DNS

1. Host A record
a type of DNS record that maps a domain or subdomain to an IPv4 address. It is commonly used to associate a
human-readable domain name with the corresponding numerical IP address of the server hosting the domain's
content.

Here's a simple breakdown of how an A record works:

• For IPv4, it is usually written as four sets of numbers separated by dots (e.g., 192.168.1.1).
• A Record: The A record is a DNS record that links a domain name to an IPv4 address. When someone enters a
domain into a web browser, the browser queries the DNS system to find the corresponding IP address by
looking at the A records.
2. Host AAAA records:
A type of DNS record that maps a domain or subdomain to an IPv6 address.

3. CNAME or Alise domain:

A CNAME (Canonical Name) record in DNS (Domain Name System) is used to alias one domain name
to another. It is often used when a domain needs to point to another domain, and it allows you to map
multiple domain names to the same IP address. CNAME records are useful for creating aliases or subdomains
without needing to change the IP address associated with the domain.

Here's a breakdown of how a CNAME record works:

Alias Domain (CNAME): This is the domain or subdomain that you want to alias or point to another
domain. For example, if you have a subdomain "blog" and want it to point to "www," you would create a
CNAME record for "blog" pointing to "www."

Canonical Name (Target): This is the domain or subdomain to which the alias domain is directed. In
the example above, "www" is the canonical name.

4. SRV Record:
Service (SRV) records in DNS (Domain Name System) are used to provide information about services available on
a network. SRV records define the location (hostname and port number) of servers for specific services, and they
are commonly used in various Internet protocols, such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), LDAP (Lightweight
Directory Access Protocol), and others.

The format of an SRV record is as follows:

• _service._proto.name TTL class SRV priority weight port target

•
• _service: The symbolic name of the desired service, preceded by an underscore (e.g., _sip for SIP, _ldap for
LDAP).
• _proto: The transport protocol of the desired service, also preceded by an underscore (e.g., _tcp or _udp).
• name: The domain name where the service is located.
• TTL: Time to Live, indicating how long the record can be cached.
• class: The DNS class (usually IN for Internet).
• SRV: Identifies the record type.
priority: The priority of the target host, lower values indicating higher priority.
weight: A relative weight for records with the same priority, higher values indicating a higher likelihood of being
selected.

port: The TCP or UDP port on which the service is available.

target: The canonical hostname of the machine providing the service.
For example, an SRV record for SIP may look like this:

_sip._udp.example.com. 3600 IN SRV 10 5 5060 sipserver.example.com.

5. PTR RECORDS:
A PTR (Pointer) record in DNS (Domain Name System) is used to map an IP address to a domain or hostname.
Unlike other DNS record types that associate domain names with IP addresses (like A or AAAA records), PTR
records do the reverse by associating an IP address with a domain or hostname.

PTR records are primarily used in reverse DNS lookups, which are used to find the domain associated with a given
IP address. This is commonly used in email systems and various network-related applications to verify the
authenticity of the sender's domain.

x.y.z.w.in-addr.arpa. TTL IN PTR domain-name.

• x.y.z.w: The reversed octets of the IPv4 address in reverse order.
• in-addr.arpa: The domain suffix used for IPv4 reverse DNS lookups.
• TTL: Time to Live, indicating how long the record can be cached.
• PTR: Identifies the record type.
• domain-name: The domain or hostname associated with the IP address.

Reverse DNS lookups using PTR records are commonly used for various purposes, such as spam filtering, network
troubleshooting, and security verification. It's important to note that PTR records are typically managed by the entity
that owns the IP address range, such as an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
 6. Windows Commands to resolve DNS records.
a. Link: Click here

7. Forward Lookup Zone:

• A forward lookup zone is a DNS configuration where domain names are resolved to IP addresses.
• In simpler terms, it's a zone file that contains mappings of domain names to corresponding IP
addresses.
• When a client requests the IP address of a domain, the DNS server looks up the information in
its forward lookup zone.
• Usage:
o Forward lookup zones are crucial for the normal functioning of the internet and local
networks.
o They facilitate the translation of human-readable domain names into IP addresses,
enabling seamless communication between devices on a network.
• MX (Mail Exchange) Record: Specifies mail servers responsible for receiving email on behalf of the
domain. Cc

8. Primary and secondary zones

DNS (Domain Name System) is a hierarchical and distributed system that translates human-readable
domain names into IP addresses. DNS is organized into zones, which are portions of the DNS namespace.
There are two main types of DNS zones: primary and secondary.

