To change the DNS suffix of your computer

1. Open System in Control Panel.
2. On the Network Identification tab, click Properties, and then click More.
3. Under Primary DNS suffix of this computer, type the DNS suffix you want to use.
4. If you want your computer to automatically update the DNS suffix if you become a member of a different Windows 2000 domain, select the Change primary DNS suffix when domain membership changes check box.

 Note

• You must be logged on as an administrator to the local computer to change the DNS suffix.
• To open a Control Panel item, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the appropriate icon.
• The default setting for the local primary DNS suffix is the same as the Active Directory domain name. Changing the DNS suffix will not affect your domain membership, but it could prevent other users from finding your computer on the network. If you make the primary DNS suffix of the computer different from the Active Directory domain name, the domain administrator must enable registration of the new full computer name in the Active Directory domain.
• A DNS suffix may contain up to 155 characters, including hyphens and periods.
• If you switch to a new Windows 2000 secure domain and select the Change primary DNS suffix when domain membership changes check box, the DNS suffix is updated to show a new DNS suffix that matches the new Windows 2000 secure domain you are joining. For example, if you create a DNS suffix called MyMachine for membership in your current domain and join a new Windows 2000 secure domain called example.microsoft.com, then the new DNS suffix, (example.microsoft.com), is displayed under Primary DNS suffix of this computer. This new DNS suffix replaces the previous name (MyMachine) you created for membership under your old domain.
• If this computer belongs to a group with a group policy enabled on Primary DNS suffix of this computer, the string specified in the group policy is used as the primary DNS suffix. The local setting is used only if a group policy is disabled or unspecified.

Rename a computer

Join a domain

Join a workgroup