Forwarders

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DNS\Parameters

Data type	Range	Default value
REG_SZ	IP address[, IP address] ... (dotted decimal form)	(Blank)

Description

Specifies the servers (as identified by their IP addresses) to which the Domain Name System (DNS) server forwards queries for names outside of its authoritative zone. Queries to the servers in the forwarders list are performed recursively, not iteratively, on behalf of the querying client. By default, no forwarding servers are specified, and the DNS server sends name queries to other servers iteratively.

You might consider specifying a list of forwarding servers in the DNS console if the DNS server is communicating across slow links or if you are intentionally querying a specific server in order to accumulate a name cache on that server.

Change method

To change the value of this entry, use the Forwarders tab in the DNS console or use Dnscmd.exe, a tool included with the Windows 2000 Support Tools. The change is effective immediately; you do not have to restart the DNS server.

Activation method

DNS reads its registry entries only when it starts. You can change entries while the DNS server is running by using the DNS console. If you change entries by editing the registry, the changes are not effective until you restart the DNS server.

Note

If you start DNS by using a standard BIND file, the value of Forwarders in the BIND file takes precedence over the value of this registry entry. The entry might be deleted or its value replaced by the value in the BIND file.

The DNS snap-in does not add this entry to the registry unless you use the Forwarders tab to change the default value.

Windows 2000 does not add this entry to the registry. You can add it by editing the registry or by using a program that edits the registry.

Tip

In general, a single forwarder is more efficient than multiple forwarders, because query results are concentrated in one forwarder's cache. To indicate that a forwarder should be queried more than once if an initial query is unsuccessful, list the IP address of the forwarder more than once on the Forwarders tab.

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