Propagating DNS Changes in Windows 2000
In a Nutshell - CIW Course Section 3, Part B1, Chapter 3
Zone Transfer Frequency: Modifying
The frequency of replication of zone information can be modified from the "Properties" of the SOA (Start of Authority) file. These changes must be made on the primary server as any changes made to a secondary server will be overwritten by replication data from the primary. In reality, with Windows 2000, you cannot make these changes on the secondary as the options are greyed out.
The course makes mention of a serial number which will increment automatically in Windows 2000 but should be updated manually in Linux systems. The serial number is used, when the secondary server requests an update, to determine if data needs to be replicated. The secondary server always initiates a zone transfer. I have not worked out when this increment takes place as it does not appear to happen when you change the "Refresh interval".
Zone Transfers: Limiting
By default, Windows will allow any DNS server to request a zone transfer. This can be limited to only selected servers from the "Zone Transfers" tab of the "Properties" dialog from the SOA file.
By clicking the "Name Servers" tab you can construct a list of name servers. From the above dialog you can now select "Only to servers listed on the Name Servers tab" to restrict transfers to this list only. Alternatively, you can build a list on this dialog and select the third option.
The "Notify" button will display a dialog where a list of secondary servers can be built to allow these servers to be notified of zone updates.