• Primary DNS Zone:

o The primary DNS zone is the authoritative source for a particular domain.
o It is the read-write copy of the zone data, meaning that changes to the zone are made directly on the
primary DNS server.
o The primary DNS server maintains the master copy of the zone and is responsible for providing
authoritative responses to DNS queries for that zone.
o Changes to the zone, such as adding or modifying records, are made on the primary DNS server and
then can be transferred to secondary DNS servers.
• Secondary DNS Zone:
o The secondary DNS zone is a read-only copy of a primary DNS zone.
o It is a backup or replica of the primary zone data and is used to provide fault tolerance and load
distribution.
o The secondary DNS server periodically pulls a copy of the zone data from the primary DNS server.
This process is known as a zone transfer.
o In the event that the primary DNS server is unavailable, the secondary DNS server can still respond to
DNS queries for the zone.
o However, changes to the zone must be made on the primary DNS server, as the secondary server
does not allow modifications to the zone data.
 9. Stub zone
A stub zone is a type of DNS zone that contains only resource records that are necessary to identify the
authoritative Domain Name System (DNS) servers for that zone. It is used for improving DNS resolution efficiency
and delegation of DNS queries. Stub zones are typically used in scenarios where a DNS namespace is divided
between different organizations or administrative domains.

Here are the key characteristics and purposes of stub zones:

• Authority for Delegated Zone:

o A stub zone contains only the NS (Name Server) and glue A or AAAA records needed to locate the
authoritative DNS servers for a delegated subdomain or zone.
o It does not contain the entire set of resource records for the delegated zone; instead, it relies on
referrals to the authoritative servers for resolution.
• Efficient DNS Resolution:
o Stub zones help improve DNS resolution efficiency by reducing the need for iterative queries to
locate authoritative servers.
o When a DNS resolver in one domain needs to resolve a name in another domain, it can refer to the
stub zone to quickly identify the authoritative DNS servers for that domain.
• Delegation of Queries:
o A stub zone is used to delegate DNS queries for a specific domain or subdomain to the authoritative
DNS servers for that domain.
o The stub zone contains information about the authoritative servers for the delegated zone, and
queries for that zone are sent directly to these authoritative servers.
• Updates Automatically:
o Unlike a secondary zone, a stub zone is not a read-only copy of the zone data. Instead, it is
dynamically updated based on the information received from the authoritative DNS servers for the
delegated zone.
o This ensures that the information about authoritative servers is always up-to-date.

10. Conditional Forwarder

A conditional forwarder is a configuration in a Domain Name System (DNS) server that specifies that
queries for specific domain names should be forwarded to specific DNS servers for resolution. Unlike a
standard forwarder, which forwards all queries it cannot resolve locally to a designated DNS server, a
conditional forwarder allows administrators to define specific conditions for forwarding queries.
Key characteristics of conditional forwarders include:
• Selective Forwarding:
o Conditional forwarders allow administrators to selectively forward DNS queries based on specific
domain names.
o Instead of forwarding all queries to a single forwarder, administrators can specify different
forwarders for different domains.
• Use Case:
o Conditional forwarders are often used in scenarios where specific DNS domains need to be resolved
by designated DNS servers outside the local network.
o For example, in a network with multiple domains or a network that is connected to other networks,
administrators might use conditional forwarders to direct queries for specific domains to
authoritative DNS servers for those domains.
• Configuration:
o To configure a conditional forwarder, administrators need to specify the domain names for which
queries should be forwarded and the IP addresses of the DNS servers that should handle those
queries.
o This configuration can typically be set up through the DNS management console or via command-line
tools, depending on the DNS server software in use.
• Overrides Standard Resolution:
o When a conditional forwarder is configured, it takes precedence over the standard DNS resolution
process. If a query matches the conditions specified in the conditional forwarder, it will be forwarded
accordingly; otherwise, the DNS server follows its normal resolution process.
• Enhanced Control and Security:
o Conditional forwarders provide enhanced control over DNS resolution and can be used for security
and performance reasons.
o By forwarding queries for specific domains to authoritative servers, administrators can ensure that
those queries are resolved efficiently and securely.

