DNS provides the name resolution services required by Active Directory.  The DNS server in Windows Server 2008 complies with the set of Requests for Comments (RFCs) that define and standardize the DNS protocol.
Because the DNS Server service is RFC compliant and it can use standard DNS data file and resource record formats, it can work successfully with most other DNS server implementations, such as DNS implementations that use the Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) software.

The DNS Server service in Windows Server 2008 includes some new and enhanced features described below.

1. Background zone loading

A DNS server running Windows Server 2008 now loads zone data stored in AD DS in the background while it (re)starts, so that it can respond immediately to requests for data from other zones.  Because the task of loading zones is performed by separate threads, the DNS server is able to respond to queries while zone loading is in progress.  Let's have a look at the startup sequence:

• The DNS server starts, it first enumerates all zones to be loaded.
• It loads root hints from files or AD DS storage. 
• All file-based zones (stored in files rather than in AD DS-integrated) are loaded.
• The DNS server begins responding to queries and remote procedure calls (RPCs).
• All AD DS-based zones are loaded afterwards, by one or more threads spawned.

Because the task of loading zones is performed by separate threads, the DNS server is able to respond to queries while zone loading is in progress.

2. GlobalNames Zone

This new feature provides single-label name resolution for large enterprise networks that do not deploy Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) and where using DNS name suffixes to provide single-label name resolution is not practical.

When the GlobalNames zone is deployed, single-label name resolution by clients works as follows:

1. The client's primary DNS suffix is appended to the single-label name and the query is submitted to the DNS server.
2. If that FQDN does not resolve, the client requests resolution using its DNS suffix search lists .
3. If none of those names resolve, the client requests resolution using the single-label name.
4. If the single-label name appears in the GlobalNames zone, the DNS server hosting the zone resolves the name. Otherwise, the query fails over to WINS.

The GlobalNames zone provides single-label name resolution only when all authoritative DNS servers are running Windows Server 2008.  No changes to client software are required to enable single-label name with this feature.

How to setup GlobalNamesZones (GNZ) in 3 steps:

1. To get GNZ functionality for a given domain or forest, all authoritative DNS servers must be running Windows Server 2008.
   
2. Create an Active Directory integrated zone called GlobalNamesZone. 
   
   Don't forget to choose the appropriate storage method and replication scope for this zone.
   Recommendation: Create the new "GlobalNames" zone as AD DS‑integrated zone, stored in the forest-wide DNS application partition (replicating to all domain controllers that are DNS servers in the forest).
   
   dnscmd ServerName /ZoneAdd GlobalNames /DsPrimary /DP /forest
   
3. Enable the GlobalNames Zone functionality on the DNS Server.
   
   Ensure that the GlobalNamesSupport registry setting has been enabled on all DNS servers, using dnscmd as follows:
   
   dnscmd ServerName /config /EnableGlobalnamesSupport 1

For more information: DNS Server GlobalNames Zone Deployment white paper

Continue on source: http://trycatch.be/blogs/roggenk 

---