Change a zone file name

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To change a zone file name

Open DNS.
In the console tree, click the applicable zone.

Where?
- DNS/applicable DNS server/Forward Lookup Zones (or Reverse Lookup Zones)/applicable zone
On the Action menu, click Properties.
On the General tab, in the Zone file name text box, type the new file name for this zone.
Click OK when you have finished entering the new zone file name.

Caution

If the zone file name is changed, be sure to update Zone file name on other DNS servers that maintain this zone. Otherwise, subsequent zone transfers and updates might fail. This can occur in the following situations:
- The zone type is primary on this server.
- The zone type is secondary on this server and this server acts as a source or master server for this zone to other DNS servers that host secondary copies of this zone.

Notes

To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.
To open DNS, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click DNS.
The name of the zone file changes, not the name of the zone. You can use Windows Explorer to view or verify the new zone file name.
The zone file name is not used for Active Directory-integrated zones because these zones store zone data in the Active Directory database and not a text file on the DNS server computer.

Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.