11.Network ports used for DNS communication

DNS (Domain Name System) communication uses both UDP (User Datagram Protocol) and TCP (Transmission
Control Protocol) for different purposes. Here are the commonly used network ports associated with DNS
communication:

• UDP Port 53:

o UDP is the default transport protocol for DNS queries. Most DNS queries, especially simple queries
for name resolution, are carried over UDP.
o UDP port 53 is used for both DNS query requests and responses.
• TCP Port 53:
o While UDP is the primary protocol for DNS, TCP can be used when the size of the DNS response
exceeds the maximum limit that can be accommodated in a single UDP packet.
o TCP port 53 is used for DNS queries and responses over TCP.
• TCP/UDP Port 5353:
o Used by mDNS (Multicast DNS) for DNS-SD (DNS Service Discovery). mDNS is a protocol that allows
devices on a local network to discover and connect to services provided by other devices on the
same network.
• TCP/UDP Port 137-139 and UDP Port 445:
o These ports are used by NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System) for name resolution. While
NetBIOS is not DNS, it is worth mentioning as it was historically used for name resolution in Windows
environments.
• TCP/UDP Port 853:
o DNS over TLS (DoT) uses TCP and UDP port 853 to provide a secure and encrypted communication
channel for DNS queries and responses.
• TCP/UDP Port 443:
o DNS over HTTPS (DoH) uses TCP and UDP port 443, which is the standard port for HTTPS traffic. DoH
encrypts DNS queries and responses using the HTTPS protocol.
12.DNS Forwarder.
DNS forwarders are DNS servers that are used to forward DNS queries from one DNS server to another. Instead of
resolving DNS queries directly, a DNS server configured as a forwarder sends the queries to a designated external
DNS server, typically provided by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or a public DNS service. Forwarders can be
configured on DNS servers to improve resolution performance, reduce external traffic, and enhance security.

Here are key points about DNS forwarders:

• Purpose:
o DNS forwarders are used to improve the efficiency of DNS resolution by offloading the responsibility
of resolving external domain names to designated DNS servers.
• Configuration:
o Administrators configure DNS forwarders on a DNS server by specifying the IP addresses of the
external DNS servers to which queries should be forwarded.
o When a DNS server receives a query for which it does not have authoritative information, it forwards
the query to the designated forwarders.
• Advantages:
o Performance: DNS forwarders can improve resolution performance by relying on external servers
that may have better caching mechanisms and connectivity to the wider Internet.
o Traffic Reduction: Forwarders can reduce external DNS traffic by consolidating queries to a few
designated servers, rather than each DNS server independently querying external servers.
• ISP DNS Servers:
o DNS forwarders are often configured to use the DNS servers provided by the Internet Service
Provider (ISP). These DNS servers are usually optimized for resolving external domain names.
• Public DNS Services:
o Instead of using ISP DNS servers, administrators may choose to configure DNS forwarders to use
public DNS services such as Google DNS (8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4), OpenDNS, or Cloudflare DNS.
• Security Considerations:
o DNS forwarders can enhance security by reducing the exposure of internal DNS servers to the
external Internet. External queries are handled by the forwarders, which may have additional
security measures in place.
• Configuration Example (Microsoft DNS):
▪ In Microsoft DNS, you can configure forwarders in the DNS Manager by right-clicking on the
server name, selecting "Properties," and then navigating to the "Forwarders" tab.