When installed and configured, the DNS and DHCP servers extend the NDSTM schema to create new objects with which to administer and control their services. The DNS/DHCP Group and Locator objects are central to Novell's implementation of DNS and DHCP.
We recommend that you place the DNS/DHCP Group, DNS/DHCP Locator, and the RootServerInfo Zone objects in a separate partition that is accessible from and replicated to all points of the network where NetWare 5 DNS/DHCP servers are located. Although changes to the DNS/DHCP Group and Locator objects occur infrequently (only when you add or delete new servers, zones, or subnets), all NetWare 5 DNS/DHCP servers and the DNS/DHCP Management Console require access to these objects.
Consider the following NDS issues to maintain optimal performance when providing DNS and DHCP services on your NetWare network:
Plan to create an Organizational Unit (OU) container object near the top of your NDS tree. The location of this container object should be easily and widely accessible. Locate the DNS/DHCP Group and Locator objects and the RootServerInfo Zone object under the container object.
Plan to create an Administrator Group object under this container, also. An Administrator Group should have Read and Write rights to all DNS/DHCP Locator object attributes except the global data and options fields. Members of this group can use the DNS/DHCP Management Console to create and modify DNS and DHCP objects.
IMPORTANT: A network administrator can access only his or her administrative domain which might not include the DNS/DHCP Locator object. By creating an Administrative Group, you enable administrators who are group members to use the DNS/DHCP Management Console.
Plan to locate your DNS and DHCP servers at locations where they are geographically close to the hosts that require their services. Plan to have one DHCP server in each partition of your network to minimize any WAN communications problems caused by normal load, configuration changes, or replication.
Replicate the partition containing the DNS/DHCP Group and Locator objects to all parts of the network that use DNS and DHCP services to ensure access in the event of system unavailability or hardware problems.
When planning your DNS replication strategy, consider that replication is employed for load balancing when you provide multiple name servers within the DNS zone.
Well-planned replication is the best way to provide fault tolerance for DNS and DHCP services.