DNS on Windows Server 2003, 3rd Edition

Using Application Partitions

Active Directory segregates data into one of three partitions: schema, configuration, or domain. Partitions are used to organize and replicate data with a similar scope (i.e., forestwide or domainwide) among domain controllers. Conceptually, partitions are similar to zones. Zones are also used to segregate and replicate data (using zone transfer) among name servers.

In Windows Server 2003, Microsoft added a new type of partition called an application partition. Whereas the default partitions have a predefined replication scope, application partitions can be configured to replicate with any domain controller in a forest. Domain controllers that are configured to contain replicas of an application partition become the only servers that replicate the data contained within the partition. Application partitions are not limited by domain boundaries. You can configure domain controllers in completely different domains to replicate an application partition. For these reasons, application partitions make a lot of sense for storing AD-integrated zones. You no longer have to store zone data within the domain partition and replicate it to every domain controller in the domain, even if only a few are name servers. With application partitions, you can configure Active Directory to replicate DNS data only between the domain controllers running the DNS server in any domain of the forest. To help facilitate the transition from domain-based storage of zones to application ...