server 2012.
See Also: How to Configure DNS Server in Windows Server 2012?

Steps:
1. To install roles and features in Windows server 2012 we use server manager. Click on Manage and Open Add Roles and Features.












2. Select “Role-Based and Feature-Based Installation” in Add Roles and Feature wizard. And Click “Next” to Continue DNS Role Installation Wizard. 


















3.Here we have to select Server from available Pool to be install DNS Role. Then click “Next”.


















4. Select “DNS Server” Role and after selecting one pop-up window will to come for “Add Features” that will support DNS server Role.


















5. Click next and select “Restart the destination server automatically if required”. Click on Install and server will start Installing DNS. So after successfully DNS server role installation selected server from Pool will Restart Automatically.


















6. Click Yes to reboot the server for installation to take affect.


Saturday 4 June 2016

Command to take DNS Backup in Windows Server 2012 ?

Or, How to take DNS Server Backup?
Or, How to perform DNS backup in Windows Server 2012?

Steps:
1. Open CMD (run as administrator)
2. Type below command and hit enter:

dnscmd yourDNSserverHostName /ZoneExport yourdomain.com backup\FQDNofDNSserver.dns.bkup

3. Wait for command to be completed
4. Go to path %windir%\system32\dns\backup
5. Copy the DNS backup file to any alternate location.

Cheers you are done with taking backup of your DNS server

Saturday 5 March 2016

Explain the types of Zones in DNS.

Or, What is difference between Forward Lookup Zone and Reverse Lookup Zone?
Or, Explain DNS Zones and Sub-Zones.
Or, What is Primary Zone, Secondary Zone and Stub Zone in DNS?

There are two types of zones in DNS, Forward Lookup Zone and Reverse Lookup Zone and these are used for host name to IP and IP to Host name resolution respectively.

Forward Lookup Zone: Resolves Host Name to IP Address
Reverse Lookup Zone:   Resolves IP Address to Host Name

There are three sub zones in DNS, Primary Zone, Secondary Zone and Stub Zone which are explained below:

Primary Zone: This zone is copy of the zone that can be updated directly on the DNS Server. It resides on primary DNS Server by-default.

Secondary Zone: This is read only copy of the primary zone which also provides fault tolerance and loan balancing of primary zone.

Stub Zone:  This Zone is designed for handling queries of few specific DNS records which are A Record, SOA Record and NS Record.

This zone is also a read only type zone which contains only three records as stated above, administrators cant add/modify any DNS records entries in this DNS zone.