Summary
Domain Name System (DNS) is an important user service that should be used on every system connected to the Internet. DNS is a client/server system.
The DNS client issues name queries and is implemented at the application level. It is called the resolver. The resolver is configured during the basic TCP/IP configuration. All systems run the resolver.
The server answers name queries and it runs at the operating system level. It is called the name server. The name server is configured by the DNS Manager, which defines the servers, the zones, and the database information contained in the zones.
DNS servers can be primary, secondary, and caching servers. The original domain database source files are found on the primary server. The domain database file is called a zone file. The zone file is constructed from standard resources records (RR) that are defined in RFCs. The RRs share a common structure and are used to define all DNS database information. All other servers derive the database information from the primary server. Secondary servers make complete copies of the zone information. Caching-only servers cache data one answer at a time.
The DNS server can be tested using nslookup. This test tool is included with Windows NT.
In this chapter we have seen how to configure and test domain name service. In the next chapter we look at Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS).
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