DNS

Domain Name System

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DNS
 DNS provides name registration and name to
address resolution capabilities.
 DNS drastically lowers the need to remember

numeric IP addresses when accessing hosts

on the Internet or any TCP/IP based network.
 Also DNS always has the information as which

server does what.

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How DNS Works?
 DNS uses a client/server model in which the
DNS Server maintains a static database of
domain names mapped to IP addresses.
 DNS client known as the “resolver” performs

queries against the DNS Servers.

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Type of Queries

 Recursive Query.
 Iterative Query.

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Recursive Query:
Step 1
 A client or resolver passes its requests to the local
name server.
 Local name server is the DNS Server identified in the
client TCP/IP configuration.
 Local name server IP address is set in the TCP/IP
settings on the Network Card of the Client Machine.
 The DNS server can use its own cache of resource
record information to answer a query. A DNS server
can also query or contact other DNS servers on behalf
of the requesting client to fully resolve the name,
then send an answer back to the client. This process
is known as recursion.

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Recursive Query:
Step 2
 When the DNS server receives a query, it first
checks to see if it can answer the query
authoritatively based on resource record
information contained in a locally configured
zone on the server. If the queried name
matches a corresponding resource record in
local zone information, the server answers
authoritatively, using this information to
resolve the queried name.

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Recursive Query:
Step 3
 If no zone information exists for the queried
name, the server then checks to see if it can
resolve the name using locally cached
information from previous queries. If a match
is found here, the server answers with this
information. Again, if the preferred server can
answer with a positive matched response
from its cache to the requesting client, the
query is completed.

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Recursive Query:
Step 4
 If the queried name does not find a matched
answer at its preferred server -- either from its
cache or zone information -- the query process
can continue, using recursion to fully resolve
the name. This involves assistance from other
DNS servers to help resolve the name. By
default, the DNS Client service asks the server
to use a process of recursion to fully resolve
names on behalf of the client before returning
an answer. In most cases, the DNS server is
configured, by default, to support the recursion

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Recursive Query:
Step 5
 By using root hints to find root servers, a DNS
server is able to complete the use of
recursion. In theory, this process enables any
DNS server to locate the servers that are
authoritative for any other DNS domain name
used at any level in the namespace tree.

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Iterative Query.
Step 1
 How iteration works
 Iteration is the type of name resolution used between
DNS clients and servers when the following
conditions are in effect:
 The client requests the use of recursion, but
recursion is disabled on the DNS server.
 The client does not request the use of recursion when
querying the DNS server.
 An iterative request from a client tells the DNS server
that the client expects the best answer the DNS
server can provide immediately, without contacting
other DNS servers.

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Iterative Query.
Step 2
 When iteration is used, a DNS server answers a
client based on its own specific knowledge about
the namespace with regard to the names data being
queried. For example, if a DNS server on your
intranet receives a query from a local client for
"www.microsoft.com", it might return an answer
from its names cache. If the queried name is not
currently stored in the names cache of the server,
the server might respond by providing a referral --
that is, a list of NS and A resource records for other
DNS servers that are closer to the name queried by
the client.

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Iterative Query.
Step 3
 When a referral is made, the DNS client assumes
responsibility to continue making iterative queries to other
configured DNS servers to resolve the name. For example,
in the most involved case, the DNS client might expand its
search as far as the root domain servers on the Internet in
an effort to locate the DNS servers that are authoritative for
the "com" domain. Once it contacts the Internet root
servers, it can be given further iterative responses from
these DNS servers that point to actual Internet DNS servers
for the "microsoft.com" domain. When the client is provided
records for these DNS servers, it can send another iterative
query to the external Microsoft DNS servers on the Internet,
which can respond with a definitive and authoritative
answer.

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DNS Records
 Host or Address Records (A)
 Aliases or Canonical Name Records (CNAME)
 Mail Exchange Records (MX)
 Pointer Records (PTR)
 NameServer Records
 Start of Authority Records (SOA)

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Address Records (A)
 Maps host name to Ip address in a DNS
Zones.
 Has three fields:

◦ Domain
◦ Host Name
◦ Host IP Address.

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Aliases or Canonical Name Records (CNAME)

 Canonical name resource record that creates

an alias for host name.
 CNAME records are typically used to hide

implementation details from client.

 Fields include:

◦ Domain.
◦ Alias Name for Host DNS Name.

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Mail Exchange Records (MX)

 Specifies a mail exchange server for a DNS domain

name.
 A mail exchange server is a host that will either

process or forward mail for the DNS Domain Name.

 Fields include”

◦ Domain.
◦ Host Name (Optional).
◦ Mail Exchange Server DNS Name.
◦ Preference Number.
To connect MS Exchange to the internet via the Internet
Mail Server, the MX Records must be correctly configured
by your ISP.

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Pointer Records (PTR)

 Maps IP Address to Host Name in a DNS

Reverse Zone.
 Fields include:

◦ IP address.
◦ Host DNS Name.

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NameServer Records
NS Records
 Identifies the DNS name servers in the DNS
Domain.
 NS Records appear in all DNS Zones and

Reverse Lookup Zones.

 Fields include:

◦ Domain
◦ Name Server DNS Names.

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Start of Authority Records (SOA)

 Each Zone of DNS will have one SOA record.

 SOA records contains many miscellaneous

settings for the zone such as who is

responsible for the zone, TTL etc.

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DNS Zones.

 Primary zone
 Secondary zone
 Stub zone
 AD-integrated Zone.

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Primary zone

 When a zone that this DNS server hosts is a

primary zone, the DNS server is the primary
source for information about this zone, and it
stores the master copy of zone data in a local
file or in AD DS.
 When the zone is stored in a file, by default

the primary zone file is named

zone_name.dns and it is located in the
%windir%\System32\Dns folder on the server.

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Secondary zone

 When a zone that this DNS server hosts is a

secondary zone, this DNS server is a secondary
source for information about this zone. The zone
at this server must be obtained from another
remote DNS server computer that also hosts the
zone. This DNS server must have network access
to the remote DNS server that supplies this
server with updated information about the zone.
 Because a secondary zone is merely a copy of a

primary zone that is hosted on another server, it

cannot be stored in AD DS.

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Stub zone

 A stub zone is a copy of a zone that contains

only those resource records to identify the
authoritative DNS Server for that zone
 A stub zone is used to resolve names

between separate DNS namespaces.

 This type of resolution may be necessary

when a corporate merger requires that the

DNS Servers for 2 separate DNS namespaces
resolve name for clients in both namespces.

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AD-integrated Zone.

 AD-integrated zone stores the zone data in

AD and use the same replication process
used to replicate the other data between
domain controllers.
 One catch with the AD-Integrated zones is

that the DNS Server must also be a domain

controller.

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