The introduction of the App Store was among the most welcome enhancements to SharePoint with the 2013 release, signaling the arrival of a new method of extending the platform through versatile app offerings from the Microsoft Partner ecosystem.  Naturally, there is much to learn about working with apps, and we’ve created this User’s Guide dedicated to helping you with configuring an environment for apps in SharePoint 2013. In part 1 of our 7-part series, “User’s Guide to Configuring an Environment for Apps in SharePoint” we’ll show you how to configure the Domain Name in DNS.

Create a new zone for the DNS server

Before you begin, make sure that you are using a local administrator on the domain controller.

In order to create the new zone, click Start and then Administrative Tools.  Next, click DNS.

In the DNS Manager window, right-click Forward Lookup Zones and select New Zone:

This will open up the New Zone Wizard window. From the window, click Next.

From the Zone Type form, select Primary Zone and click Next.

In the Active Directory Zone Replication Scope form, select the To all DNS servers in this domain radio button and click Next.

On the Zone Name form, input the name of your new app domain into the Zone Name textbox.

In this example, we’ll be using the app domain name ChauTeamApps.com

Click Next.

On the Dynamic Update form, select the Do not allow dynamic updates radio button and click Next.

In the Completing the New Zone Wizard window, click Finish.  You will now have a new zone created.

Create a new Alias (CNAME) for the new domain

Once again, before you start, make sure that you are using a local administrator on the domain controller.

To begin, open the DNS Manager Window and expand the Forward Lookup Zones section.  Next, right-click the name of the new app domain (chauteamapps.com) and select New Alias (CNAME).

This will open the New Resource Record form.  Enter the following information into the fields on the form:

• Alias: Input *
• Fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for target host: Input the fully qualified domain name of the server. In this example the server name is SharePoint.ChauTeam.com.

When you are finished entering the information, click OK.

You will now have a new Alias for the domain name created.

New to the 2013 platform, Apps for SharePoint provide a great channel for adding functionality to a SharePoint site. Are you ready to start enhancing your SharePoint site with apps? To enable users to install and use apps, you must configure your SharePoint environment to support them.  Check out the rest of our series to learn how to get your SharePoint environment app ready!

• Part 1: How to Configure the Domain Names in DNS
• Part 2: How to Configure the Subscription Settings
• Part 3: How to Configure the App Management Service Application
• Part 4: How to Configure App URLs Using Central Administration
• Part 5: How to Configure App URLs Using Windows PowerShell
• Part 6: How to Create an App Catalog
• Part 7: How to Add Apps from the SharePoint Store to a SharePoint Site