DNS Servers - Win32 apps (2024)

A DNS Server is a computer that completes the process of name resolution in DNS. DNS Servers contain zone files that enable them to resolve names to IP addresses and IP addresses to names. When queried, a DNS Server will respond in one of three ways:

  • The server returns the requested name-resolution or IP-resolution data.
  • The server returns a pointer to another DNS Server that can service the request.
  • The server indicates that it does not have the requested data.

DNS Servers might, during the course of preparing to return the requested resolution data, query other DNS Servers, but beyond that, DNS Servers do not perform any other operations.

There are three main kinds of DNS Servers — primary servers, secondary servers, and caching servers.

Primary Server

The primary server is the authoritative server for the zone. All administrative tasks associated with the zone (such as creating subdomains within the zone, or other similar administrative tasks) must be performed on the primary server. In addition, any changes associated with the zone or any modifications or additions to RRs in the zone files must be made on the primary server. For any given zone, there is one primary server, except when you integrate Active Directory services and Microsoft DNS Server.

Secondary Servers

Secondary servers are backup DNS Servers. Secondary servers receive all of their zone files from the primary server zone files in a zone transfer. Multiple secondary servers can exist for any given zone — as many as necessary to provide load balancing, fault tolerance, and traffic reduction. Additionally, any given DNS Server can be a secondary server for multiple zones.

In addition to primary and secondary DNS Servers, additional DNS Server roles can be used when such servers are appropriate for a DNS infrastructure. These additional servers are caching servers and forwarders.

Caching Servers

Caching servers, also known as caching-only servers, perform as their name suggests; they provide only cached-query service for DNS responses. Rather than maintaining zone files like other secondary servers do, caching DNS Servers perform queries, cache the answers, and return the results to the querying client. The primary difference between caching servers and other secondary servers is that other secondary servers maintain zone files (and do zone transfers when appropriate, thereby generating network traffic associated with the transfer), caching servers do not.

DNS Servers - Win32 apps (2024)

FAQs

What DNS servers am I using Windows? ›

Discover Your DNS Servers

Open your Command Prompt from the Start menu (or type “Cmd” into the search in your Windows task bar). Next, type ipconfig/all into your command prompt and press Enter. Look for the field labeled “DNS Servers.”

What are the 4 types of DNS servers? ›

All DNS servers fall into one of four categories: Recursive resolvers, root nameservers, TLD nameservers, and authoritative nameservers.

What apps use DNS? ›

How many applications rely on the DNS?
  • Primary website.
  • Marketing campaign websites.
  • Email servers.
  • Customer support websites.
  • Online resource libraries.
  • Inside sales web portals.
  • Multi-tier web applications.
  • P2P resources.

What is a Windows DNS server? ›

Domain Name System (DNS) is one of the industry-standard suite of protocols that comprise TCP/IP, and together the DNS Client and DNS Server provide computer name-to-IP address mapping name resolution services to computers and users. Note. In addition to this topic, the following DNS content is available.

What should my DNS server be? ›

What are the best DNS servers to use?
  • Cloudflare. Primary DNS (preferred DNS): 1.1.1.1. ...
  • Google Public DNS. Primary DNS (preferred DNS): 8.8.8.8. ...
  • Quad9. Primary DNS (preferred DNS): 208.67.222.222. ...
  • NextDNS. Primary DNS (preferred DNS): 45.90.28.190. ...
  • NordVPN. Primary DNS (preferred DNS): 103.86.96.100.
Jan 15, 2024

What DNS server am I using? ›

Open the Command Prompt by clicking 'Start Menu'. Type cmd and press 'Enter'. Type nslookup google.com and press 'Enter'. The line starting “Addresses” will show your DNS server address.

How many types of DNS hijacking are there? ›

DNS hijacking can take four different forms: Local DNS hijacking: An attacker installs Trojan software on a user's computer, then modifies the local DNS settings to reroute the user to harmful websites. DNS hijacking using a router: Many routers have weak firmware or use the default passwords they were shipped with.

What is the most stable DNS server? ›

Google Public DNS: Balancing Speed and Simplicity

The primary DNS address, 8.8. 8.8, and the secondary DNS, 8.8. 4.4, are the magic numbers that contribute to Google Public DNS's high reliability and stability for users globally.

What is the most common DNS? ›

A and AAAA DNS records

Firstly, address (A) records are the most common record type by far. In brief, A records map domain names to IPv4 addresses. Secondly, as the internet gradually makes the transition to IPv6, there are AAAA records (spoken as “quad A”).

What is a private DNS server? ›

So, a private Android DNS server is a networking solution that adds an extra layer of security to your private data and allows you to control DNS queries throughout all of your device applications.

What are DNS services? ›

The Domain Name System (DNS) is the phonebook of the Internet. When users type domain names such as 'google.com' or 'nytimes.com' into web browsers, DNS is responsible for finding the correct IP address for those sites.

Should private DNS be off or automatic? ›

Enabling Private DNS Mode on Android means your searches and other DNS queries are encrypted and safe from prying eyes. Here's everything else you need to know. Nearly everything you do on your desktops, laptops, phones, and tablets begins with a Domain Name System (DNS) query.

What are root hints? ›

Root hints are a list of the DNS servers on the Internet that your DNS servers can use to resolve queries for names that it does not know. When a DNS server cannot resolve a name query by using its local data, it uses its root hints to send the query to a DNS server.

How to open DNS manager? ›

First, bring up the Start menu of the Windows Server, and search for Administrative Tools. This will open the DNS Manager. In the DNS manager area, choose the server you want to edit, then double-click on Forwarders. In the Forwarders tab in the server's Properties, click to edit.

Why would I need a DNS server? ›

DNS ensures the internet is not only user-friendly but also works smoothly, loading whatever content we ask for quickly and efficiently. It's one of the cornerstones of how the internet operates. Without it, we'd be stuck memorizing long lists of numbers (IP addresses) to access the content we want.

Is 1.1 1.1 the fastest DNS? ›

Faster than anything else.

The independent DNS monitor DNSPerf ranks 1.1. 1.1 the fastest DNS service in the world.

Is .org or .com more reliable? ›

The primary difference between the 2 domains is the level of branding and trust that they carry. The . org extension conveys a sense of seriousness and credibility, while the .com extension lends itself more to commercial ventures.

Why are there 4 DNS servers? ›

Having multiple DNS servers helps distribute the load and ensures that if one server fails or experiences issues, others can continue to provide DNS resolution. This redundancy improves the reliability and availability of DNS services.

What are the 3 domain name system DNS? ›

The domain name system (DNS) is a naming database in which internet domain names are located and translated into Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. The domain name system maps the name people use to locate a website to the IP address that a computer uses to locate that website.

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