Question : DNS Settings - Repairing a misconfiguration from the initial build

Hi all,

This is going to take a bit of time so please bear with me.

Last christmas our main school server died, it was NT4 and managed to wipe out everything. It was time to upgrade everything....clients to XP and get hold of a brand spanking new 2K3 server, one of those situations that although caused me considerable grey hair expansion, but was worth while. Now I had no clue about AD, profiles, dynamic disks or any off that stuff (had a nice "challenge" with the fact that 2K3 doesn't read an NT4 stripped disk set) so I enlisted the help of the company that sold us the server expecting the "expert" help of a dynamic 2K3 MCSE, at a hefty cost no less. What I actually got was a vague, social misfit who wasn't qualified to remove the server from the box. Needless to say that I was very disappointed.
So we are setting up the server, he enquires as to what our previous domain was called, and I told him it was called "fortress" (at the time we were using a package called Fortres101 to lock down our 98 clients so that the kids couldn't wreck everything).
Away he goes at setting up the AD directory and stuff under the moniker of FORTRESS.COM. I immediately enquired as to the reasoning because that seemed to me to making some sort of tie to the internet to which I got the reply "It needs this to work."
Oh, right......back then I could only rely on my experts help. I have been studying for my MCSE 2003 for eight months now and I am alarmed to learn about how many mistakes he actually made...anyway.
So he does a bit more twidling, watches his clock, can't get this to work, can't get that to work and then his watch tells him that my money has run out and he leaves with a passing all the best. Good ridance. (After a few strong letters of complaint and some threats, I managed to get a refund on his cost in the equation, which is a minor victory)

I get on the phone to a friend who is a 2K MCSE and he proceeds to help me sort out the mess at a reduced price, all the time I am learning the fundamentals before my course starts. We build a second 2K3 server, rename the original server (scary moments) copy AD across, rebuild the original new server with the new name like "our.school", copy the AD structure back, successful. However we were never completely convinced that we got rid of all the FORTRESS.COM references.

Running through DNS, I find that there are still references to FORTRESS.COM in the Netlogon.dns file, also when I put the filter on within DNS management I have three files that contain references to FORTRESS.com, two NS records and the SOA.
I have also got hold of bits of information from various DNS tests that state that no DNS servers have the DNS records for this DC registered. DNS servers for whoever runs FORTRESS.COM still think that they are something to do with our network, because in the system events I get the same entry everyday that "The following DNS server that is authoritative for the DNS domain locator records for this domain controller does not support dynamic DNS updates"
The rest of the message references an IP address that when I referenced through nslookup came up as an address that is in the DNS scope of none other than.... FORTRESS.COM.
It also ties in with a previous post that hasn't had an answer to yet, that the access between the two DC's takes ages, the second server doesn't know where to look and only the main server can access a share on the second, it just takes ages to appear. This would be the case though wouldn't it if DNS isn't working correctly. You cannot access AD from the second DC at all.

I want to remove all references to FORTESS.COM, I want my new main 2K3 to be authoritative for our domain. We have a new ISP with our adsl setup and they have given me two IP's of their DNS servers so presumably this will have to thrown into the mix for any requests that my DC has to forward.

Apologies for the length of the plea, it reflects the tiresome length that this process has taken. Is it a case of uninstalling DNS and starting again and if so will this knacker AD? If this is the case I think I may need some "just for men" hair colour.

Answer : DNS Settings - Repairing a misconfiguration from the initial build

You should be able to delete them yes.

However, you may find it creates them again, and you may find it starts complaining at you if they're gone. So keep an eye on the Event Viewer (mainly DNS and Directory Service).

Chances are if it needs them there and wants to complain it will use dynamic update and re-add them.

Check ADSI Edit as well though, that'll show you what's stored in Active Directory. If the domain is still there then the problem runs deeper than a few DNS entries.