Configure Network Services - MCSA Windows Server 2012 R2: Installation and Configuration Study Guide - page 56

The Domain Name System (DNS) is one of the key topics that
you'll need to understand if you plan to take any of the Micro-
soft Windows Server 2012 R2 administration exams (70-410,
70-411, 70-412, and so forth).
It's also imperative that you understand DNS to work with Active Directory because
it requires DNS to function properly, and many important system functions (including
Kerberos authentication and finding domain controllers) are handled through DNS
lookups. Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
clients use DNS for name resolution and to find Kerberos key distribution centers (KDCs),
global catalog servers, and other services that may be registered in DNS.
By the time you complete this chapter, you will have a deeper understanding of how
DNS works and how to set up, configure, manage, and troubleshoot DNS in Microsoft
Windows Server 2012 R2.
In this chapter, you'll also learn how to install and manage DHCP, including how to set
up plain DHCP scopes, superscopes, and multicast scopes. You'll also learn how to set up
integration between Dynamic DNS and DHCP and how to authorize a DHCP server to
integrate with Active Directory.
There are two versions of DHCP: DHCP v4 and DHCP v6. In this chapter, I
will just say “DHCP server” when referring to the physical DHCP server. If I
am referring to a specific version of DHCP, I will specify the version.
Introducing DNS
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a service that allows you to resolve a hostname to an
Internet Protocol (IP) address. One of the inherent complexities of operating in networked
environments is working with multiple protocols and network addresses. Owing largely
to the tremendous rise in the popularity of the Internet, however, most environments have
transitioned to use Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) as their
primary networking protocol. Microsoft is no exception when it comes to supporting
TCP/IP in its workstation and server products. All current versions of Microsoft's operating
systems support TCP/IP, as do most other modern operating systems.
An easy way to understand DNS is to think about making a telephone call. If you wanted
to call Microsoft and did not know the phone number, you could call information, tell